blockchain

blockchain, DLT, Fnality, wholesale CBDC

A project involving 13 of the world’s largest banks and aimed at launching digital versions of major currencies in 2020 is no longer likely to get going this year, the…

ConsenSys acquires Ethereum blockchain platform from J.P. Morgan

August 26, 2020

acquisitions, blockchain, Consensys, Ethereum, J.P. Morgan, Quorum

Blockchain software company ConsenSys announced the acquisition of Quorum, an enterprise-variant of the Ethereum blockchain developed by J.P. Morgan. With the addition of Quorum, ConsenSys now offers a full range…

Swiss neobank SEBA and Singapore fintech Lightnet sign MoU for settlement in fiat and digital currencies

August 25, 2020

blockchain, crypto custody, crypto settlement, Lightnet, SEBA, Singapore, stablecoin

SEBA Bank, a FINMA licensed Swiss Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lightnet Group, a Singapore-based fintech company. With the MoU in effect, SEBA Bank will serve as…

SupChina: China blockchain policy leads ROW

August 18, 2020

blockchain, China

No other country has laid out, funded, and executed as comprehensive a blockchain policy as China, writes Abhas Jha, who works on technology, cities, resilience, and public policy at the…

Firsthand lessons from central bank digital currency and CSD distributed ledger projects

Over the last several years I worked on innovative Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) projects in Europe and Canada with a focus on building new infrastructure for Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs).…

Italian insurer Reale issues first fully digital surety using blockchain

August 5, 2020

Bank of Italy, blockchain, insurance, Reale Group

Reale Group announced the issue of its first fully digital surety bond, as part of the national project “Fideiussioni Digitali”. The bond was issued with the Municipality of Milan as…

Tel Aviv bourse to go live with seclending blockchain in November

July 28, 2020

blockchain, DLT, Securities Lending, Tel Aviv Stock Exchagne

The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) announced the launch of its Central Blockchain Securities Lending Platform, which will be the first of its kind in Israel. It’s expected to boost direct lending…

FT: ASX under pressure to delay CHESS-blockchain replacement

June 26, 2020

ASX, blockchain, CHESS, DLT

ASX is under pressure to push back an ambitious plan to use blockchain technology to clear and settle trades in Australian equities because customers are worried about the implications of…

KSA uses blockchain tech for liquidity injection to banks

June 13, 2020

blockchain, Central Banks, Saudi

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) used blockchain technology to deposit part of the SAR50 billion ($13.3bn) liquidity injected into the banking sector. This was part of SAMA’s actions aimed…

Vanguard completes ABS-blockchain pilot phase with BNY Mellon, Citi, State Street

June 12, 2020

ABS, blockchain, DLT, Securitization, smart contracts, symbiont, Vanguard

Vanguard, in partnership with technology provider Symbiont, announced the completion of the first phase of a blockchain pilot designed to digitize the issuance of asset-backed securities (ABS). In close collaboration…

Willis Towers Watson: when securitization meets blockchain

June 12, 2020

blockchain, Securitization, Willis Towers Watson

While the future path is still very uncertain, investors should consider building a reliable information channel to monitor the creation of new tokenized assets. Investors might also want to debate…

Fnality and EPAM building payment systems to support distributed FMIs

June 8, 2020

blockchain, EPAM, Fnality, wholesale CBDC

EPAM Systems announced a partnership with Fnality International to deliver payment-on-chain to support tomorrow’s wholesale banking requirements. EPAM will provide Fnality with software development services to create a series of…

Seclending prioritized as DLT post-trade project by JPX, JASDEC

June 7, 2020

blockchain, DLT, JASDEC, JPX, Securities Lending

Japan Exchange Group and Japan Securities Depository Center announced that they have selected three use cases for verification using a DLT test environment developed by JPX-led consortium in their pilot…

SocGen and Banque de France test €40 million tokenized issuance

May 25, 2020

Banque de France, blockchain, CBDC, Societe Generale, tokenization

SFH, Societe Generale’s covered bond vehicle, issued €40 million of covered bonds as security tokens directly registered on a public blockchain. Rated Aaa by Moody’s and AAA by Fitch, these…

