Blockchain

Facebook in May placed Marcus in charge of a blockchain initiative, which would likely include some of the same work that is taking place at Coinbase.

MakeCents uses a distributed blockchain platform to digitize and decentralize fiat currency. For existing stakeholders, the incentives to cede some control in favor of a blockchain are lower costs, faster transactions and greater volume.

Companies report that cross-border payments account for just 20% of payment volume but typically take 80% of accounts payable's time. That's simply not scalable. You can’t just keep throwing people at this problem, writes Karla Friede, co-founder and CEO of Nvoicepay.

The U.K.’s Food Standard Agency completed its first successful blockchain pilot this month, with plans to expand the test in August.

The cryptocurrency-focused merchant bank Galaxy Digital, led by a former Goldman Sachs partner, will start trading on a Toronto exchange this week. Its journey is a cautionary tale in regulatory risk.

Banks that have decided to use Hyperledger Fabric now have a place to find apps that run on it — apps that someone else has tested. The store, LedgerConnect, is also meant to give vendors a way to distribute their wares to banks.

American Express' blockchain patent application isn't just about payments: It could also radically change how card-based merchant offers are made and allow them to become much more targeted.

Two payments startups, PayStand and Quadpay, are collaborating with Silicon Valley Bank and First Data during a four-month accelerator program to explore mutual product development opportunities.

The research, carried out in coordination with the all-party U.K. parliamentary group on blockchain, profiles companies, think tanks, innovation hubs and individual players in the U.K.

Since blockchain technology is based on the core principle of decentralization, it provides an opportunity to break through the multiple middleman fees with an alternative low-fee digital payments network, writes Sarthak Moghe, CEO of TillBilly.

Citigroup is using tracking and transparency to push back against rivals that paint traditional bank-powered international payments as a costly, time-consuming relic.

Mastercard has become the latest major card network to suffer a high profile crash. With its Thursday incident coming hard on the heels of Visa’s crash last month many experts wonder if blockchain technology could prevent future card network outages.

High-powered portfolio simulations, security and client communication are among the most promising possibilities, say tech leaders at Morgan Stanley, D-Wave and Clovyr.

Panelists: Amber Baldet, Co-founder, CEO, Clovyr; Vern Brownell, CEO, D-Wave; Salvatore Cucchiara, Head of Wealth Management Technology, Morgan Stanley; Aaron Spradlin, Co-Founder & CEO, cleverDome, Inc.

The consortium's Corda Enterprise is designed to let blockchain applications exist behind a company’s firewall but still interact with outside partners.

The film industry may be setting new box office records this year, but it still struggles with how to adapt its distribution methods for a digital audience. That's where blockchain — the distributed ledger technology originally developed for bitcoin — plays a starring role.

Nanopay is planning to add bank, processor and accounting software partners for a B2B cross-border and domestic transfer service which it says exceeds the performance of blockchain-based systems.

A Chicago bank isn't afraid of taking on competitors that spend billions on technology. A state regulator is afraid of giving fintech startups too much latitude. Yet another one of our Most Powerful Women retires. Plus, blockchain's leading ladies, the fallout from a big political upset and a tool to help you stop apologizing.

Blockchain provides greater data management tools and improved connections between insurance payments and medical care, says Jeremias Grenzebach, co-founder and core developer at Dentacoin Foundation.

The internet democratized access to information, and now cryptocurrencies are democratizing access to financial services. The next wave of the digital revolution has the potential to democratize access to justice, Kleros co-founder Federico Ast writes.