Bundesbank sees benefits in blockchain technology — Deutsche Bundesbank — “The Bundesbank’s experts see little prospect of DLT [distributed ledger technology] being put to widespread use in the field of individual and retail payments given the current state of the art… They see more potential for DLT in payments beyond the European currency area… There is currently no realistic prospect of central bank-issued digital currency being rolled out in the foreseeable future.”
Blockchain
Japanese banks to develop shared customer ID platform
Japan developing shared ID system for banks — Nikkei Asian Review — “In this set-up, an account holder at one bank can register for a shared ID. If the individual wishes to open an account at a second bank, all she needs to do is provide the common ID through a smartphone app, and confirm her identity through fingerprint or facial scan.”
Bank of England examines the technical requirements of central bank-issued digital currencies
Beyond blockchain: What are the technology requirements for a central bank digital currency? — Bank Underground — “What type of technology would you use if you wanted to create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) ie a national currency denominated, electronic, liability of the central bank? It is often assumed that blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), would be required; but although this could have some benefits (as well as challenges), it may not be necessary.”
UBS backs Car eWallet project that lets vehicles make their own payments
Secure payments ‘on the go’ with blockchain technology from ZF, UBS and IBM — IBM — “Auto manufacturers, technology companies, suppliers and mobility service providers are all driving the development of driverless cars. To support autonomous driving, however, these vehicles require a digital agent that can independently carry out tasks and authorize payments without the owner or user having to be active themselves.”
Carrier Blockchain Study Group demos cross-carrier blockchain payment platform
SoftBank, Sprint, Far EasTone and TBCASoft launch Blockchain consortium for telecom carriers — SoftBank — “SoftBank, Sprint and TBCASoft succeeded in demonstrating cross-carrier top-ups, mobile wallet roaming, international remittances and IoT payment on a cross-carrier payment platform system using TBCASoft’s blockchain technology.”
Finland’s central bank reports on the economics of Bitcoin
Monopoly without a monopolist : An economic analysis of the bitcoin payment system — Bank of Finland — “Owned by nobody and controlled by an almost immutable protocol the Bitcoin payment system is a platform with two main constituencies: users and profit-seeking miners who maintain the system’s infrastructure… We explore the future potential of such systems and provide design suggestions.”
Burger King has launched its own cryptocurrency in Russia called WhopperCoin
Burger King has launched its own cryptocurrency in Russia called WhopperCoin — CNBC — “With each purchase of the burger chain’s signature Whopper sandwich, customers can receive WhopperCoin tokens via a digital wallet… WhopperCoin transactions will be powered by Ethereum rival Waves’ distributed ledger network. The blockchain platform allows users to issue and transfer custom blockchain tokens, and to trade them on an integrated peer-to-peer exchange.”
Swiss city of Zug to offer blockchain-based digital identity to residents
Swiss city of Zug to offer blockchain-based digital identity to residents — EconoTimes — “The city of Zug in Switzerland announced that it is the first community to offer all citizens of the city the opportunity to get a blockchain-based digital identity… With the digital ID, the residents can register their identity independently on the app and the identity is verified by the ID control of the town of Zug.”
East London gets local currency built on the blockchain
Residents across East London can now make mobile payments at small businesses with a local currency launched by Tel-Aviv-based digital wallet provider Colu which makes use of blockchain technology... More
Dubai to pilot biometric border system based on digital passports
Passengers travelling to Dubai will soon begin piloting a biometric border system that makes use of blockchain technology and lets them walk straight to baggage reclaim through a short tunnel which conducts a three dimensional scan of their face and instantly checks them into the country using an entirely digital version of their passport... More
Public-private sector digital currency experiment releases results of phase II
Public-private sector digital currency experiment releases results of phase II — Payments Canada — “The Bank of Canada, along with Payments Canada, R3 and seven commercial banks, today disclosed the results of phase II of Project Jasper, an experimental wholesale interbank payment system, using digital ledger technology (DLT)… The results show that, despite progress made, underpinning an entire wholesale payments system with DLT still faces many hurdles.”
Euro Banking Association paper analyses cryptotechnologies in international payments
Euro Banking Association paper analyses cryptotechnologies in international payments — Euro Banking Association — “Our information paper shows how this technology could support industry players in meeting user expectations regarding speed, transparency and cost. We strongly believe that collaborative initiatives in this area, in particular, could unlock significant value for payment service providers and their customers.”
Frost & Sullivan explains how the blockchain is set to change the payments ecosystem
Financial services will be “strongly impacted” by the rise of blockchain technology and the payment ecosystem as a whole will be the most interesting vertical to target for early blockchain technology successes — but the road to this success is long, says Frost & Sullivan’s global program director. More
Nordea Bank: PSD2 will require banks to adopt a ‘totally new way of viewing their customer base’
Significant confusion and a high level of fragmentation can be expected over the next five years as European financial institutions become accustomed to new regulations under the Payment Services Directive (PSD2) which will open the door to new competition within the European payment services market, says Nordea Bank’s vice president of strategic business development, transaction banking and business innovation. More
Canadian banks to test blockchain digital identity network for consumers
A blockchain-based digital identity network that will let Canadians verify their identity to organisations of their choice and access services such as new bank accounts, driving licenses or utilities using a mobile app is now undergoing testing ahead of a planned launch later this year. The service is backed by a group of Canadian banks that includes BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, RBC, Scotiabank and TD. More
Swiss region pilots own local blockchain-based cryptocurrency
A pilot test of a cryptocurrency based on blockchain technology has taken place in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland... More
IBM’s Watson integrates Visa Token Service to enable tokenized payments on connected devices
IBM is to integrate Visa Token Service into its Watson IoT cognitive technology platform to enable payments to be embedded into “any device connected to the Internet of Things (IoT)”, with all of IBM’s Watson IoT Platform customers gaining access to Visa payment services via IBM’s cloud service — rather than businesses needing to be approached on a one-by-one basis... More
What’s New in Payments: Leading international innovators explain the latest payments trends and technologies in free special report
Senior executives from Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Barclaycard, Swatch and CaixaBank are among 12 leading payments innovators who have contributed to What’s New in Payments, a 104-page special report that is now available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Cities will launch own digital currencies ‘within 10 years’
Cities will begin separating from their country’s national currency to launch their own digital money within 10 years, according to the CEO of blockchain-based financial network Bluzelle... More
Liverpool gets own currency built with blockchain
The UK city of Liverpool has launched its own digital currency using blockchain technology supplied by Tel-Aviv-based digital wallet provider Colu... More