Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Hitachi establishes fintech innovation lab in Silicon Valley

Hitachi has established a fintech research lab in Silicon Valley, where it will conduct R&D on new innovations in blockchain technology and financial services more generally.

17 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Overstock preps blockchain public offering

In what it claims is a world first, online retailer Overstock is set to issue public shares using its proprietary blockchain technology.

16 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Will bitcoin provide banks with their 'Kodak Moment'?

The world's banks are facing a 'Kodak Moment' if they continue to dismiss the virtual currency bitcoin as just the opening act for more revolutionary blockchain-based innovation, says Max Tannahill, a business change and implementation manager at ANZ

16 March 2016

News/Blockchain

US judge paves way for lawsuit against Mizuho over Mt Gox losses

A US judge has given the go-ahead to a class action lawsuit against Mizuho Bank over the Japanese giant's relationship with failed bitcoin exchange Mt Gox.

15 March 2016

News/Blockchain

USAA adds bitcoin balance check feature to site and app

USAA has teamed up with Coinbase to enable members to check their bitcoin balances through the online army bank's website and mobile app.

15 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Icap hails blockchain proof-of-concept as post-trade breakthrough

Icap has completed a proof-of-concept test on the use of distributed ledger-based smart contracts on Traiana's Harmony network, declaring that the technology has the potential to "significantly transform post trade operations".

15 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Esma expresses case for and against distributed ledgers in post-trade markets

The potential benefits of the application of distributed ledger technologies in the securities markets sit squarely in the post-trade environment, according to initial research findings from Esma (European Securities and Markets Authority) following a year-long review of the technology.

11 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Global funding for VC-backed fintech firms doubles to $13.8bn

2015 was the year that financial technology entered the mainstream, claims a new report from KPMG and CB Insights which estimates that VC-backed fintech firms around the world secured $13.8 billion in funding as they began having a serious impact in every area of banking and insurance.

09 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Finextra’s NextGen Banking conference fills Level39 to maximum capacity

Senior executives from challengers and incumbents gathered together to debate market access, customer requirements, PSD2 implications, technology issues and collaboration opportunities in front of a packed crowd at Finextra's NextGen Banking conference at Level39.

08 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Mizuho and Fujitsu complete blockchain trial

Japan's Mizuho Bank and Fujitsu say that they have carried out a trial using blockchain technology to streamline cross-border securities transaction settlements.

08 March 2016

News/Blockchain

TSX appoints blockchain expert chief digital officer

The Toronto Stock Exchange has become the latest bourse to recognise the potential importance of distributed ledger technology, hiring blockchain specialist Anthony Di Iorio as its chief digital officer.

07 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Financial services set for a fundamental shake-up - Deloitte

The emergence of a raft of disruptive technologies and trends will fundamentally transform the financial industry over the next five to ten years, says Deloitte.

04 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Registration opens for EBAday 2016

Registration has opened for EBAday 2016, Europe's pre-eminent payments conference and exhibition, which will be staged this year in Milan.

04 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Blockchain recruitment heats up at major banks and vendors

Recruitment for blockchain specialists at major banks and vendors is hotting up, as Visa, Thomson Reuters and BNY Mellon post ads on job boards.

03 March 2016

News/Blockchain

R3 and 40 banks run parallel trials of five different blockchains

Distributed ledger consortium R3 has connected 40 banks to five different blockchains and allowed them to facilitate issuance, secondary trading and redemption of a fixed income product in the largest known trial of the technology to date.

03 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Israel gets fintech hub

Israel is the latest country to get a dedicated fintech hub, as The Floor arrives in Tel Aviv promising to support startups disrupting the financial services industry.

03 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Distributed ledger tech could see Brits get Bank of England accounts - deputy governor

A senior Bank of England official has floated the idea of using distributed ledger technology to enable individuals to hold digital currency accounts with the central bank, but has warned that such a move could prove damaging to commercial providers.

02 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Two of Wall Street's most powerful women are uniting behind blockchain

Two of Wall Street's most high-profile women have joined together to bring blockchain-based services to the financial markets as Sallie Crawcheck joins the board of Blythe Masters' distributed ledger outfit Digital Asset Holdings.

02 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Korea Exchange joins blockchain gold rush

The Korea Exchange is looking to use distributed ledger technology for a new OTC trading platform.

01 March 2016

News/Blockchain

Global regulators to probe fintech threats to financial stability

The Financial Stability Board is to evaluate the potential for systemic risk posed by emerging innovations in financial technology, a move which may mark the beginning of the end to the regulatory advantages enjoyed by fintech firms operating at the fringes of the financial services sector.

29 February 2016