According to Cointelegraph, Vodafone Digital Asset Broker (DAB) has joined the Chainlink network as a node operator after completing a proof-of-concept with Japanese trading and investment company Sumitomo. The collaboration aims to improve document transfer and processing of financial transactions in the $32-trillion global trade ecosystem. The proof-of-concept utilized Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and demonstrated the potential of Vodafone Internet-of-Things devices and blockchains to provide data for use in contracts and AI applications.

Vodafone launched DAB in February 2022 and first used it with Mastercard in a trial in the United Kingdom to help electric vehicle drivers find and pay for the best charging options. The telecommunications company partnered with Sumitomo in May, forming a new entity in which Vodafone held an 80% stake. Vodafone transferred DAB, intellectual property, contracts, technology, and software into the new business, and the two companies also invested jointly in Safaricom Ethiopia.

In August, Vodafone DAB partnered with enterprise blockchain Aventus to improve the supply chain in aviation. CCIP launched on Ethereum's Arbitrum One layer-2 in September to increase scaling and worked with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) to test an Australian dollar stablecoin the same month.