Roll Call: House bills would let regulators study blockchain, backers say

May 20, 2020

blockchain, securities finance, US House

Two bills in the House would ensure that the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission could avoid transgressing [rules that block gifts] and still obtain access…

DLT and the Common Domain Model are gaining momentum in securities finance (Premium)

May 19, 2020

Blockchain, Common Domain Model, Technology

Axoni, blockchain, CDM, Common Domain Model, distributed ledger technology, DLT, OCC, topstory

OCC’s announcement that it will use Axoni’s Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), DTCC’s Project ION and comments on our securities lending webinars last week make it clear that it’s time to…

DTCC releases case studies and proposals on distributed ledger technology for settlements and private markets

May 18, 2020

blockchain, distributed ledger technology, DLT, DTCC

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the premier market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, today unveiled plans to explore the benefits of digitalization in the public and…

FISL 2020: securities lending industry stabilizes, braces for future (Premium)

May 18, 2020

Collateral Management, Securities Lending, Technology

blockchain, cash reinvestment, collateral management, coronavirus, FISL 2020, Securities Lending, topstory

Last week’s FISL webinar series covered a wide range of topics against the backdrop of the coronavirus fallout: securities lending market dynamics and revenue trends, managing workplace disruption across generations,…

Broadridge survey: dismal success rates for innovation projects as digitization pressure increasing

May 14, 2020

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

artificial intelligence, blockchain, Broadridge, cloud, innovation

Nearly 80% of CEOs and their direct reports say that less than half of all innovation projects at their organization succeed, according to a survey released today from Broadridge Financial…

Axoni to replace OCC’s seclending infrastructure with DLT

May 5, 2020

Axoni, blockchain, DLT, OCC, Securities Lending CCPs

Equity derivatives clearing organization OCC announced it’s selected Axoni, a technology firm that specializes in multi-party workflows and infrastructure, to develop and implement a distributed ledger technology solution to replace…

National Science Foundation announces fintech center at SIT

April 30, 2020

artificial intelligence, blockchain, fintech, National Science Foundation, NLP, Quantum Computing, Stevens Institute of Technology

The National Science Foundation has selected Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey to lead the first-ever industry-university cooperative research center, or IUCRC, devoted to financial technology and science. The…

Introducing the Digital Collateral Protocol: the right blockchain for global settlements

April 30, 2020

Michael Cyrus

Blockchain, Collateral Management, Technology

blockchain, collateral, DekaBank, Digital Collateral Protocol, topstory

Blockchain has a valuable role to play in securities settlements when applied to the right problem at the right point of market infrastructure. The solution is not tokenization however, rather…

Nasdaq and R3 to develop institutional crypto exchanges

April 29, 2020

blockchain, Corda, crypto exchanges, institutional crypto, Nasdaq, R3

Nasdaq announced an agreement with enterprise software firm R3 to build digital assets marketplaces. As part of this co-operation, Nasdaq’s Market Technology business will use R3’s enterprise blockchain software Corda,…

Exactpro’s post-trade testing can be used for DLT apps

April 22, 2020

blockchain, DAML, Digital Asset, DLT, Exactpro, standards

Exactpro announced that its test automation framework for post-trade, ClearTH, is available for software testing of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) applications built using DAML, the open-source smart contract language created…

Media reports: ICBC releases blockchain whitepaper, spotlights China’s CBDC

April 22, 2020

blockchain, CBDC, China, ICBC, institutional crypto

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest lender by assets, has released a white paper on blockchain technology applications in finance, titled, “Blockchain Financial Application Development White…

Clearstream, Natixis among financial institutions launching investment fund blockchain platform

March 17, 2020

asset management, blockchain, Clearstream, Credit Suisse, FundsDLT, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Natixis Asset Management

Clearstream, Credit Suisse Asset Management, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, and Natixis Investment Managers have announced a Series A investment in FundsDLT to develop a novel decentralized technology platform to facilitate…

