The bandwagon for blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) is getting crowded as four major global banks have just completed a battery of tests in which the cutting-edge technology played a key role in credit default swap (CDS) processing. At the same time, key players in Japan led by Nomura Research Institute (NRI) officials are… Read More >>
Red Hat Launches Blockchain Overture
Open source software and Linux solutions vendor Red Hat has launched an initiative targeting financial technology startups and independent software vendors (ISVs) serving financial services firms that are developing blockchain/distributed ledged technology (DLT) applications and technologies. Red Hat’s OpenShift Blockchain Initiative is intended to help the financial services industry as it develops hosted blockchain solutions… Read More >>
Regulators Could Halt Blockchain’s Progress
CFTC Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo is calling on U.S. and European regulators and policymakers to take a “do no harm approach” toward the oversight of emerging distributed ledger technology (DLT), popularized by the blockchain underpinnings for cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Otherwise, DLT’s growth is at “risk of being stymied by disparate and uncertain regulation,” says Giancarlo, who… Read More >>
Q&A: Could Blockchain Really Be a Revolution?
(The securities industry is jumping on the distributed ledger/blockchain technology bandwagon at a record pace and with widespread support. The underlying backbone of cryptocurrency Bitcoin-based transactions is having a life of its own among major Wall Street firms and industry organizations. FTF News got a few minutes with industry analyst Dr. Anshuman Jaswal, who is… Read More >>
Linux Foundation Bolsters Hyperledger Project
Industry Players and Vendors Back Hyperledger Project The Hyperledger Project, an open source blockchain initiative from the nonprofit Linux Foundation, founded in 2000, reports the following new members: Chris Ferris, chief technology officer (CTO) of open technology at IBM, becomes chair of the project’s technical steering committee (TSC); Blythe Masters, CEO of Digital Asset… Read More >>
DTCC & Digital Asset Launch Distributed Ledger Project for Repos
The DTCC, the industry post-trade utility and related services provider, and fintech startup Digital Asset Holdings are developing a solution based on distributed ledger technology, intended to help firms better manage the clearing and settlement of U.S. Treasury, agency, and agency mortgage-backed repurchase agreement (repo) transactions. The effort should yield a central counterparty process that… Read More >>
Blockchain Is Old News for European Markets
Blockchain may be creating the most buzz in financial services circles today but it has been quietly making a noise in Europe for the past 20 years. London-based consultancy Z/Yen created one of the first prototypes — a decentralized electronic ledger — for a client who wanted a shared database to provide an indelible and… Read More >>
Firms Have Tough Decisions Ahead of Them: ISITC
(Editor’s note: Jeffrey Zoller, chairman of The International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication (ISITC), an industry trade group focused on standards, speaks to FTF News about some of the difficult choices coming for financial services firms. ISITC’s 22nd Annual Industry Forum & Vendor Show is underway in Boston this week. In addition to his… Read More >>
ICAP Division Dives into Blockchain
The Post Trade Risk and Information (PTRI) division of interdealer broker ICAP reports that a recent proof of technology test for a blockchain-based distributed ledger for smart contracts is just the beginning for the firm’s exploration of the cutting-edge technology, say ICAP officials. The test conducted on February 26 involved 16 ICAP staff members, ICAP… Read More >>
R3 Enlists 40 Banks in Fixed Income Blockchain Trial
The R3 distributed-ledger consortium, also known as R3Cev, has completed what it calls a successful trial of “five distinct blockchain technologies in parallel in the first test of its kind.” The trial “represented the trading of fixed income assets between 40 of the world’s largest banks across the blockchains, using multiple cloud technology providers within… Read More >>
