After acquiring Bitcoin payment company, Mercedes-Benz parent company announced that it would join the Hyperledger project

Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz carmaker, has joined the Hyperledger project led by the Linux Foundation.

Daimler AG announced today that it has officially joined the Hyperledger project, becoming the second notable member to announce its membership in 2017. Last month, credit card giant American Express also announced its membership in the project.

Jan Brecht, CIO of Daimler AG, said in a statement:

“We believe that blockchain is a promising technology that is not yet fully mature, but is constantly evolving. Now is the time to join the technology, increase knowledge and form a like-minded community to share experiences. By joining the Hyperledger project, we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.”

As part of the move, Daimler’s head of IT, Jonas von Malottki, will join the Hyperledger project management board.

While Daimler appears to have had some exposure to blockchain technology before, joining the Hyperledger project is the company’s first major foray into the blockchain space.

Last month, Daimler AG acquired European payment service PayCash, which happens to support Bitcoin payments. Although the move is not explicitly related to blockchain, the acquisition is part of the company's plan to develop car payment services.