Japan regulator launches global network for blockchain governance

March 12, 2020

blockchain, Financial Services Agency, G20, Japan

The Financial Services Agency Japan (JFSA) and Nikkei announced the launch of a new global network named Blockchain Governance Initiative Network, which aims at providing an open and neutral sphere…

ING invests in seclending blockchain platform HQLAx

March 9, 2020

blockchain, collateral, HQLA, HQLAx, ING, Securities Lending

ING has invested in securities lending platform HQLAx, which went live in December 2019. ING’s blockchain team developed the initial version of the HQLAx application, which uses blockchain to facilitate…

J.P. Morgan blockchain report tracks mainstream adoption

March 9, 2020

bitcoin, blockchain, clearing and settlement, cryptocurrencies, DLT, J.P. Morgan, MMF, stablecoins

J.P. Morgan released its annual update on the latest developments in the adoption, evolution and performance of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. It now includes analysis of stablecoins and the rise…

Credit Suisse, Instinent settle first US securities trade using Paxos blockchain, SocGen next

February 22, 2020

blockchain, Credit Suisse, Instinet, Paxos, settlement, Societe Generale

Paxos, a New York-regulated financial institution that digitizes and mobilizes assets, announced it launched a service that can now settle select US-listed equity trades between broker-dealers Credit Suisse and Instinet.…

Sweden Riksbank in first for CBDC pilot, simulation testing of e-krona

February 22, 2020

blockchain, CBDC, Central Banks, DLT, Sveriges Riksbank, Sweden

The Riksbank is conducting a pilot project with Accenture to develop a technical solution for an e-krona that can work as a complement to cash. The aim of the project…

Collateral as data: State Street and UBS on “shift-left” and multi factor security (Premium)

February 12, 2020

Collateral Management, Technology

artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud technology, cybersecurity, Quantum Computing, State Street, topstory, UBS

Whereas the breakdown of silos across organizations is seen as a net positive, this trend has its own set of cyber risks. Adeel Saeed, State Street’s chief information officer, says…

Tel Aviv’s seclending blockchain moves forward with new partner

February 10, 2020

blockchain, BTP, Securities Lending, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

Blockchain Technology Partners (BTP) announced its partnership with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) to ensure the production readiness of its blockchain securities lending (BSL) platform and provide ongoing support…

BBVA: 5G, quantum computing and blockchain will mark the next decade in banking

January 24, 2020

5G, artificial intelligence, BBVA, blockchain, decentralized, Quantum Computing

2019 has seen the first 5G networks rolled out and the first achievements in quantum computing, as well as the establishment of various financial initiatives using blockchain. These three technologies…

Cash-collateral markets taking shape on the blockchain (Premium)

January 15, 2020

Blockchain, Repo, Securitization, Technology

blockchain, cash management, Dai, Ethereum, ICOs, MakerDAO, repo markets, Securitization, stablecoin, topstory

There’s more than a few misconceptions about how decentralized finance (DeFi) is working its way into the traditional finance industry. We spoke with Akiva Dubrofsky, CEO of Akiva Capital Holdings,…

EU expert group makes 30 recommendations to ramp up fintech

December 13, 2019

artificial intelligence, bigtech, blockchain, cryptoassets, DLT, European Commission, fintech, regtech, suptech

Established by the European Commission, an Expert Group (EG) released a report on its mandated review of the application and suitability of the European legal and regulatory framework to fintech…

Spain’s bourse launches blockchain-based collateral pledge management service

December 12, 2019

blockchain, BME, collateral management, DLT

Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME) has successfully launched the process for the digitization of the certification of collateral pledge using blockchain technology, eliminating the need to use and exchange physical…

SIX Digital Exchange gears up infrastructure for institutional crypto (Premium)

November 27, 2019

Blockchain

blockchain, DLT, post-trade, SDX, SIX, topstory

The Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX) is building a fully integrated issuance, trading, settlement and custody infrastructure for digital assets, named SIX Digital Exchange (SDX). Finadium speaks with SDX’s head, Tomas…

