Blockchain

Borrowing from the startup world and some popular TV shows, Citigroup is encouraging employees to pitch innovative ideas to a panel of senior execs who could give them the green light to start work.

Bank ponders assisting customers trading digital currency futures; banks still face challenges despite a good third quarter.

The digital-currency startup, which markets software to banks, appears keen to signal that it wants to play by the rules.

Cryptocurrency could be a strong fit for online games, which often develop their own realistic economies despite being cut off from mainstream currencies.

The startup is betting that a venture offering safe storage of digital assets will entice billions from banks and other institutional investors.

Michael Lewis calls it a "pump-and-dump" scheme. Liz Ann Sonders says it's "the next kale." Should clients invest in cryptocurrencies?

The federal banking regulators should create a working group that, rather than propose new rules and regulations, would clarify the application of existing rules to blockchain technology.

PayStand, a blockchain business-to-business payments platform, has completed a $6 million funding round through BlueRun Ventures.

Brian Behlendorf, leader of the Linux Foundation's effort to establish standards for blockchain, likens the invention of cryptocurrencies to the moon launch and says banks, open-source developers and others are working to make the underlying technology commercially viable.

Canada's payments modernization initiative is using a distributed ledger to expedite processing across a nationwide network, providing scale that could open the technology to wider use elsewhere if successful.

The advent of blockchain technology may prove to be disruptive to traditional credit reporting agencies by decentralizing data aggregation and allowing consumers to take ownership of their data through a personalized wallet they could share with prospective lenders, writes Alexander Koles, CEO, founder and managing director of Evolve Capital Partners.

Beyond the initial coin offerings — a fundraising process, similar to an IPO, in which blockchain companies sell crypto tokens instead of shares — and myriad science projects, is there anything substantive occurring with blockchain?

While some are bullish on strong use cases for the industry, others are still skeptical about when — or even if — CUs will be willing and able to dive into blockchain.

Financial institutions process hundreds of thousands of interbank payments per day on behalf of their clients, which can be revolutionized by blockchain, writes Angel Diaz, vice president of technology and advocacy for IBM Digital Business Group.

This might sound eccentric, but gamers are serious about virtual goods, which is being played out in the billions of dollars that they are spending each year on these items, writes Malcolm CasSelle, president of Worldwide Asset eXchange.

As blockchain becomes increasingly popular, heightened levels of data protection and customer awareness of its use become a reality, writes Abhishek Pitti, CEO of Nucleus Vision.

BM Corp., one of the bluest of U.S. blue-chip companies, is touting blockchain as the supply-management tool of choice for an unusual industry — cannabis.

During his time as Fed governor, chair-designate Jerome Powell has outlined his views on a host of bank regulatory matters, including the need for regulatory relief, the push for housing finance reform, blockchain and much more.

Rule that would have made it easier for banks to be sued is repealed; a survey says the technology isn’t a priority for bank CIOs.

CME Group plans to offer bitcoin futures contracts by yearend, a sign that financial institutions may be getting ready to trade financial products tied to digital currencies.