Despite the hype, there is currently very little hard data to evaluate the benefits of blockchain-supported systems over existing infrastructures, according to a new report, “Blockchain in Capital Markets: More Evolution than Revolution,” by market research consultancy Opimas, based near Paris. The initial results of the blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) are indicating that the emerging… Read More >>
Dynatrace Acquires Qumram
Dynatrace Declines to Reveal Qumram Acquisition Price Dynatrace, a digital performance management vendor, has acquired Qumram, a privately held company offering session replay technology for mobile and web applications, officials say. “With the addition of Qumram’s technology and intellectual property, Dynatrace will further expand its digital experience capabilities by providing the ability to visually replay… Read More >>
SWIFT Extends Financial Crime Fighting to Emerging Markets
SWIFT has expanded its financial crime-fighting services while Broadridge Financial Services has just completed a key blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) pilot — news that broke at SWIFT’s SIBOS industry conference in Toronto this week. In an effort to help small financial services firms and institutions fight financial crime in emerging markets, SWIFT is launching a… Read More >>
SEB & Nasdaq to Create Mutual Fund Blockchain
Swedish financial services group SEB, which has total assets of SEK 2,777 billion ($341 billion), and the Nasdaq Stock Market are joining forces to develop a prototype for a mutual fund trading platform based on the vendor Chain Inc.’s blockchain ledger. The aim is to modernize and increase efficiency in the processing of purchases and… Read More >>
SETL & Asset Managers Launch Blockchain System for Record Keeping
London-based SETL, a financial blockchain specialist, has launched IZNES, the pan-European fund Blockchain-based, record-keeping platform together with four asset management firms — OFI AM, Groupama AM, La Financière de l’Échiquier, and Arkéa Investment Services. IZNES will enable firms to enter into new relationships with investors and manage the Know Your Customer (KYC) processes required by… Read More >>
BNP Paribas, Société Générale & Others Launch LiquidShare
Major European Players Back LiquidShare A European blockchain startup with a post-trade focus, LiquidShare, is being created via the support of BNP Paribas, CACEIS, Caisse des Dépôts, Euroclear, Euronext, S2Iem, Société Générale and Paris Europlace. The financial technology venture is the result of a partnership launched by its shareholders in June 2016 to develop a… Read More >>
Four Banks Test DLT-Based ECP Platform
Enterprise software vendor R3 (formerly known as “blockchain consortium”) and four of its member banks — ABN Amro, Commerzbank, ING, and KBC — have developed a prototype solution for the issuance of euro commercial paper (ECP) on the group’s Corda distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform. Participants in the project say that it will prove to… Read More >>
BNP Subsidiary, SmartAngels Create Preliminary DLT Platform
BNP Paribas Securities Services is moving ahead with a key element of its embrace of blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) via the completion of an initial phase of its partnership with SmartAngels, the Paris-based maker of a crowdfunding platform for equities. For their first deliverable, BNP Paribas Securities Services and SmartAngels are launching a share register… Read More >>
IBM, Synechron Look to Accelerate Blockchain Acceptance
The blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) revolution is gaining more ground as established IT providers such as IBM and newer players such as Synechron, a financial services consulting and technology services provider, are deepening their commitment to the cutting-edge development environment. For instance, Synechron officials say that they are going to launch blockchain accelerator applications on… Read More >>
Could Blockchain/DLT Shift the Proxy Paradigm?
(Editor’s note: Service provider American Stock Transfer and Trust Company (AST) recently announced that it will launch a solution that uses cutting-edge blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) for proxy vote tabulation. This new service is slated for the start of the 2018 proxy season. AST worked with NuArca, a blockchain/DLT solution provider, on the new offering,… Read More >>