AFX announces AMERIBOR on the blockchain

November 22, 2019

AFX, Ameribor, blockchain

American Financial Exchange (AFX), an electronic exchange for direct lending and borrowing for American banks and financial institutions, announced the launch of its AMERIBOR on the blockchain. AFX now mints…

CFTC chair says blockchain tech could overtake internet

November 20, 2019

bitcoin, blockchain, CFTC, crypto regulation

US Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Heath Tarbert joined CNBC’s “The Exchange” for an interview on digital assets. Here are some of the highlighted quotes: Importance of US leadership in…

How Fnality is advancing wholesale blockchain settlement (Premium)

November 20, 2019

Blockchain, Settlements

blockchain, CBDC, DLT, Fnality, topstory, utility settlement coin

Finadium has been following the evolution of UBS’ utility settlement coin (USC) as it shifts from consortium to company. We speak with Olaf Ransome, chief commercial officer at Fnality, about…

Institutional crypto weekly roundup

November 13, 2019

AFME, Bakkt, blockchain, crypto assets, crypto custody, crypto exchanges, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, Cyberian, DLT, FSB, GLI, J.P. Morgan, Japan, LSEG, MAS, MUFG, Progmat, Project Ubin, security tokens, stabecoins, Temasek

Our weekly list of announcements about how capital markets participants and regulators are engaging with digital assets. MAS, J.P. Morgan, Temasek develop blockchain-based prototype for multi-currency payments The Monetary Authority…

TSD: Malyasia bourse completes first blockchain PoC for securities lending

November 1, 2019

blockchain, Bursa Malaysia, SBL, Securities Lending

Bursa Malaysia has completed its first securities borrowing and lending proof-of-concept (SBL PoC 1) blockchain technology solution. It was executed and tested with technology partner Forms Syntron Information, a subsidiary…

Institutional crypto weekly roundup

October 30, 2019

Bakkt, bitcoin futures, blockchain, Canada, CBDC, China, crypto regulation, IBM, ICO, OMFIF, Ontario Securities Commission, retail, Thailand, TokenGX

Our weekly list of announcements about how capital markets participants and regulators are engaging with digital assets. Credit Suisse, SocGen to use Paxos blockchain settlement for US equities Paxos Trust…

A pan-Asian collateral stablecoin? Why it may be worth taking seriously (Premium)

October 24, 2019

Asia, Blockchain, Collateral Management, Repo

Asia, blockchain, collateral, collateral baskets, Repo, stablecoins, tokens, topstory

We’re generally positive on blockchain-inspired solutions for collateral, securities lending and repo, but they’ve been slow to gain traction in part because existing platforms are also pretty efficient. In Asia…

Natixis, CIB, DBS, and National Bank of Canada among firms in collateral blockchain trial

October 16, 2019

blockchain, collateral technology, Corda, Ivno, National Bank of Canada, Natixis, R3, Raiffeisen, settlement tokens

Blockchain startup Ivno announced the successful completion of the first global token trial on R3’s Corda, hosted on Microsoft Azure. The Ivno Corda Trial was a world first with 28…

Institutional crypto weekly roundup

October 8, 2019

bitcoin, blockchain, CBDC, clearing house, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, DLT, DTCC, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, GSR Capital, KeyTango, MPC, options, Securities and Exchange Commission, Trade Information Warehouse

Our weekly list of announcements about how capital markets participants and regulators are engaging with digital assets. The Block: crypto clearinghouse places trades without collecting collateral in decentralization push KeyTango,…

HQLAx completes demonstration of blockchain securities lending model, plans Nov 2019 launch

September 24, 2019

blockchain, HQLAx, Securities Lending

With the execution of multiple simulation transactions by several global banks including Commerzbank and ING, HQLAˣ successfully demonstrated its operating model, an innovative blockchain based solution for collateral swaps in…

Institutional crypto weekly roundup

September 23, 2019

Bank for International Settlements, Benoît Cœuré, blockchain, CPMI, Finteum, Fnality, FX, stablecoins, utility settlement coin