blockchain

Artificial Intelligence, Technology

AI, Alibaba, AutoML, Big Data, blockchain, Bynet Expo, cloud, computer vision, machine learning

Last week, we stopped by ICT event Bynet Expo in Tel Aviv to see what’s being said about the AI, big data and blockchain spaces. Alibaba’s “Computer Vision as a…

Brazil’s regulators to create emerging technologies sandbox

June 19, 2019

artificial intelligence, blockchain, Brazil, Regulation, sandbox

Four Brazilian financial authorities (Special Finance Secretariat of the Ministry of Economy, Central Bank of Brazil, Securities Commission and Superintendency of Private Insurance) announced the intention to implement a regulatory…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

ECB picks SIA And Colt for Eurosystem’s payments, securities and collateral infrastructures SIA, in partnership with Colt Technology Services, was awarded a 10-year license from a tender commissioned by the…

Regtech at crossroads: are more prescriptive vendor standards coming?

June 17, 2019

Artificial Intelligence, Technology

artificial intelligence, ASIC, blockchain, FCA, ICMA, machine learning, regtech

It’s becoming apparent that technology alone isn’t the answer for regulatory compliance, so what is? We spoke with JWG Group after its annual RegTech Capital Markets Conference to find out…

Reuters: blockchain needs to reconcile with settlement finality

June 15, 2019

blockchain, Clearing, DTCC, settlement

One area that has been often cited as a natural home for blockchain has been the clearing and settlement process in equity markets. Proponents have argued that the process could…

L&G launches world’s first blockchain reinsurance platform

June 12, 2019

blockchain, insurance firms, Legal & General

Legal & General Group announced the launch of estua-re, the first pension risk transfer execution platform driven by blockchain technology. It is a single ecosystem capable of driving every stage…

Are security tokens really a flop? We look back at predictions.

June 11, 2019

blockchain, security tokens, STOs

A recent article from Forbes came with a reminder of year-end predictions for institutional crypto, in particular how security tokens would roll out. The article, titled “Security tokens were supposed…

FSB report considers implications of decentralized financial technologies

June 6, 2019

blockchain, decentralized, DLT, fintech, FSB, G20

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a report on decentralised financial technologies. This report considers the financial stability, regulatory and governance implications of the use of decentralized financial technologies such…

CFTC’s Giancarlo takes stock of blockchain and “exponential” tech

June 5, 2019

blockchain, CFTC, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, DLT, fintech, Giancarlo

Excerpts from remarks of CFTC chair Christopher Giancarlo at Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa (CONSOB), Rome, Italy, June 3, 2019, “The New Futurism: 21st Century Financial Markets,…

SCMP: Ping An plans to be advanced tech provider for Hong Kong banks

June 5, 2019

artificial intelligence, bigtech, blockchain, China, Hong Kong, NLP, Ping An

Ping An OneConnect, a virtual bank licence holder and the fintech arm of Ping An Insurance, is developing a range of technology that can help manage fraud and loan default…

MC: blockchain is a “game changer” for collateral management

May 31, 2019

Accenture, blockchain, collateral management

Implementation of blockchain in collateral management, if successful, can help stakeholders reduce operational costs and increase visibility on existing collateral, write Rajeev Nair and Sandip Sinha from Accenture Advanced Technology…

Bloomberg: Bundesbank prez says blockchain settlement slow and costly

May 31, 2019

blockchain, Bundesbank, settlement

A trial project using blockchain to transfer and settle securities and cash proved more costly and less speedy than the traditional way, Germany’s central bank president said. The experiment, launched…

CoinDesk: J.P. Morgan adds anonymity features to its blockchain

May 31, 2019

blockchain, crypto assets, Ethereum, J.P. Morgan, Quorum

J.P. Morgan’s blockchain team has developed a privacy feature for Ethereum-based blockchains, obscuring not only how much money is being sent but who is sending it. The bank has built…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

WeBank and SwissRe team up for insurance AI WeBank and SwissRe announced an MoU signing towards cooperation focusin on Federated Learning, one of the latest developments in the world of…

Calastone migrates entire global funds network to blockchain infrastructure

May 21, 2019

blockchain, Calastone, DLT, mutual funds

The technology underpinning Calastone’s network has now been migrated to a blockchain-enabled market infrastructure. The migration of Calastone’s global network of more than 1,800 customers across 41 markets is a…

ESG, blockchain, LatAm fintech on private equity agenda

May 21, 2019

blockchain, ESG, Latin America, private equity

A wide array of issues related to fintech were discussed during IFC’s 21st annual Global Private Equity Conference (GPEC) in association with EMPEA (Emerging Markets Private Equity Association). The IFC…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

May 21, 2019

blockchain, Clearing, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, DLT, Fnality, JSE, Nasdaq, settlement tokens, UBS, utility settlement coin, World Bank

