(文章於2018年11月29日在香港經濟日報刊登)
消費者通常希望多取得食物的產品資料，了解自己吃的是甚麼。愛吃魚的芬蘭人，現在已能一路追蹤市面上的魚柳，查出魚從哪個湖泊捕來。
芬蘭零售合作社 S-Group 在今夏開始，測試他們的「梭鱸雷達」（Pike-perch radar）方案，提高食物鏈透明度，為客戶由源頭到貨架提供食品的全程路線資料。當地消費者可用「本地白魚柳」包裝上的二維碼，或登錄追蹤網站，追踪一條淡水梭子魚或鱸魚，查出牠的家鄉水域位置。
(文章於2018年8月23日在香港經濟日報刊登)
身為消費者，如何避免買到含化學毒物的食品、魚目混珠的冒牌皮包、盜竊轉手的贓物，或為內戰國提供軍事經費的鑽石？現代消費品供應鏈很複雜，單靠產品標籤和商戶品牌，難獲百分百保證。但未來數年，區塊鏈將帶來巨大變革。
IBM 商業價值研究院進行區塊鏈研究，訪問 16 國的 203 家消費品生產及零售機構，發現當中 18% 正投放資源籌備區塊鏈，7% 已用於具規模的商業運作。受訪機構認為區塊鏈最能帶來轉變的，是產品安全及防偽。
Remittance among the unbanked and migrant workers is big business. The World Bank estimates that officially recorded remittances to low- and middle-income countries reached US$466 billion in 2017, an increase of 8.5 percent over US$429 billion in 2016.
Residents of low- and middle-income countries also endure high remittance charges—and it is only getting pricier every year. The same report showed that the global average price of sending US$200 was 7.1 percent in Q1 of 2018, more than twice as high as the Sustainable Development Goal target of 3 percent.
(文章於2017年8月23日在香港經濟日報刊登)
炎炎夏日，又是暢泳好時機。然而，泳灘中的浮游垃圾每每令人掃興！據統計，每年有逾800萬噸的塑膠廢物流入海洋，而當中的源頭大多來自貧窮的落後地區。
有環保業者因應這種情況，在2015年開始分別於海地和菲律賓等地區啟動「塑膠銀行」（Plastic Bank）社群平台計劃。他們的理念，是希望透過設計一套嶄新的商業模式，透過支付數碼貨幣作報酬，以促進當地參與者進行塑膠回收，再把塑膠轉賣給能夠重複再利用的企業。
(文章於2017年4月12日在香港經濟日報刊登)
讀者知否，香港國際機場貨運量全球第一、葵青貨櫃碼頭則是全球第六大貨櫃港？作為國際貨運樞紐，每年有無數貨物從香港運送到世界各地。隨同這些貨櫃的還有各種貿易文件。
專家估計，處理和管理這些貿易文件的成本，最多可佔實際運輸成本的20%。全球最大貨櫃航運公司馬士基 (Maersk) 的研究亦指出，僅僅將一批冷凍貨物由東非運到歐洲，便要涉及30個組織和個人，彼此間超過200次通訊。
能否將貿易文件電子化來提升效率？許多企業已嘗試不同供應鏈方案，但始終是以個別企業為基礎。貿易文件牽涉到的單位卻跨越國家，非企業級供應鏈能夠取代。
(This article is also published in Computerworld Hong Kong on December 14, 2016)
Blockchain is finally getting the attention it deserves. From left to right: Sheila Lam (Computerworld Hong Kong), Larry Campbell (KPMG China), Bob Crozier (AIA Edge), and Ian Mitchell (IBM).
Often confused with bitcoin, a cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology, blockchain itself offers more promises than digital currency. It is also changing the fundamentals of finance.
Understanding the blockchain promise
Before blockchain, most technological advances improved or streamlined transactions and interactions. But they still follow traditional business rules and practices. For example, most companies keep their ledgers for protection against fraud and tampering.
Although well founded, it has traditionally made asset ownership and transfer inefficient. However, this solution worked in a world where trust was not a commodity.
Blockchain aims to change this; it makes trust a commodity leveraging cryptographic technology, transparency and business networks. It does this by encapsulating trust in a shared ledger that is transparent to every participant, and permanently recording all transactions in chronological order.
In a recent panel discussion organized by IBM, industry experts and observers noted that this makes blockchain a potential industry game changer.
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Everyday AI At Work Blog Series
A banking license is no longer a guarantee to print money. After years of ultra-low interest rates, increasing demands from regulatory and compliance, and cost-cutting measures, yields are not returning meaningful results.
The ever present 24 hour banking scene, and the convenience of out of branch servicing, has led to the anonymous and unaccountable network services center model that has a tangibly negative impact on client satisfaction. This model has also increased the public awareness of service standards, and service impact, while not increasing yields or customer growth. Being the incumbent players in the world of financial commerce, the banking industry has long established processes and procedures that have enabled efficiencies and structure within the established industry. But new players are not burdened by this legacy and are embarking on disruptive technology that offers niche services targeted at high volume highly profitable services.
Small wonder then that customers are increasingly turning to services offered by financial technology companies to fulfill their commoditized service needs.
(原文於2016年11月24日在香港經濟日報刊登)
Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”
有云：鑽石是女人的摯友。然而，鑽石的「名份」卻是一個困擾。
鑽石沒有世界通行的身份證。竊賊在甲地偷了寶石，拿到乙地去賣，神不知鬼不覺。因此，盜竊問題一直令人頭痛。業界嘗試了不同方法，如為知名鑽石發身份證，但當數據庫被黑客入侵，如去年十月美國寶石學院便宣佈，他們鑑定的逾千顆鑽石記錄失效。
英國初創企業 Everledger 最近利用 IBM 針對區塊鏈開發的軟硬件技術，發展出一套分佈式鑽石身份記錄系統，為鑽石賦予全球性的「名份」。日後即使個別系統被攻陷，電子竊賊竄改鑽石記錄，其他系統都能察覺，防患未然，為鑽石以至未來其他奢侈品，例如名畫等，提供前所未有的安全保障。
(文章於2016年11月17日在香港經濟日報刊登，原題為「區塊鏈可保食品安全」)
食品安全議題近來炒得火熱。遠至歐美等地的「瘋牛肉」及「注膠牛」，到最近驗出的二噁英超標大閘蟹，這些事件令我們察覺到，今天食糧供應跨越國界，預製食物更牽涉原材料供應商、烹調製作商以及物流配送三方，監管不易。
傳統方法會為合規產品頒發證書，但以紙本為基礎的證書容易做假。當食物供應跨越國界穿洋過海，面對不同文字註述的包裝食物，常人未必能輕易解讀，讓不法之徒有機會從中作假。
Blockchain continues to be a hot topic among businesses in Hong Kong. On November 11, TVB Pearl Money Magazine aired another Blockchain story that discusses how the new technology will revolutionize the logistics industry and make the Internet of Things more secure. IBM subject matter expert Iqbal AliKhan is again featured as one of the speakers. The full program can be viewed at here.
Impact@IBMHK 