First blockchain-based bancassurance network launched in Hong Kong
AIA Hong Kong, a subsidiary of pan-Asian life insurance group AIA, has launched a blockchain solution for bancassurance.
Cryptocurrency
What a Swell Sibos we had
One of the more entertaining aspects of this year’s Sibos in Toronto was the continuation of the rivalry between the event’s host, Swift, and distributed ledger technology (DLT) firm Ripple.
Wanted: US-based bank for crypto-friendly fun
It wasn’t spotted on Craigslist but here’s an unusual request. If you are the owner of a small or medium-sized bank in the US and are ready to sell it completely (or partially) – you have a buyer! Vladislav (aka Slava) Solodkiy, managing partner at venture capital (VC) firm Life.Sreda, is being refreshingly direct and […]
Veridium and Wala bring blockchain power to Africa’s unbanked
Biometrics firm Veridium has teamed with Wala, a blockchain-powered financial services platform, as they target the unbanked and underbanked population in Africa. The duo will collaborate on a pilot programme in sub-Saharan Africa to demonstrate their digital model offering “zero-fee banking”. This pilot is funded by a grant awarded to Veridium from the Digital Financial […]
All aboard the Amex blockchain payments express
American Express has launched blockchain-enabled, business-to-business cross-border payments with Santander using Ripple’s network. The Amex FX International Payments (FXIP) business is working with Ripple to make blockchain payments commercially available, “reducing the time and cost of settlement”. Santander UK is the selected partner to initiate this new transaction channel. Marc Gordon, EVP and CIO at […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 16 November 2017
Coming straight after yesterday’s (15 November) action, here’s our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up. Features Mastercard in a patent place, ING Bank opening up, and another warning from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. Let’s start with yet another patent. Mastercard has jumped on the blockchain payments bandwagon by filing “Method and System for Instantaneous Payment […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 15 November 2017
Following on from yesterday’s (14 November) news, here’s our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up. Featuring Trustology, Accenture, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Association of Banks in Singapore, Square and London Block Exchange. Another day, another new firm. Trustology has emerged from stealth and revealed it is building a peer-to-peer network of smart contract compute services. Trusted […]
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 14 November 2017
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s (13 November) action, here’s our latest blockchain and Bitcoin round-up. Featuring Bitcoin Gold, OTC Exchange Network, Deloitte and Github. Bitcoin Gold (BTG), the newest fork of the Bitcoin blockchain, has officially gone live. It’s not the first to breakaway from Bitcoin, as previously in August, Bitcoin Cash (BCC) launched. […]
Reality Clash looks to make cash splash with cryptocurrency trading
While the fintech industry is no stranger to initial coin offerings (ICO) as a method of sourcing capital for start-ups, a firm is offering a novel way to make money via cryptocurrency trading.
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 13 November 2017
Following Friday’s (10 November) feisty blockchain and Bitcoin action, here’s another round-up. Features CryptoCoinBits, European Commission, R3 and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. With increasing fears about Bitcoin ICOs and bubbles bursting, it was inevitable someone would see a gap in the market. Enter CryptoCoinBits, which has unleashed a Bitcoin trading platform and asks: “So how can […]
It’s time to pull the brake on Bitcoin
With ten years in fintech under my belt, I have seen the creation of the word itself. I have also seen the rise of various hypes, adoption of buzzwords, sky-high funding rounds, epic failures and a surprising knowledge gap in what is the world’s biggest industry.
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 10 November 2017
Three more stories from across the world of blockchain and Bitcoin. This latest round-up features Chia Network, Crypto20, and a lesson to learn from recent Bitcoin scams in Canada.
Blockchain and Bitcoin round-up: 9 November 2017
Whether it’s AI to bridge cryptocurrencies or someone accidentally losing it, something is always going on, whether right or wrong in the world of blockchain and Bitcoin. Our latest round-up features Parity, AiX, R3 and SIA.
Payments round-up: 8 November 2017
Just yesterday (7 November) was a payments round-up, but here’s more action from the lively paytech place. Features Apple, Coinsilium Group, UMT United Mobility Technology, Visa and even the Olympic Winter Games. Apple, which is rarely out of the news, has set up Apple Pay Cash for person-to-person (P2P) payments in Messages. This feature is […]
Why blockchain won’t fix payments
There is a misconception about blockchain in the industry surrounding the belief that it is a solution to making faster and securer payments. There are some issues around the blockchain that explain why, in its present form, it isn’t an ideal replacement.
Krungsri and IBM apply blockchain to related party transactions
Thailand-based Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) and IBM have completed a blockchain pilot project to streamline the bank’s contract management process across its offerings.
Implementing derivatives clearing on distributed ledger technology platforms
Clearing houses and central clearing counterparties (CCPs) play a pivotal role in managing collateral and counterparty risk, in increasing standardisation and transparency of financial markets, and in the credit enhancement process for clearing banks. For such systemically critical functions, how appropriate are innovative new technologies such as distributed ledger technology (DLT)?
R3 and banks partner to develop cross-border payments platform
Enterprise software firm R3 and 22 of its member banks have developed a solution that leverages distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enable “fast, efficient and cost-effective” cross-border payments.