ABN AMRO, ING, OCBC and Macquarie among banks launching digital blockchain platform Together with top commodity industry players and financial institutions, ABN AMRO is exploring the options to launch Forcefield,…

Microsoft Azure develops decentralized ID system built on bitcoin

May 20, 2019

bitcoin, blockchain, ID technology, Microsoft Azure

Microsoft’s cloud computing service, Azure, announced the development of a sidetree protocol-based DID network, called ION (Identity Overlay Network) which runs atop the bitcoin blockchain based on an emerging set…

Moody’s report details how blockchain is shaking up securitizations

May 14, 2019

Blockchain, Securitization, Technology, topstory

blockchain, DLT, Moody's, securitizations, topstory

Blockchain technology and in particular the use of smart contracts will streamline the securitization process with regards to portfolio selection and performance reporting, said Moody’s in a recent report. And…

FBI: quantum enhanced blockchain – sooner than you think?

May 13, 2019

blockchain, Quantum Computing

Future quantum computers will ultimately force blockchain solutions to adopt strengthened quantum safe crypto protocols. Rationally there remains plenty of time to act, but proponents need to get their transition…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

CoinDesk: Santander, LSEG testing Nivaura’s blockchain-based floating rate bond Capital markets startup Nivaura has developed what it’s calling “the first commercially viable floating rate bond using blockchain technology,” and the…

Malaysia exchange plans securities lending blockchain

May 7, 2019

blockchain, exchanges, Malaysia, SBL

Bursa Malaysia announced it’s starting a securities borrowing and lending Proof-of-Concept, which is a first of its kind in the ASEAN, that explores blockchain technology to develop greater transparency and…

Bursa Malaysia launches POC for securities lending on blockchain

May 6, 2019

Josh Galper

News and Notes

blockchain, Bursa Malaysia, Securities Lending

Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or “the Exchange”) embarks on a securities borrowing and lending (“SBL”) Proof-of-Concept (“POC”) – a first of its kind in the ASEAN, that explores the…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

BNY Mellon and AcadiaSoft team up for non-cleared margin outsourcing Buy-side derivatives market participants are now able to fully outsource their entire non-cleared margin workflow, via the market’s first end-to-end…

SETL blockchain firm announces restructuring completion

May 3, 2019

blockchain, setl

SETL, the London-based institutional payment and settlement infrastructure provider using blockchain technology, announced the completion of its corporate restructuring programme. The newly-formed SETL has acquired the operating assets, the staff…

Canada and Singapore central banks tout DLT cross-border experiment success

May 3, 2019

Accenture, Bank of Canada, blockchain, Central Bank Digital Currencies, J.P. Morgan, MAS, Quorum

The Bank of Canada and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have conducted a successful experiment on cross-border and cross-currency payments using central bank digital currencies. The Jasper-Ubin project was carried…

Micky: ASX blockchain testing starts amid criticism

May 1, 2019

ASX, blockchain, Digital Asset

Early adopters have this week begun testing the ASX’s controversial world-leading equities blockchain. The ASX is moving all of its stock records from the decades old CHESS system (Clearing House…

SocGen’s covered bond unit does first issue on Ethereum

April 25, 2019

blockchain, covered bonds, DLT, Ethereum, Societe Generale

Societe Generale SFH, the covered bond vehicle of Societe Generale, issued a €100 million covered bond as a security token on the public blockchain, Ethereum. OFH Tokens have been rated…

Korea lets a blockchain seclending platform into the sandbox – should you care?

April 23, 2019

Josh Galper

Asia, Blockchain, Securities Lending

blockchain, Directional, Korea, Securities Lending, topstory

Last week the Korea Financial Services Commission approved nine companies for its regulatory sandbox, giving them permission to experiment with new services and products without excessive regulatory burden. One of…

Santander, J.P. Morgan among members of Ethereum standards group building “token taxonomy” initiative

April 22, 2019

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

Banco Santander, blockchain, Digital Asset, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, J.P. Morgan, tokens

The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) announced the formation of the blockchain-neutral Token Taxonomy Initiative (TTI), which addresses the need to universally define tokens to better understand how their use and…

FT: J.P. Morgan opens IIN blockchain platform to payments and fintechs

April 22, 2019

blockchain, fintech, Interbank Information Network, J.P. Morgan, settlement

J.P. Morgan is to widen the use of the industry’s leading blockchain technology to help smooth the banking industry’s payment system while also inviting fintechs to experiment on how to…

What was said about crypto, blockchain and trust at IMF’s spring meeting

April 16, 2019

Benoît Cœuré, blockchain, Central Banks, Circle, crypto regulation, cryptoassets, ECB, IMF, J.P. Morgan, Kenya

In the digital currency world, there’s a phrase: “In crypto we trust”. And while IMF chief Christine Lagarde raised an eyebrow at the statement during a panel at the IMF’s…

France’s Le Maire: blockchain a competitive freedom in monopolistic world

April 16, 2019

blockchain, Bruno Le Maire, France

France will push for the European Union to adopt a regulatory framework on cryptocurrencies similar to the one France brought in at a national level, the country’s finance minister Bruno…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

FS: Australia blockchain investor TCM acquires controlling stake in US fund Australian digital assets investment firm TCM Global Asset Management (formerly Token Capital Management) is making its first international foray.…

ICMA: where is my blockchain bond?

