The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and Northwestern Mutual is proud to present the Financial Services and the New Digital Economy Conference on January 24 from 8:00am-4:30pm. This one-day conference provides wide-ranging perspective on how cutting-edge technologies are re-shaping the digital economy. CEOs, business executives, digital marketers, investors and innovators will have the opportunity to learn more about the following: blockchain, digital regulation, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cryptocurrency, cybersecurity and big data.

Education (8)
A Mutalistic Relationship - Solar Energy & Blockchain Technology
Written by Dana Tate- At the end of 2018, the U.S. had 64.2 GW of installed solar–enough to power 12.3 million American homes.
- Solar energy accounts for 1.6% of total U.S. electricity generation.
- The US. installed 10.6 GW of solar in 2018 alone.
- Solar has ranked either first or second in capacity added to the U.S. electric total every year since 2013.
- There are over 1.47 million solar panels in use across the contiguous 48 states, according to satellite machine learning from researchers at Stanford.
- American solar power offsets over 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, which is like planting almost 1.2 billion trees.
- America has over 242,000 solar workers – more than the coal, oil, and natural gas industries combined!
- The sun produces enough energy every second to cover earth’s needs for 500,000 years.
- Based on average solar production across the U.S., it would take about 21,250 square miles of solar panels to meet the country’s electric needs. That’s about 0.5% of American land, and about half of the 40,223 square miles leased by oil and gas.
- 89% of Americans support more solar farms.
Due to the reality that the climate crisis is getting worse—in recent weeks and months we’ve seen substantial bush-fires burning on opposite hemispheres with huge parts of Australia and California/Oregon ablaze and witnessing one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record—today’s 25-year timeline will be sped up substantially. Ultimately the push towards greater solar adoption with blockchain is a matter of opportunity and necessity. The sooner this is realized, the sooner nations will be able to seize on such opportunities, and avoid the desperation of decisions made by necessity. I believe that the convergence of blockchain technology and solar energy can create numerous lucrative opportunities for companies focused on solving these energy and climate challenges and can help individuals access renewable energy.
If you would like to get involved and support the National Black Farmers Association, visit their website https://www.nationalblackfarmersassociation.org/
BlockSpaces, FloridaMakes, BAMA presents COVID19 Supply Chain Best Practices
Written by Rosa ShoresTampa, FL— April 1, 2020— BlockSpaces, a blockchain and distributed ledger focused product development company, announced today that Co-Founder/CEO Rosa Shores and Chief Technology Officer Chris Tyler will be participating in a COVID-19 Best Practice webinar on April 6, 2020, titled “COVID-19 Best Practices: Blockchain, cybersecurity, and managing liquidity”. The webinar event, hosted by FloridaMakes, in partnership with Bay Area Manufacturers Association, will give a blockchain overview as well as discuss some of the supply chain challenges faced during the COVID19 outbreak. The talk will focus on specific blockchain solutions, and how blockchain can be instrumental in impacting global supply chain resilience.
As Business Leaders Look To the Future, Blockchain Plays a Key Role.
Written by Ian QuinnBlockchain ranks highly amongst formative emerging technologies today. In fact, blockchain is one of the most in-demand hard skills for 2020, according to LinkedIn. Innovators, engineers, investors, and executives are dedicating plenty of time and resources to the pursuit of blockchain solutions, across a wide variety of industries. Iterations in healthcare, finance, real estate, governance, and supply chain logistics are in full swing, with no signs of letting up anytime soon.
5 Q&A’s to Help You Better Understand Fintech
Written by Michelle Beane- What is Fintech?
Fintech is used to describe the combination of using technology in the financial sector. It is an industry that involves any kind of technology in financial services ranging from businesses to consumers.
“Blockchain technology continues to redefine not only how the exchange sector operates, but the global financial economy as a whole.” – Bob Greifeld, Chief Executive of NASDAQ