Asia-Pacific has a great potential to lead in Blockchain adoption
Putting all the blockchain hype into perspective, if we consider analogous examples of how revolutionary technologies have historically taken root in society – from early adoption to widespread global penetration – blockchain technology can be said to have reached the “early majority” phase. That is, the tech has begun to gain traction and spread exponentially, though we’re still way off from ‘full adoption.’ Even so, with a market size now expected to exceed $16 billion by 2024, we’ll surely witness blockchain changing our world in profound ways over the next decade. The question is how and who will take part in leading. Findings from a Global Market Insights recent report […]
ASX beaten to the blockchain punch by UK group Calastone
The ASX’s distributed ledger for clearing the equities market will no longer be the first time local fund managers rely on a blockchain to process their trades, after British-based Calastone revealed it will switch on its own distributed ledger technology (DLT) in May. Calastone, whose systems automate 80 per cent of Australian institutional fund flows, will beat the ASX by two years to powering on a system promising unquantified cost savings for global investors. ASX is due to belatedly switch on its blockchain, which will replace CHESS, in March or April 2021. Calastone’s software, which manages back-office processes, is used by 95 per cent of Australia’s managed fund platforms and […]
Australian financial instos show support for blockchain
The Australian financial services industry may have seen a shift in sentiment towards blockchain, with major financial institutions supporting BC Gateways’ new blockchain platform, The Gateway. The platform, which is designed for the global industry to publish and distribute any type of structured data, conducted a pilot in Sydney late last year focused purely on distributing pricing data in the Australian wealth management industry, with IRESS, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Perpetual and Equity Trustees among the participants. IRESS chief executive, Andrew Walsh, said it was keen to change the way financial data was delivered, and the multiple connectivity options to the BC Gateway would allow them and other participants to quickly […]
Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: How are they different?
You may have heard of Ethereum. You’ve almost certainly heard of Bitcoin. You may even have heard of people making fortunes off of them. What you may not have heard is what exactly these two projects are. What Are Ethereum and Bitcoin? Ethereum and Bitcoin are two different versions of the same underlying concept called a blockchain token. Each was invented to work as a virtual currency. To understand how these two projects work and differ, you first have to understand the concepts of blockchain and virtual currency. What Is Blockchain? Blockchain is a form of digital data storage. In a blockchain, data are recorded on a series of digital […]
50 person Facebook team plans cryptocurrency payment tech, report says
The purported coin is geared for ordinary money transfers and not investment speculation, according to The New York Times. Ready to send some virtual money to your Facebook friends or WhatsApp contacts so you can split the restaurant bill? Maybe someday you’ll be using a cryptocurrency to do so. Many people in the tech world have soured on cryptocurrencies and their accounting underpinnings, called blockchain. But Facebook remains interested, with a 50 person project underway to build a technology that’ll let members send each other digital money, The New York Times reported Thursday. Cryptocurrencies initially excited fans who wanted a new digital-era payment mechanism, but as the hype increased, investors […]
Identitii joins BIAN to help banks digitise information exchange using Blockchain
Australian Fintech enabling the secure overlay of transaction-level detail on top of financial messages using a private blockchain, has joined BIAN.
Australian regulator trials Blockchain to Automate Transaction Reporting
An Australian financial regulator is trialing blockchain technology to automate reporting of cross-border transactions by institutions. ZDNet reported Sunday that the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has partnered with the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne to build a prototype for the trial. The two partners will specifically examine how blockchain and smart contracts, as well as other technologies, can help entities such as banks to automate reporting of international funds transfer instructions (IFTIs) to the regulator. Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act mandates that institutions or specific categories of individuals involved in a cross-border transfer of funds – including payer, sender and beneficiary institution – must report […]
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a cryptocurrency wallet built in
Samsung is one of the first major smartphone makers to include a cryptocurrency wallet in its latest flagship Galaxy S10 phones. The wallet lets users store bitcoin, Ethereum, and a beauty-related cryptocurrency called Cosmo Coin. It’s a cold storage wallet, meaning it’s not connected to the internet. The Galaxy S10 phones also support select decentralized apps (“Dapps”). Currently, Samsung’s main Dapp that’s available is called Cosmee, and it lets users earn Cosmo tokens in exchange for leaving beauty reviews in the app. Cosmochain, the South Korean blockchain startup behind Cosmee, describes its app to The Verge as a blockchain-powered beauty review app — the blockchain is supposed to be a […]