April 12, 2019

blockchain, crypto regulation, fintech regulation, ICMA

On its dedicated fintech site, ICMA provides a listing of new fintech applications in bond markets, most of which are based on distributed ledger technology. Over the last two years,…

UBS: big bank blockchain exposes competitive tech gap

April 9, 2019

banks, blockchain, UBS, UBS Evidence Lab

A recent UBS Evidence Lab survey found a predictably yawning gap between big and small banks: larger banks are getting a competitive advantage from emerging tech, are more likely to…

BT: Africa regulates blockchain and cryptocurrency

April 8, 2019

Africa, blockchain, crypto regulation

African governments are divided in their opinion on the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency. According to reports, Zimbabwe and Zambia started with a hard stance while Mauritius created a regulatory…

UBS survey: analysis of US bank tech spend finds growing gap

April 2, 2019

News and Notes, News and Notes – Fintech

artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, UBS

In late 2018 through early 2019, UBS Evidence Lab conducted phone interviews with 203 IT managers from 175 banks of varying sizes. Survey participants were asked about their technology strategies…

FCA’s digital reporting platform uses blockchain and APIs

March 26, 2019

APIs, blockchain, DRR, FCA, regulatory reporting

Every year financial firms and regulators face increased challenges around regulatory reporting. The current manual process is complex with over 20,000 rules across 58,000 firms and it’s only growing. Each…

IBM unveils blockchain network for payments and FX with real-time settlement

March 22, 2019

blockchain, cryptocurrencies, IBM, Payments, settlement, stablecoins, World Wire

IBM announced that Blockchain World Wire, a real-time global payments network for regulated financial institutions, is officially accessible in a growing number of markets. Designed to optimize and accelerate foreign exchange,…

Bahama central bank updates on CBDC project “Sand Dollar”

March 22, 2019

Bahamas, blockchain, CBDC, Central Banks

Inclusive of a digital version of the Bahamian dollar, the Central Bank of The Bahamas has defined several evolved objectives for the Bahamian payments systems. On some levels The Bahamas…

Key takeaways from Fintech Week events

March 18, 2019

Big Data, Technology

BBVA, blockchain, BNP Paribas, cryptocurrencies, Data, Facebook, Google Payment, Hapoalim, J.P. Morgan, Lightning Network, Lithuania, QuantLR, quantum key distribution, Revolut

There was a lot going on during Fintech Week, which took place in the first week of March in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and drew attendees from all corners of…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

Argentina’s MercadoLibre closes $2bn public and private offerings MercadoLibre, a Latin American e-commerce technology company, announced the closing of its $1.15 billion public offering, which includes the exercise in full…

Blockchain tech startup SETL files for insolvency, seeks buyer for CSD

March 8, 2019

blockchain, CSDs, ID2S, IZNES, setl

SETL filed for insolvency and announced a corporate reorganization to sell ID2S, the regulated central securities depository. SETL is one of the first blockchain technology startups and was launched by…

Commerzbank and Deutsche Börse execute legally binding repo transaction on the blockchain

March 7, 2019

Josh Galper

News and Notes

blockchain, Deutsche Borse, Repo

Commerzbank and Deutsche Börse have for the first time successfully used distributed ledger technology to execute a legally binding settlement of a repo transaction. The prototype transaction based on delivery…

Eastern Caribbean central bank conducting digital currency pilot

March 7, 2019

Bitt, blockchain, CBDC, ECCU, Medici Ventures, Overstock

Medici Venture announced its portfolio company Bitt is using blockchain technology to conduct a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union’s (ECCU) member countries. The…

CFTC’s Giancarlo tells innovators to “keep going” at DC blockchain conference

March 7, 2019

blockchain, CFTC, Giancarlo

Excerpts from remarks by US Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Christopher Giancarlo at the 4th Annual DC Blockchain Summit. As you may know, the potential of the blockchain and its…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships roundup

BNP Paribas and Millennium Global Investments launch AI FX index BNP Paribas announced the launch of the BNP Paribas MGI Systematic Currency Alpha Index using artificial intelligence through machine learning.…

What experts are saying about institutional adoption of blockchain (premium)

March 5, 2019

blockchain, crypto regulations, ICOs, STOs, White & Case