Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

Chancellor asks Royal Mint to create NFT

The UK government has commissioned the Royal Mint to create an NFT as part of a push to make the country a "global hub for cryptoasset technology".

05 April 2022

News/crypto

IFGS 2022: HM Treasury confirms regulation of stablecoin use

Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) conference on Monday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen announced that legislation will be introduced to bring certain stablecoins into the UK payments framework, as well as projects to tackle broader crypto regulation and decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs).

04 April 2022

News/regulation

IFGS 2022: Taking the pulse of UK fintech

Following welcome addresses from Catherine McGuinness, chair, Policy and Resources Committee, City of London Corporation, and Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance, the Innovate Finance Global Summit took off with a panel stacked with leading fintech voices.

04 April 2022

News/predictions

Metaverse economy could hit $13 trillion by 2030 - Citi

The Metaverse economy could be wort up to $13 trillion by 2030 while what counts as money in this next generation of the internet will look very different from today, according to a new report from Citi.

04 April 2022

News/devops

ADGM and Finastra join forces for ‘Hack to the Future 4’

The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has partnered with Finastra for its globally renowned fintech hackathon, Hack to the Future 4.

01 April 2022

News/regulation

UK regulators publish slew of papers on cryptoasset regulation

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Bank of England, and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have released a raft of documents warning financial institutions of their responsibilities around cryptoassets and the direction of regulation in the space.

25 March 2022

News/regulation

Financial regulators probe DeFi markets

International securities regulator Iosco is setting up a task force to examine the risks and opportunities arising from decentralised finance (DeFI), which it says is quickly evolving to mirror conventional financial markets.

24 March 2022

News/crypto

Microsoft joins $450m ConsenSys funding round

Microsoft has joined a $450 million funding round for ConsenSys that values the blockchain software engineering firm at $7 billion.

16 March 2022

News/devops

Finextra partners with Finastra for Hack to the Future 4

Finextra has today announced a partnership with financial services software provider, Finastra, for its annual event, Hack to the Future.

08 March 2022

News/crypto

Brazil central bank picks digital real challenge partners

Brazil's central bank has picked project proposals from nine firms - including Santander, Visa and Bitcoin Market - for a challenge investigating the development of a CBDC.

04 March 2022

News/crypto

Crypto remains divisive amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

While the long-lasting effects of the war in Ukraine on cryptocurrency remain unknown, drastic changes across the crypto industry have been felt since Russia’s invasion began eight days ago.

04 March 2022

News/sustainable

Climate fintech funding 3x higher than all previous years combined - CommerzVentures

According to CommerzVentures’ second report on climate fintech, venture capital (VC) funding for fintechs driving net-zero economies hit a record high in 2021.

04 February 2022

News/cloud

Google Cloud reveals DeFi ambitions with new Digital Assets Team

The cloud provider has announced that it is launching a dedicated Digital Assets Team to explore the potential of blockchain-based platforms.

28 January 2022

News/crypto

Walmart prepares to step into the metaverse

Trademark filings reveal Walmart’s plans to create its own cryptocurrency and a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), suggesting the retailer’s appetite to make and sell virtual goods in the metaverse.

17 January 2022

News/crypto

US banks form stablecoin consortium

Five US banks have come together to launch a bank-minted alternative to non-bank-issued stablecoins.

12 January 2022

News/crypto

eToro expands crypto offering with Celo and The Sandbox

Social investment platform, eToro, has just announced the addition of two assets to its crypto offering: The Sandbox and Celo. This brings eToro’s offering to 42 cryptoassets.

29 December 2021

News/crypto

Benoît Cœuré: regulators likely to agree on crypto framework in 2022 – FT

In a conversation with the Financial Times, chief of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, Benoît Cœuré, stated that a global framework for cryptocurrency should be agreed to in 2022.

20 December 2021

News/security

Bitmart loses $100 million in DeFi hack

Crypto exchange Bitmart has become the latest DeFi firm to fall victim to a large-sacle security breach, losing an estimated $100 million and suspending all withdrawals.

06 December 2021

News/crypto

HSBC joins $200m funding round for ConsenSys

HSBC has joined a $200 million funding round for ConsenSys that values the blockchain software engineering firm at $3.2 billion.

18 November 2021

News/crypto

Singapore Fintech Festival 2021: MAS global CBDC challenge winners revealed

Concluding Singapore Fintech Festival for another year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced the three winners of the global CBDC challenge after five months of competition among more than 300 submissions from over 50 countries.

12 November 2021