Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Swift role in Target2 up for grabs; ECB ponders blockchain prospects

Interbank payments network Swift may lose its status as the sole network supplier to the European Central Bank's Target2 real-time gross settlement (RTGS) platform as the Eurosystem enters consultation on the future for payments and settlement across the eurozone.

16 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Japan Exchange Group and IBM to run proof-of-concept blockchain test

Japan Exchange Group is to run proof-of-concept tests of the use of distributed ledger technology in low volume markets in conjunction with IBM.

16 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Oz watchdog clears banks of collusion in bitcoin lockdown

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has cleared the nation's banks over accusations that they colluded in the removal of banking services to local bitcoin operators.

15 February 2016

News/Blockchain

ASX wavers over future of Chess platform as it begins work on blockchain settlement

The Australian Stock Exchange says it plans to hire more staff as it lays the groundwork for the introduction of of a new post-trade platform based on distributed ledger technology.

12 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Nasdaq to pilot blockchain for proxy voting in Estonia

Nasdaq is to use blockchain technology to streamline proxy voting on companies listed on the US Exchange-held Tallinn Stock Exchange.

12 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Project boasts new members and code contributions

The Linux Foundation-led Hyperledger Project has signed up 30 founding members from the technology and financial services sectors, with several donating code to the effort to build a cross-industry open standard for distributed ledgers.

09 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Simplex promises to make it easy to buy bitcoin with credit cards

Simplex, an Israeli startup that enables the purchase of bitcoins via credit cards, has launched with $8.4 million in the bank.

05 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Stellar builds instant money transfer network in Nigeria

A new low-cost payment transfer network using distributed ledger technology has launched in Nigeria, helping hundreds of thousands of rural women send money via microfinance institutions.

04 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Blockstream raises $55m

Blockchain outfit Blockstream has raised $55 million in a Series A funding round led by Horizons Ventures, AXA Strategic Ventures, and Digital Garage.

03 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Japanese bank creates MUFG Coin for distributed ledger experiment

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (MUFG) is the latest financial services giant to confirm it is experimenting with distributed ledger technology, creating its own digital currency as it seeks to find ways to bring down the costs of transactions.

03 February 2016

News/Blockchain

It may take ten years, but blockchain tech will totally transform capital markets

European clearing and settlement agency Euroclear has called on financial market participants to collaborate and embrace the long-term potential of blockchain technologies for cutting IT costs and driving down post-trade and securities servicing fees.

03 February 2016

News/Blockchain

EU tightens money laundering controls

The European Commission is proposing a raft of measures - from closer monitoring of bitcoin and cash transactions to the creation of national payment account registers - as part of an action plan to strengthen the fight against terrorist financing.

03 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin exchange Kraken wins SBI Investments funding

Days after buying fellow bitcoin exchanges Coinsetter and Cavirtex, Kraken has scored a multi-million dollar investment from Japanese venture capital firm SBI Investment.

03 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Goldman and IBM join Digital Asset Holdings funding round

Goldman Sachs and IBM have jumped aboard Digital Asset Holdings' recent investment round, taking the blockchain startup's haul to more than $60 million.

02 February 2016

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BNP Paribas completes blockchain for transaction banking hackathon

BNP Paribas has confirmed its commitment to the distributed ledger movement in finance after completing its first 'Blockchain Bizhackathon' in the transaction banking arena.

02 February 2016

News/Blockchain

JPMorgan begins blockchain trial - FT

JPMorgan has begun a trial project to test the use of blockchain technology in its loan trading operations, according to a report in the Financial Times.

01 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Bank of America loads up on blockchain patents

Bank of America is in the process of filing 20 new blockchain-related patents, adding to the 15 it has already submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

29 January 2016

News/Blockchain

Ripple to create Asian joint venture with SBI Holdings

Ripple is to create a joint venture company with Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings to drive the adoption of its distributed ledger technology for cross-border payments across Asian markets.

29 January 2016

News/Blockchain

EC focuses on monitoring, not regulating, virtual currencies

The European Commission is examining whether virtual currencies need to be regulated in the wake of last November's terrorist attacks in Paris, but is currently more focused on monitoring the likes of bitcoin than on rushing out new rules.

29 January 2016

News/Blockchain

Cambridge Blockchain wins Santander DL Challenge

Massachusetts-based Cambridge Blockchain has walked away with a £15,000 cash prize and the promise of future angel investment after winning a distributed ledger challenge organised by Santander InnoVentures in partnership with OneVest, CoFoundersLab and 1000 angels.

28 January 2016