Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

Visa seeks bank volunteers for blockchain-based payment trial

Visa Europe is looking for banking partners to participate in a pilot project exploring the application of blockchain technology in domestic and cross-border funds transfers.

01 September 2016

News/Blockchain

R3 eyes insurance sector as MetLife comes onboard

The R3 blockchain consortium is moving in to the rapidly growing insurtech arena, welcoming MetLife as its first multinational insurance industry member.

31 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Caitlin Long swaps Morgan Stanley for Symbiont chair

Morgan Stanley's Caitlin Long is the latest high-flying Wall Street executive to trade places for a position at a blockchain startup, joining Symbiont as president and chairman.

31 August 2016

News/Blockchain

JPX bigs up blockchain

Japan Exchange Group is talking up the transformational potential of the use of distributed ledgers in capital markets after analysing the results of proof of concept trials with member firms over the course of the past year.

30 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Financial market infrastructures piling into blockchain - WFE

More than 84% of trading venues and clearing counterparties surveyed by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) are either investigating or actively pursuing the applicability of distributed ledger technologies in financial markets.

25 August 2016

News/Blockchain

R3 blockchain consortium sheds light on Concord project

The bank-backed R3 CEV blockchain consortium has filed its first patent application, shedding light on Corda, the software that will be central to its shared ledger project, which could begin rolling out within months.

24 August 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Hitachi and BTMU to test blockchain for cheque issuance

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, Hitachi) and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. (BTMU) today announced that they have started Proof of Concept (PoC) testing for using blockchain technology for digitalization of checks in the Republic of Singapore.

24 August 2016

News/Blockchain

UBS wins big bank backing for Utility Settlement Coin concept

BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, Icap and Santander have joined with UBS and Clearmatics to advance the Utility Settlement Coin, an asset-backed digital cash instrument implemented on distributed ledger technology.

24 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Japanese bank consortium to build new payments network with SBI Ripple Asia

A consortium of 15 Japanese banks are to work with blockchain joint venture SBI Ripple Asia, to build a new payments platform promising round-the-clock real-time settlement for cross-border and domestic funds transfers.

23 August 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Blockchain Foundry for e-commerce launched

Blockchain Foundry Inc. today announces its establishment as a leading developer of blockchain solutions for businesses and individual consumers.

22 August 2016

News/Blockchain

BofE advertises for digital currencies research lead

The Bank of England is advertising for an economic research lead at its digital currencies team as it steps up its investigation into a central bank-issued 'Britcoin'.

19 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Rakuten establishes blockchain lab in Belfast

Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is to open a blockchain development lab in Belfast to cater for its expanding portfolio of investments in the fintech arena.

18 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Transaction confidentiality tops blockchain security concern for banks

Financial services firms are still concerned about distributed ledger technology security, with transaction confidentiality a particular worry, according to a new report from Greenwich Associates.

17 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Global fintech funding hits plateau

Following the explosion in funding last year, fintech is experiencing a "plateau" in 2016 amid investor concern about high valuations, a lack of significant IPO exits and macro-economic factors, says a new report from KPMG and CB Insights.

17 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Former Traiana chief to launch blockchain-based post-trade platform

A 'blockchain inspired' post-trade peer-to-peer network co-founded by the former CEO of Traiana Andy Coyne, is to commence beta testing with eight institutional FX market participants following successful proof-of-concept trials.

17 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Blockchain to become 'beating heart' of financial system

Blockchain technology will fundamentally alter the way financial institutions do business, according to a report from the World Economic Forum.

12 August 2016

News/Blockchain

ING pairs startups with inhouse pitches for accelerator

ING is pairing four external startups with two inhouse teams selected from an innovation bootcamp for its next global accelerator programme

12 August 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Chain partners Initiative for Cryptocurrency and Contracts

Chain Inc. (“Chain”), an enterprise software company that works with financial firms to design and build blockchain networks, today announced its partnership with the Initiative for Cryptocurrency and Contracts (IC3).

11 August 2016

News/Blockchain

Bank consortia look to distributed ledgers and smart contracts to rewire trade finance

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, HSBC and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore have claimed success in demonstrating the application of distributed ledgers to replace paper-based Letters of Credit in trade finance transactions.

10 August 2016

News/Blockchain

US Marshals to auction off $1.6m in Bitcoin

The United States Marshals Service is set to auction off 2700 Bitcoin, currently worth around $1.6 million, that were obtained during various cases related to the Silk Road dark web marketplace.

09 August 2016