Blockchain

The new law, which is modeled on a similar effort in the United Kingdom, aims to lure financial firms to the desert. It has drawn support from business organizations but opposition from consumer groups — a dynamic that is likely to be replayed in other states.

Localized industries that provide local services are a great fit for the blockchain model, argues F. Mark Kosierowski, finance and insurance adviser at the Dentacoin Foundation.

Employees at the second-largest Indian bank falsified documents in a scheme that ultimately cost the institution at least $2 billion. Some argue a distributed ledger would have helped prevent or minimize the fraud.

The speed at which money transfer payments are evolving from legacy, paper-based systems to digital platforms couldn’t be more stark at Western Union, where Sheri Rhodes has just been named executive vice president and chief technology officer.

The bank’s distributed ledger for private equity deals can now provide nodes to auditors, so they can easily access documents and data for their annual reviews.

Doubling down on its surprise pivot to blockchain technology, the former parent company of Long Island Iced Tea—now Long Blockchain Corp.—is buying a U.K. tech firm specializing in distributed ledger technology and cryptocurrency.

How do you get to the top of the payments stack at one of the nation’s preeminent digital-forward banks? You reach for every challenging opportunity you see, according to Reetika Grewal, head of payments strategy and solutions at Silicon Valley Bank.

Federal Reserve warns that nonbank lenders pose risks to the financial system; Swift says the technology needs more work.

Ripple, the U.S. digital payments company, is working with 61 Japanese banks on an application that will enable customers to settle cash transfers instantly around the clock, the latest effort to apply blockchain technology in finance.

At CUNA’s GAC, one credit union leader explained that CUs need blockchain and distributed ledger technology now for the same reason they needed websites in the '90s -- even if the technology is confusing, it's going to be a big deal sooner than you think.

State-level support will give the digital assets industry much needed footing, said Caitlin Long, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley.

Banks are putting the concept of securities lending on a blockchain-inspired platform to the test.

Momentum is continuing unabated for blockchain projects and initial coin offerings as the potential for blockchain continues to be realized.

Process would protect taxpayers from bailing out failed banks; bank plans to raze its midtown Manhattan headquarters and build a 2.5 million sq. ft. edifice on the site.

As they cement major partnerships, launch overseas operations and court banks and other institutional investors, top cryptocurrency exchanges now see regulatory approval as a competitive advantage.

It would appear that momentum is continuing unabated for blockchain projects and ICOs (initial coin offerings), as the potential for blockchain continues to be realized.

Banks scrapped a plan to create a shared data bunker for customer data in favor of a backup buddy system. Some argue a move to blockchain should be next.

International officials are discovering they can sometimes avoid bank fees by replacing currency transfers with the technology at the heart of Bitcoin.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s People’s Party is preparing legislation including possible tax breaks to attract companies using blockchain technology.

This week marks the return of a series of intensive, hands-on training sessions in distributed ledger technologies for credit union executives.