Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Underserved fintech fund raises $141 million

US non-profit group Accion International and VC Quona Capital have raised $141 million from an array of institutional investors to support fintech startups that improve the quality and availability of financial services for the underserved.

06 March 2017

News/Blockchain

IBM and Maersk advance blockchain project for global trade

IBM and transport and logistics outfit Maersk have unveiled a blockchain-based cross-border supply chain programme to manage and track the paper trail of tens of millions of shipping containers across the world.

06 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Deutsche Bourse fintech venture fund targets blockchain and AI

Deutsche Bourse's new dedicated fintech venture fund, DB1, is hoping to make up to five investments this year, focusing on startups that use technologies such as blockchain and machine learning to rebuild the rails on which financial markets are built.

03 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Scotiabank trials AlphaPoint blockchain tech for trade reports

Canada's Scotiabank has spent the last few months testing a distributed ledger platform from tech firm AlphaPoint.

02 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Bank of Japan exec warns FS firms against leaving DLT expertise to tech providers

Distributed ledger technology has huge potential but has not yet reached the stage where it can fully replace current centralised systems, says a senior Bank of Japan official, who also warns FS firms against leaving the development and understanding of the tech to outside vendors.

02 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Thai stock exchange uses blockchain for new startup marketplace

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is planning to launch a blockchain-based marketplace for startups later this year.

01 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Switzerland's Crypto Valley Association draws blue chip support

Former UBS and Sap CIO Oliver Bussmann is leading a Government-backed initiative to position Switzerland as a global hub for blockchain and cryptographic development with the support of multiple blue chip partners, including UBS, Thomson Thomson Reuters, PwC, Consensys and Luxoft.

01 March 2017

News/Blockchain

Banco Sabadell highlights commitment to startup ecosystem

Reflecting the growing trend for banks to partner with young technology companies, Spain's Banco Sabadell is highlighting its activity in the entrepreneurial ecosystem over the past three years, supplying funding for 2300 growth companies and investing EUR96 million in startups.

28 February 2017

News/Blockchain

DTCC moves ahead with project to use distributed ledger tech for repo market

Following a successful proof-of-concept, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is pushing ahead with plans for a distributed ledger-based system for the clearing and settlement of US repurchase agreements (repos).

27 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Mizuho carries out blockchain document sharing and digital currency trial

Japan's Mizuho says it has successfully completed trials that used distributed ledger technology for cross-border document sharing and a custom digital currency.

24 February 2017

News/Blockchain

ING and SocGen make blockchain-based oil trade

ING and Societe Generale have teamed up with commodity trading house Mercuria to test the use of blockchain technology for a live oil trade.

22 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Northern Trust runs private equity fund on blockchain

Northern Trust has engaged with IBM on the commercial deployment of blockchain technology for the private equity market.

22 February 2017

News/Blockchain

BNY Mellon seeks blockchain experts for new emerging biz and tech team

BNY Mellon is looking to staff up a new team with a mandate to investigate business disruptive emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI and robotics.

22 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Global fintech funding plunges in 2016 but expected to regain momentum in 2017

Funding for fintech companies around the world plummeted in 2016, with American and European firms experiencing a particularly sharp drop in investment, according to a report from KPMG and PitchBook which nevertheless predicts a bumper 2017.

21 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Big banks join coalition to promote Ethereum uptake

A new Alliance to promote the uptake of Ethereum as the foundation for running smart contracts in Fortune 500 enterprises is set to host its inaugural meeting in New York next week.

21 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Private digital currencies need regulation to flourish - Bank of Canada research

Digital currencies such as Bitcoin will not be safe without government intervention and are likely to be counterfeited, according to a Bank of Canada report drawing on the lessons off private bank notes in the 1800s.

20 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Registration opens for EBAday 2017

Registration has opened for EBAday 2017, Europe's pre-eminent payments conference and exhibition, which will be staged this year in Dublin.

17 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Ripple's XRP asset boosted by BitGo linkage

Ripple's efforts to build an active ecosystem around its XRP digital asset has been boosted by a deal with virtual currency processor BitGo.

16 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Kevin the bot uses blockchain to offer insurance for P2P transactions

Madrid-based online reputation startup Traity has launched a chatbot that uses an "open blockchain balance sheet" to provide micro-insurance for people carrying out P2P transactions

16 February 2017

News/Blockchain

Japanese banks invest in local bitcoin exchange

Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group have joined a $1.75 million funding round for Japan's biggest bitcoin exchange, bitFlyer, according to Nikkei.

14 February 2017