ENGIE : and Maltem come together to found blockchain studio and secure €1.9m in seed funding

The Blockchain is a revolutionary technology affecting all sectors ranging from energy to banking, to agri-food or mass distribution. However, most Blockchain projects stagnate at the 'proof of concept' stage and this technology still remains the domain of experts and specialists.

Blockchain Studio was created by ENGIE and Maltem in order to democratise the uses of this technology and make it accessible to as many people as possible, in particular companies. Initial €1,9 million in seed funding has been secured.

Blockchain Studio published a software suite that accelerates and industrialises the implementation of Blockchain projects:

• An initial tool imagined by ENGIE in 2017 which facilitates the development of 'smart contracts' making it accessible to users with no technical knowledge.
• A second tool manages the establishment of Blockchain infrastructure accessible in the cloud or directly on the company's server.

Thanks to the design of these new tools, Blockchain Studio will be able to meet the requirements of many businesses and enter a fast-growing global market. Among the 1,000 executives of firms with turnover of over USD 500 million surveyed by the firm Deloitte, 41% expect that their companies will adopt this technology in the next 12 months with investment budgets of several million euros.

Blockchain Studio currently comprises 10 employees and foresees a headcount of 25 by year-end 2019. The company plans to position itself on the Asian market at the beginning of 2019 with the opening of an office in Singapore. It also plans to develop its activities in Southern Europe end of S1 2019.

'We are very pleased to be contributing to this development, which should allow Blockchain technology to be made accessible to many actors. It is an excellent example of an innovative tool contributing to ENGIE's digital transformation,' Yves Le Gélard, ENGIE's Executive Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer enthused.

'To spread, an innovation as radical as Blockchain technology needs the power of large groups to be combined with the agility of start-ups. This is the purpose of Blockchain Studio, a joint-venture between ENGIE and our agency dedicated to innovation, Futurs.io,' Jean-Luc Clamen and Pascal Mennesson, partners and co-founders leading the Maltem Consulting Group were pleased to explain.

'The collaboration between ENGIE and Maltem is a significant advantage for creating Blockchain Studio. Their network has already allowed us to receive considerable interest from large groups from a range of sectors,' Corentin Denoeud, Blockchain Studio CEO explained. 'This substantial investment will allow us to attract the best skills and to speed up development of the product, and thereby provide an appropriate and long-lasting solution to our customers' needs for developing their Blockchain applications,' Vincent Le Gallic, Blockchain Studio CTO added.

About ENGIE

We are a worldwide energy and services group which is structured around three key businesses: the production of low-carbon energy, particularly from natural gas and renewable energies, energy infrastructure and customer solutions. Motivated by our ambition to contribute to harmonious progress, we are addressing the main global challenges such as combating global warming, access to energy for all and mobility, and offer our individual, business and community customers solutions for producing energy and services that reconcile individual interests with collective challenges. Low-carbon in nature, our integrated, efficient and sustainable offering harnesses digital technologies. Besides the energy issue, they are facilitating the development of new uses and promoting new ways of living and working. Our ambition is being realised every day by each of our 150,000 employees in 70 countries. With our customers and our partners, they constitute a community of imaginative builders who are today imagining and building solutions for the future. 2017 turnover: 65 billion euros. Listed in Paris and Brussels (ENGI), the Group is represented in the main financial indices CAC 40, BEL 20, Euro STOXX 50, STOXX Europe 600, MSCI Europe, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, Euro STOXX Utilities, STOXX Europe 600 Utilities) and extra-financial indices (DJSI World, DJSI Europe et Euronext Vigeo Eiris - World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, CAC 40 Governance).

For more information: www.engie.com

About Maltem

Maltem is an ecosystem specialising in supporting its customers (large groups, start-ups, NGOs and associations) with their digital revolution transformation (organisational consulting, IT, communication/marketing digital, data, innovation, incubation). Organised in 3 pillars - thinking, producing, sharing - Maltem advocates ethical and responsible innovation, which harnesses technology to meet the challenges of our time (reduction of inequalities, energy transition, South-North co-acceleration). Established in the banking/insurance, energy and media fields, its customers include BNP, Crédit Agricole, Engie and Société Générale. Founded in 2001 by Jean-Luc Clamen and Pascal Mennesson, the group has 1,050 employees in 12 countries and turnover in 2017 of EUR 100 million.