Distributed ledger technology

Successful mobile payment players such as Starbucks, Alipay and WeChat Pay all rely on optical scanning technology rather than NFC to execute payments. It's time the rest of the industry take note, writes Maikki Frisk, executive director of the Mobey Forum.

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

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.

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.

Marco Abele and Oliver Bussmann are launching a blockchain that will let affluent people co-own horses, vineyards, paintings and other high-end items.

The bank consortium is going directly after the business of its former partner Ripple in the middle of their legal battle over an option for digital currency worth $1 billion.

Calls for less reliance on credit bureaus and Social Security numbers for verification are leading many to envision a future of identity on a distributed ledger.

The alliance aims to simplify application development for distributed applications that can be used by credit unions.

A new partnership between NAFCU and Hyperledger is said to be the first such alliance between the blockchain consoritum and a financial services trade association.

Reflections and insights from the CUNA Tech and Operations & Member Experience Councils conferences held recenlty in Phoenix.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, exhorted developers to think about unintended consequences, saying he felt guilty over the digital divide and the proliferation of fake news.

Credit Suisse, State Street and several other banks are experimenting with a blockchain technology that could allow them to make corporate deposits more affordable to hold on their books.

Ripple announced several new customers Tuesday. The startup says its software, designed to compete with Swift, allows banks and others to send cross-border payments more quickly, transparently and cheaply.

The explosion of interest in digital assets this year, and the multiplying of their market value, are making cryptocurrency debit cards newly attractive. Banks could partner with intermediaries or issue the cards directly, but obstacles remain before that day can arrive.

For high-value, low-volume transactions, that is. Big Blue formally launched the platform Tuesday, but the custody bank has been using it for months, as has a group of Canadian institutions.

The Japanese exchange bitFlyer has processed $30 billion in bitcoin trades so far in 2017. Now it has its sights set on American crypto enthusiasts.

Sanger is out at Wells Fargo and so it is a crisis that gives us our first female board chair at a major U.S. bank. Women lead two major tech initiatives at JPMorgan Chase, which is also adding a fourth woman to its executive committee.

CULedger, LLC is backed by CUNA, Mountain West CU Association, Best Innovation Group.

The business world has been seeking the benefits of distributed ledgers but worries about security, control, privacy, performance and other issues. Microsoft says its new Coco framework will solve all these and more.

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