Bitcoin Daily: South Korean Island Taps ICONLOOP For Blockchain-Based Contact Tracing; Canadian Restaurant Changes Fiat Reserves To Crypto

South Korean Island Taps ICONLOOP For Tracing

South Korean tourist destination Jeju Island will harness ICONLOOP’s Decentralized Identity (DID) blockchain infrastructure for contract tracing purposes to safeguard the wellness of the area’s 15 million yearly visitors, according to an announcement. ICONLOOP said an agreement was inked between the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the company.

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    Jeju Self-Governing Province Director of Health and Welfare Tae-bong Lim said in the announcement, “Through this new infectious disease prevention system, Jeju Island will be able to be reborn as a safe and representative tourist destination in Korea.”

    With the technology, tourists will check into companies and tourist destinations on the island through an app.

    The information will remain confidential “unless a COVID-19 case is discovered,” according to the announcement.

    ICONLOOP’s technology is harnessed in the healthcare, government and finance areas, among others. The Seoul-based company has notched more than $15 million in funding from a number of entities and has roughly 140 staffers. Jeju Island, for its part, is the biggest island in the country and has roughly 700,000 residents.

    In other news, Tahini’s restaurant chain says that it has opted to move its cash reserves into digital currency, according to a series of tweets.

    “We just converted our entire cash reserves that were originally used as savings into #Bitcoin,” according to one of the tweets from the company.

    The author of the thread said that the government assistance programs in the country made it difficult to have workers return. While the restaurant’s cash reserves increased and business was on the rise once more, the author said that “cash didn’t have the same appeal” and the restaurant was worried about currency devaluation.

    The company said it would keep moving its cash reserves to bitcoin over the years to come and possibly in perpetuity if it doesn’t have a “need for the fiat,” according to another tweet.

    Tahini’s began in the city of London in the Canadian province of Ontario, according to one of the tweets.


    CarParts.Com leverages App and Paid Memberships While Exploring Potential Sale

    CarParts.com CEO David Meniane led the company’s Tuesday (Aug. 12) earnings call by saying that it remains engaged in exploring strategic alternatives and is “highly confident” that it is nearing completion of this process.

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      “We’re currently evaluating several different transaction structures, including a potential sale of the company and strategic investments that we believe have the potential to strengthen our capabilities and unlock new growth,” Meniane said.

      Meniane added that there is no certainty that the company will complete a deal.

      CarParts.com announced in a March 5 press release that it was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company, to “maximize value for our shareholders.”

      In the meantime, CarParts.com is pursuing strategic initiatives to boost the company’s value, Meniane said Tuesday.

      The company achieved positive adjusted EBITDA in June and delivered second-quarter results that showed improvement over the previous quarter, Meniane said.

      Meniane attributed the improved results to the company’s mobile app surpassing 1 million users and accounting for 12% of eCommerce revenues; services like products and shipping protection, paid memberships and roadside assistance contributing high-margin fee income; and its eCommerce and mobile app product roadmap delivering improvements in conversion rates, units per order and average order value.

      For the remainder of the year, CarParts.com is focused on expanding its product offering, generating high-margin fee income, scaling its B2B offering, continuing to grow its mobile app business and managing cash flow and inventory levels, Meniane said.

      “We know this transformation is a multiyear effort,” Meniane said. “We’re focused on rebuilding the core foundation of CarParts.com, one that can scale, innovate and deliver a seamless, high-quality customer experience, while driving greater discipline in both our cost structure and capital deployment.”

      Meniane also highlighted challenges faced by CarParts.com. These include noncompliant products imported from China driving a “race to the bottom,” tariffs and inflation weighing on consumer demand, and the macroeconomic environment requiring the company to seek new opportunities for growth.

      “As we progress through the remainder of the year, we’ll continue to navigate a dynamic macro environment, including ongoing tariff and impact and pricing volatility, with discipline and agility,” Meniane said. “Our focus remains on profitable growth, anchored by the strong foundation we’ve built.”