blockchain

blockchain, Cindy Mallory, cryptocurrencies, interoperability, Oz Sultan, VRARA

The challenge for blockchain development in the US is two-fold: that there isn’t going to be any kind of standardized blockchain from any near-term perspective, and how that rolls out…

IHS Markit says finance industry largest blockchain market, predicts $462bn value by 2030

February 11, 2019

blockchain, IHS Markit

Taking into account the projected increase in the number of blockchain projects expected to launch and become commercially deployed in the coming years, market revenues are projected to reach $462…

GBBC’s annual report highlights Fidelity, provides regulatory view

February 8, 2019

blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Fidelity Digital Assets, GBBC

No matter setbacks on the path, blockchain continues to inspire innovators to question unexamined systems and norms historically accepted as adequate, writes the Global Blockchain Business Council in their annual…

TD bank survey reveals cybersecurity fears and blockchain optimism among finance pros

February 8, 2019

blockchain, cybersecurity, TD Bank

Treasury and finance professionals anticipate more operational challenges in 2019 than in previous years, according to a recent survey conducted by TD Bank at the 2018 Association for Financial Professionals…

Credit Suisse and Banco Best putting fund trade process on DLT

February 8, 2019

Banco Best, blockchain, Credit Suisse, DLT, FundsDLT

Banco Best and Credit Suisse Asset Management successfully processed live end-to-end fund transactions, using FundsDLT, a blockchain-based decentralized platform for fund transaction processing. The transactions included every part of the fund…

Institutional investor association tells SEC to consider blockchain for proxy voting

February 6, 2019

blockchain, Council of Institutional Investors, proxy voting, Securities and Exchange Commission

Technological change now offers the opportunity to construct a better system of share ownership based on traceable shares, with the potential to fix a panoply of problems associated with proxy…

Bloomberg: Paris fintech summit shows banking disruption in spotlight, crypto sidelined

February 3, 2019

blockchain, Ripple, Swift

Crypto fever has truly broken: that was a big takeaway this week from the Paris Fintech Forum, one of the biggest annual gatherings of its kind in Europe where 3,000…

SWIFT to open gpi payment standard to e-commerce and DLT platforms

January 31, 2019

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

blockchain, Corda, DLT, gpi, R3, Swift

SWIFT announced a proof-of-concept (PoC) to trial, global payments innovation (gpi) Link, a gateway to interlink e-commerce and trading platforms. SWIFT’s PoC will include bank and corporate participants. A prototype…

Six banks onboarding HQLAx/Deutsche Börse seclending blockchain

January 29, 2019

blockchain, Deutsche Borse, HQLAx, Securities Lending

Deutsche Börse and HQLAx have reported significant progress on blockchain securities lending solution, with six banks already started onboarding. In March 2018, Deutsche Börse Group and HQLAX announced a cooperation…

Z/Yen: cyber-catastrophe insurance-linked securities on smart ledgers

January 29, 2019

blockchain, cybersecurity, insurance firms, Z/Yen

One of the strategies which the insurance industry has used to deal with the risk of natural catastrophes has been to transfer some catastrophe risk on to the financial markets:…

Nasdaq-backed Symbiont raises $20mn for institutional blockchain platform

January 26, 2019

blockchain, Citi, fundraising, Nasdaq, symbiont, Vanguard

Symbiont announced the closing of a $20m Series B funding round to continue developing its blockchain platform for the global financial markets. The round was led by Nasdaq Ventures with…

Elementus: anatomy of Cryptopia exchange hack

January 22, 2019

blockchain, Cryptopia, cybersecurity, Elementus, fraud

In mid-January New Zealand exchange Cryptopia suffered a security breach resulting in significant losses. Elementus went to the Ethereum blockchain to figure out what happened. Elementus is a protocol and platform that…

ING signs deal for large-scale Corda blockchain platform adoption

January 22, 2019

blockchain, Corda, DLT, ING, R3

ING Bank has signed a major five-year deal with enterprise software firm R3, entitling the bank to an unlimited number of licenses for R3’s commercial blockchain platform, Corda Enterprise. The…

GBBC: blockchain investment set for dramatic increase, even if senior execs don’t understand it

January 22, 2019

blockchain, GBBC

Survey results from the Global Blockchain Business Council show that institutional investors expect companies to dramatically increase their investment in blockchain over the next few years, even while there is…

FP: open banking needs digital ID system using advanced tech

January 16, 2019

biometrics, blockchain, Canada Bankers Association, data security

The Canadian Bankers Association says Canada must create a digital identification system, potentially using technology such as blockchain, biometrics and document review over a live video connection. Neil Parmenter, CBA’s…

Pakistan starts blockchain project for cross border payments

January 15, 2019

blockchain, Central Banks, Pakistan, Payments

Pakistan’s central bank governor, Tarik Bajwa, launched an initiative by Telenor Pakistan that will enable the transfer of cross border remittances using blockchain technology in near real-time. The project is…

