It’s been an interesting year, both in the ICON Republic and the wider blockchain space.

With the P-Rep election, ICON made the transition into a truly decentralized, “blockchain-complete” network.

And with that, the network is moving on to the next phase in its growth.

Meanwhile, technology partner ICONLOOP continued to demonstrate the real-world possibilities of blockchain with bold, innovative initiatives such as decentralized identification and tamper-proof certification.

The MyID Alliance is already offering a glimpse of a world where individuals — not corporations or governments — own their online identity and control their data. Even the Korean government recognizes its potential, as demonstrated by the “My-ID” solution’s inclusion into the Financial Supervisory Service’s regulatory sandbox for innovative financial services.

Meanwhile, in Korea, the national authorities are waking up to blockchain’s — and cryptocurrency’s — innovative potential.

Lawmakers finally took the first step in bringing the cryptocurrency industry into the national mainstream.

Presidential committees and the nation’s top financial watchdog are encouraging the same.

Busan became a blockchain playground, while Jeju continues to embrace the technology.

Even the Bank of Korea seems to be warming to the potential of digital assets, as demonstrated last week.

We here at The Iconist hope to see even more progress and innovation in the coming year.

Have a happy New Year, and wishing you the very best in 2020.