Thor, a United States-based blockchain project focused on payments, retirement planning, and healthcare access for contract labor, has released a look back on the year 2018 that also contains a 2019 development roadmap.

Thor’s 2018 development since the conclusion of its token sale in March has been previously covered by NEO News Today. Notable events included regulatory compliance research and an listing in Apple’s App Store for Thor’s “Payments and Benefits” app; a partnership with Dwolla to provide USA-based payments through the legacy banking system; and a working Lightning Pay prototype.

2019 Development Focus

Thor states two main goals for 2019 development: its ThorCare health insurance offering, and further development of the Odin payments portal for employers of 1099 contract labor.

The ThorCare product is still planned for the timeline originally proposed last year. Under this timetable, Thor seeks to register as a non-profit association and form its board in the first quarter of 2019. Negotiations with insurance companies to underwrite the insurance coverage will follow in the second quarter of 2019. Thor Care will be officially unveiled in the third quarter of 2019, with Thor Care open enrollment slated to begin by November 1st, 2019.

Thor’s Odin portal for employer payments is also scheduled for development work. Thor’s goal is to build a “fully functioning” Odin mobile app, with the ability to create invoices and expense reports. Thor seeks to connect this app to the Thor debit card, the United States banking system, and international payment service providers.

A streamlined onboarding process and automated tax reporting are also planned for Thor’s 2019 development of the Odin portal.

Advisory Board Additions

Finally, Thor has announced two new additions to its advisory board.

Steve Skodak, CEO of the Painting Contractors Association (PDCA), has joined the board. PDCA, which was founded in 1884, is a trade association “focused on facilitating the success of painting contractors in North America and beyond.” The association’s goal is to help professional contractors “improve their business profitability and professional processes.”

According to Skodak, independent contractors face issues with “reliable pay and affordable benefits,” and Thor is “tackling these problems head on.”

Chris Shapouri has also joined Thor’s advisory board. Chris is the president of Mobile Charging Lockers, a Las Vegas, Nevada-based business that offers “cell phone charging and storage lockers” to events across the United States. Mobile Charging Lockers uses a workforce of independent contractors to deploy its product.

Shapouri claims to possess an “acute understanding of the challenges that Thor is facing” and elaborated, “I look forward to helping them design the ideal product for handling these issues.”

Thor’s “Year In Review” announcement can be viewed in full at the following link:
https://www.gothor.com/currents/2018-a-year-in-review

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