ICJ and Broadridge execute first blockchain-based interoperable proxy voting process in Japan

January 15, 2019

blockchain, Broadridge, DLT, ICJ, proxy voting, Quorum, Tokyo Stock Exchange

Broadridge Financial Solutions and ICJ, a joint venture of Broadridge and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, have successfully conducted the first Proof of Concept (PoC) of blockchain-based proxy voting in Japan,…

FCA flags “significant” applications and harmful effects of advanced tech in wholesale markets

January 15, 2019

artificial intelligence, Big Data, blockchain, FCA, GDPR, outsourcing, Sector Views

The FCA released its Sector Views report for January 2019. It identified a number of risks for wholesale financial markets. In the Investment Management Section, the FCA identified automation as…

Blockchain ATS Sharespost executes first compliant trade for VC token

January 13, 2019

blockchain, Blockchain Capital, Sharespost

The SharesPost Alternative Trading System executed its first secondary transaction in the BCAP security tokens issued by venture capital firm Blockchain Capital. That means it’s the first marketplace to enable…

Roll Call: US fintech sector hurt by government shutdown

January 11, 2019

blockchain, fintech, ICOs, robo-advisers, US regulators

The US government shutdown is starting to create serious problems for financial technology firms — slowing dealmaking, impairing supervision and casting a pall over the presumed pre-eminence of the US…

Trinkler Software launches decentralized derivatives flagship

January 11, 2019

blockchain, derivatives, Katallassos

Zug-based Trinkler Software announced the launch of Katallassos as the flagship project of a new standard framework for originating and issuing financial instruments. The project builds on top of the ACTUS…

ICE-backed crypto exchange Bakkt raises $183mn, eyes regulatory approval

January 7, 2019

Bakkt, bitcoin, blockchain, CFTC, digital asset exchange, digital assets, fundraising, Intercontinental Exchange

Bakkt announced it has completed its first round of funding of $182.5 million from 12 partners and investors. The partners and investors in the first round include Boston Consulting Group,…

What’s being predicted for institutional crypto in 2019?

December 18, 2018

blockchain, ICOs, REITs, STOs

Institutional crypto is expected to come into its own in 2019. We polled some experts to see what the predictions are. Continue reading

More institutional investors eyeing advanced tech amid growth concerns

December 12, 2018

artificial intelligence, blockchain, Institutional Investors, State Street

State Street published its latest study, New Routes to Growth, which surveyed more than 500 global asset managers, asset owners and insurance companies to understand the challenges they face in…

Autonomous Next: $1 trillion lost in crypto since all-time highs

December 10, 2018

Autonomous Next, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, ICO

Here’s the monthly update on the crypto fundraising figures. Let’s start with some good examples — Trustology raising $8 million in equity from Two Sigma and ConsenSys, and ErisX raising…

Insurers, asset managers, banks among firms completing CordaKYC trial

December 4, 2018

blockchain, BNP Paribas, Corda, insurance companies, Natixis, R3, Societe Generale

Enterprise blockchain software firm, R3, announced that over a dozen French corporates have completed a trial of the CordaKYC application built on the Corda blockchain platform and hosted on Microsoft…

NY DFS approves digital payment platform Signet

December 4, 2018

blockchain, NYDFS, Signature Bank, Signet, trading platforms

New York State Department of Financial Services’ superintendent Maria Vullo announced the authorization of Signature Bank to offer a new digital payment platform named Signet. The Signet platform uses blockchain…

Sberbank and Interros transact OTC repo on blockchain

December 4, 2018

News and Notes, News and Notes – Fintech

blockchain, Interros, Repo, Sberbank

Sberbank and the Interros group company concluded the first OTC repo transaction in electronic format using a smart contract and electronic digital signatures through an IT platform developed by the…

Calastone will migrate funds to blockchain in May 2019

December 4, 2018

blockchain, Calastone, trading platforms

Calastone, the global fund transaction network, announced that its entire global network of more than 1,700 financial organizations, across 40 global markets, will be migrated to blockchain in May 2019…

“World’s largest blockchain” centre moves ahead in Vienna

December 4, 2018

Austria, blockchain, COMET

Austria started developing blockchain expertise at a very early stage. The COMET (Competence Centers for Excellence Technologies) and Austrian Blockchain Center (ABC) aims to bundle comprehensive, interdisciplinary competencies in basic…

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley go live on DLT platform for FX

November 30, 2018

blockchain, CLS, FX, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Morgan Stanley

CLS announced that CLSNet, a standardized, automated bilateral payment netting service for over 120 currencies operating on a distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, is now live with Goldman Sachs and…

Coinbase among investors in $12.75mn funding round for blockchain compliance platform

November 28, 2018

blockchain, Coinbase, Securitize, tZERO

Securitize, a compliance platform for issuing and managing compliant digitized securities on the blockchain, has raised $12.75 million in funding led by Blockchain Capital, and joined from top-tier blockchain technology…

