Latest Blockchain News: Finextra Research

FCA to extend Innovation Hub; advance research into blockchain tech

The Financial Conduct Authority has so far had 413 fintech startups apply to its Innovation Hub scheme, providing support and advice to 52% of these budding businesses as they bid to break into the UK's financial technology market.

24 February 2016

News/Blockchain

BuyCo.io brings distributed ledgers and smart contracts to procurement marketplace

Collaborative procurement platform BuyCo.io is to use permissioned distributed ledgers and smart contracts to lower the costs of currency conversion and money transmission for buyers on group purchasing marketplaces.

24 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Ripple boasts it can slash banks' global settlement costs

Ripple claims that its network and native currency could save banks up to 60% on costs associated with global interbank settlements.

23 February 2016

News/Blockchain

JPMorgan tests blockchain for dollar transfers; strikes Starbucks deal

JPMorgan Chase is testing the use of distributed ledger technology to move US dollars between London and Tokyo, working with about 2200 clients on the trial ahead of possible live transactions later in the year.

23 February 2016

Finextra TV/Blockchain

How can blockchain help the business problem?

Professor Tony O’Donnell, Head of Research and Innovation, Infosys Finacle, discusses how blockchain may fit into a bank’s strategy, and the implications of regulation around distributed ledger technology.

23 February 2016

Finextra TV/Blockchain

Bitcoin distracted from blockchain potential

Davide Girompini, Global Leader Payments and Transaction Services, IBM, speaks about the options banks have when trying to innovate cost-effectively, and how distributed ledger technology can be applied in the financial services industry.

22 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Iosco steps up focus on blockchain and robo-advisors

International securities regulators are stepping up their research into the disruptive potential posed by the development of distributed ledgers, robo-advisors and cybersecurity threats.

22 February 2016

Finextra TV/Blockchain

Avoiding a society of digital haves and have nots

Ahead of her keynote at Mobile World Congress this week, Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, MasterCard Worldwide, discusses the importance of digital inclusion in avoiding fractures in society, and the technologies and partnerships that can work to ensure financial inclusion globally.

22 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Blockchain cybersecurity startup Chainalysis inks MoU with Europol

Chainalysis, a cybersecurity startup that taps distributed ledgers to track digital identities, has signed a deal with Europol and closed a $1.6 million seed funding round led by Point Nine Capital.

19 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Fintech future: Welcome to the the Bank of Big Mac

If you lived in a world where any business or any person could create their own freely circulating personal or corporate currency, where would you put your money? Chris Gledhill, co-founder and CEO of Secco Bank, explores the options.

19 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Bitcoin mining firm Butterfly Labs settles FTC charges

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled charges against a Bitcoin mining hardware outfit accused of charging people thousands of dollars for machines that were never delivered.

18 February 2016

Finextra TV/Blockchain

Blockchain will transform payments ecosystem

Ruth Wandhöfer, Treasury and Trade Solutions, Citi, speaks about why movement towards a cashless society is slow and what the future may hold for the role of banks and money in the context of distributed ledger technologies.

18 February 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Accenture sets up blockchain practice

Accenture (ACN) has launched a specialized practice within its financial services group to help institutions implement blockchain technology in order to improve operational efficiency, security, and client service, as well as to capture new revenue opportunities.

17 February 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Digital Asset aligns with Accenture, Broadridge and PwC

Digital Asset Holdings, LLC, a developer of Distributed Ledger Technology for the financial services industry, today announced that it has entered into non-exclusive strategic business relationships with Accenture, Broadridge and PwC designed to ensure the faster adoption and scalability of its innovative solutions, and create additional value for clients across the financial ecosystem.

17 February 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Crowdaura boards Microsoft Ventures Accelerator programme

Crowdaura has now been officially accepted into the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator program as part of the London 2016 cohort.

17 February 2016

Company update/Blockchain

Ribbit.me joins the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Project

Ribbit.me, an exciting blockchain and smart contract based loyalty solutions startup, today announces that it has joined The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source.

17 February 2016

News/Blockchain

Mizuho turns to blockchain for financial record keeping

Mizuho is to use distributed ledger technology from Cognizant to secure record-keeping of documents passed across the group globally.

17 February 2016

News/Blockchain

ItBit poaches SocGen's Nabi to lead European blockchain business

US-based capital markets blockchain outfit itBit has hired Jason Nabi, SocGen's post-trade services lead, to head up a new London office as it seeks to expand its services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

16 February 2016

News/Blockchain

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

Finextra TV/Blockchain

Innovation in KYC and client on-boarding

Neil Jeans, Financial Crime Compliance & Risk Consultant, Thomson Reuters, discusses the need for innovation in KYC, and how regulators are responding to innovation in the financial services industry.

16 February 2016