Dublin will be home to a major conference on developing standards in blockchain next May, boosting the Irish capital’s bid to become a key blockchain player.

The event is being held by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), a Switzerland-based non-governmental standards-setting body, Michael D’Arcy, Ireland’s Minister of State at the Department of Finance, announced.

The ISO’s technical committee is currently in the process of developing international standards for blockchain technology, which it hopes will stimulate greater interoperability, speedier acceptance and enhanced innovation in the technology’s use and application.

Terry Landers, Chairman of the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s ICT consultative committee, described the decision to host the blockchain event in Dublin as a major coup for the capital, according to the Irish Times.

“We’re expecting about 200 people to attend and are planning several outreach events to coincide with it to share expertise with policymakers, small enterprises and so on,” Landers, who is also Chief Standards Officer for Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Microsoft, said.

Major player

Ireland was recognised as a global blockchain player last year when Deloitte chose to open its dedicated blockchain laboratory in Dublin.

The country has also created the Blockchain Association of Ireland, which aims to help business leaders, policymakers and citizens learn about the technology, and is home to blockchain-focussed companies such as Aid:Tech, ArcNet and ConsenSys, which recently launched a Dublin Innovation Studio.