UAE bank executes world’s first blockchain sukuk transaction

November 28, 2018

Al Hilal Bank, blockchain, DLT, smart contracts, UAE

Al Hilal Bank is the first Islamic bank in the world to use blockchain technology for the resale and settlement of an Islamic sukuk, a type of bond that generates…

BIS chief says crypto and DLT destination should come before the road

November 26, 2018

Bank for International Settlements, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, DLT

Excerpts from speech by Agustín Carstens, general manager, Bank for International Settlements, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, 15 November 2018 We take a public policy view of…

Russia CSD, Sberbank and MTS transact commercial bond on blockchain

November 25, 2018

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

blockchain, MTS, NSD, Sberbank, smart contracts

National Settlement Depository (NSD), Russia’s central securities depository, Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and MTS, Russia’s telecommunications operator, have summed up the results of commercial bond placement using blockchain. The nominal…

WSJ: Overstock pivots to blockchain, will sell retail business

November 25, 2018

blockchain, medici, Overstock, tZERO

Patrick Byrne is so certain about the technology’s possibilities, he’s planning to sell Overstock’s retail business. In August 2015, Overstock’s chief exec Patrick Byrne rented out Nasdaq Times Square broadcast…

What the early days of crypto markets are like to trade (Premium)

November 23, 2018

Battle of the Quants, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, DLT, quants

Fragmented volumes, feeble exchanges, a paucity of data and unreliable, expensive trading are some of the descriptions given by professional traders in the early days of crypto markets. So, why…

What 21 central banks think about developing digital currencies

November 16, 2018

blockchain, CBDC, Central Banks

Discussions on CBDCs (central bank digital currencies) give central banks the opportunity to examine the potential design of their future infrastructure. It is not necessary for central banks to rush…

CryptoGlobe: cynicism over J.P. Morgan blockchain project scaling claims

November 14, 2018

blockchain, Corda, DLT, Interbank Information Network, J.P. Morgan, Ripple Labs

J.P. Morgan’s Interbank Information Network (IIN), a distributed ledger technology (DLT) based payments solution, is reportedly “producing results at scale.” According to the Financial Times, the IIN project is progressing…

HSBC invests in enterprise blockchain fintech Axoni

November 14, 2018

Axoni, blockchain, fundraising, HSBC

Axoni announced that HSBC has joined its Series B financing round, bringing the total amount raised in this round to $36 million and total funding to date to $59 million.…

Insurance payments on blockchain trialed by Australian federal agency and bank

November 14, 2018

blockchain, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, cryptocurrencies, CSIRO

A new type of smart money, powered by blockchain, has been successfully trialled by the innovation arm of Australian federal agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and the…

AI-ML top technologies to impact M&A due diligence, says survey

November 13, 2018

acquisitions, artificial intelligence, blockchain, GDPR, machine learning, mergers, Merrill Corporation

According to a survey of EMEA M&A professionals conducted by Merrill Corporation, artificial intelligence and machine learning (46%) and predictive analytics (37%) as the technologies that will have the most…

Crypto is bypassing the securities industry

November 12, 2018

Josh Galper

Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Market infrastructure, Securities Lending, Technology

blockchain, Crypto, Repo, Securities Lending, topstory

A new crypto infrastructure is emerging that replicates many of the features of the securities industry yet operates under important different principles. While some efforts are being made by crypto…

China insurance giant Ping An plans tech R&D investment at $15bn

November 8, 2018

artificial intelligence, blockchain, China, insurance companies, Ping An

Ping An Insurance said it expects to more than double technology R&D investment over the next decade to consolidate its technology leadership in the financial services industry at the Group’s…

DTCC testing DLT for credit derivatives with MarkitSERV and 15 banks

November 6, 2018

News and Notes, News and Notes – Fintech

blockchain, derivatives, DTCC, Trade repositories

The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced that it has advanced to the testing phase of its project to re-platform its credit derivatives Trade Information Warehouse (TIW) on distributed…

The Asset: first RMBS transactions on China blockchain

November 6, 2018

ABS, blockchain, BOCOM, China, RMBS, Securitization

China’s securitization market recently saw a landmark deal in which blockchain technology was first utilized in capital markets. China’s asset-backed securities market is Asia’s largest. The residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS),…

Nasdaq and Microsoft Azure partner on multi-ledger blockchain strategy

November 2, 2018

blockchain, Microsoft Azure, Nasdaq

Nasdaq is integrating its enterprise architecture, called the Nasdaq Financial Framework (NFF), with Microsoft Azure Blockchain to build a ledger agnostic blockchain capability that supports a multi-ledger strategy. The aim…

Blockchain can handle US equity market volumes, so what’s next?

November 2, 2018

blockchain, distributed ledger technologies, DTCC, Jennifer Peve