Credit union consortium CULedger opts for Swirlds to build blockchain platform
CULedger, a US-based credit union consortium formed by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and the Mountain West Credit Union Association (MWCUA), has selected Swirlds’ hashgraph technology as a key component of its permissioned, distributed, shared ledger platform for credit unions.
Ledger partners with Intel to boost blockchain app security
Ledger, a France-based specialist in security solutions for cryptocurrency and blockchain applications, has partnered with Intel to bring greater protection for users of digital wallets.
Teradata Partners Conference 2017: not vexed on the edge of next
On the brink of tomorrow, US-based Teradata believes it’s in the right place to get ready for the future with its new range of data products and artificial intelligence (AI) inspired vision. At day two (23 October) of the Teradata Partners Conference 2017 (22-26 October), in Anaheim, California, attended by Banking Technology; the firm showed […]
Mastercard takes blockchain mainstream with API
Mastercard announced it has tested and validated its blockchain and will be opening access to it via a set of three APIs published on the Mastercard Developers website. The APIs include the blockchain core API, the smart contracts API, and the fast pay network API.
AlphaPoint teams with Intel to launch secure smart contracts solution
One way to make a smart contract even smarter is to enhance document access and security. Digital currency exchange platform AlphaPoint has achieved that with today’s partnership with Intel.
Top fintech stories this week – 20 October 2017
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Blockchain and the Lycra principle: only when fit for purpose
Few ideas have captivated the modern payments and financial services industries like blockchain. Since Bitcoin officially launched in 2008, the noise around the potential of distributed ledgers and blockchain in particular has been incessant, particularly in the last two years.
Fintech funding round-up: 19 October 2017
Three of the latest stories in one for a fast fintech funding round-up. Features Paykey, Digital Asset, Santander InnoVentures and ePesos.
Blockchain: a world of possibilities
Amid the hype around distributed ledger technology and blockchain it can seem they are technologies looking for solutions. In the heavily paper-based business of trade finance, such technology looks promising and progress is being made elsewhere.
Daily News at Sibos 2017 – Day 4
Read our fourth and final Daily News at Sibos edition of the Sibos 2017 conference in Toronto – all the latest news and analysis from Swift’s premier event of the year. Free to read online or pick up a complimentary print copy if you are at Sibos!
Sberbank joins Enterprise Ethereum Alliance to broaden cooperation
Sberbank has become the first Russian bank to join the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA). The non-commercial alliance was established in February 2017 to transform Ethereum into an enterprise-grade technology.
Sibos 2017: treasurers look to tech to untangle knots
Untangling the “knots” at global treasuries, especially with regard to bank maintenance issues around know your customer (KYC) and other compliance activities, was the theme of a corporate treasury session yesterday (18 October) at Sibos.
SmartContract unveils PoC
SmartContract, which enables computable smart contracts, has unveiled a new a proof of concept (PoC) for making/using smart contracts with Swift.
Sberbank and Swift sign memorandum of co-operation for product push
Sberbank and Swift have signed a memorandum of co-operation regarding the development and piloting of products created and promoted by Swift. With fintech hugs sweeping Sibos and the planet, the parties agreed to co-ordinate steps to assess the potential application of blockchain in interbank settlement platforms. In particular, Sberbank joined the international group of financial […]
JP Morgan’s Quorum blockchain powers new correspondent banking network
JP Morgan, and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), have launched the Interbank Information Network (IIN) – using blockchain for the payments process. According to JP Morgan, processing global payments is very complex. Multiple layers of communication occur amongst payment participants to verify and process transactions. By using […]
Sibos 2017: web’s future “in the balance”
The cross-border, centralised nature of the world wide web is “absolutely in the balance” right now, warned Sir Tim Berners-Lee, its inventor, yesterday (17 October) at the Sibos conference in Toronto.
LA Ledger group calls for more participants
The Liquidity Alliance group of central securities depositories (CSDs) has called for further participants in their distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based LA Ledger prototype for cross-border mobilisation of security collateral.
Alastria blockchain consortium springs up in Spain
A variety of Spanish banking, energy and telecommunications companies have established Alastria, the “world’s first regulated national network based on blockchain”. The non-profit consortium will develop distributed ledger technology (DLT), which it believes is “set to become the new data exchange ecosystem”. As reported in May, the group created Red Lyra, the “first multisector technology […]
IBM and eight banks unleash we.trade platform for blockchain-powered commerce
IBM and eight banks have unveiled we.trade – the new name for their Digital Trade Chain shared platform using distributed ledger technology (DLT) for domestic and cross-border commerce. Since January 2017, a group of seven banks (Deutsche Bank, HSBC, KBC, Natixis, Rabobank, Societe Generale and UniCredit), together with IBM, have been developing the Digital Trade […]
Natixis, Société Générale and Broadridge complete blockchain pilot
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Natixis and Société Générale say they have “successfully completed” a pilot project that leverages blockchain technology for bilateral repurchase, or repo, agreements.
BNP Paribas and EY explore private blockchain for treasury operations
BNP Paribas ALM Treasury and EY have completed a pilot demonstrating the use of blockchain to improve global internal treasury operations for the bank. The ALM Treasury department, which manages the bank’s internal ops, at the service of all three operating divisions of the group, carried out the pilot, tested internally this summer. According to […]
Securities markets: standing at the crossroads
Financial technology has the potential to radically transform the securities industry. The fast pace of change could lead to disintermediation, according to an Iosco study.
