Tag Archives: 6a.) Bitcoin&Blockchain

DLT promises to make trading securities faster and cheaper. (Keystone / Patrick Sinkel) A Swiss-German consortium has successful traded company shares on a blockchain-style digital platform using a Swiss franc-backed stablecoin to instantly settle the transaction. The trade marked a significant step towards creating a new breed of stock exchange. Germany’s largest stock exchange Deutsche Börse teamed up with telecommunications company Swisscom, three Swiss banks and...

SEBA is part of a new wave of financial institutions that plan to offer a different style of banking service. (SEBA) Crypto bank SEBA is confident of attracting a “three-digit” number of Swiss clients by the end of the year before setting its sights on global expansion and raising more than CHF100 million ($101 million) in extra funding from the public. The Swiss financial regulator awarded SEBA a banking license in August, along with another bank specialising in...

Spending cryptocurrencies in shops is proving a difficult nut to crack. (© Keystone / Christian Beutler) Prominent European payment infrastructure provider Worldline has teamed up with financial services firm Bitcoin Suisse to allow cryptocurrency enthusiasts to spend their bitcoin in Swiss shops. Worldline last year took over SIX Payment Services, the former arm of the Swiss stock exchange group that provides payment card terminals in 85,000 Swiss retail outlets....

Is the room half full or half empty for blockchain property enterprises? (© Keystone / Christian Beutler) Our regular analysis of developments in the world of fintech and Crypto Nation. Property has for some time been hailed as prime real estate for blockchain disruption. The incorruptible ledger will replace mountains of paperwork while interested parties will have a sovereign claim to validate transactions in property sales. We are also told that smart contracts...

(Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud) Blockchain and cryptocurrencies seem to be all over the news, but is this a flash-in-the-pan gimmick or a real digital service that can impact on the lives of ordinary people? People have been asking us what it all means, so we’d like to give you the opportunity to send in your own questions. What is blockchain’s value proposition? Why should I cash in my “real” money for cryptocurrencies? Who or what is behind blockchain? We’ll do our...

The Swiss financial sector has been leaking banks in recent years. A new private banking venture has joined the growing list of companies applying for licenses from the Swiss financial regulator. Tallyon aims to become a “next generation” private bank, riding the way of “radical change” in the industry. “Banking is to be redefined, and the use of technology should ensure that employees and customers receive a higher esteem than many banks do today,” says chairman...

Can Libra survive without partners such as Mastercard and Visa? (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This Material May Not Be Published, Broadcast, Rewritten Or Redistribu) Facebook’s cryptocurrency payments project, Libra, has suffered a major blow with the withdrawal of seven key partners. But the Geneva-based Libra Association continues to battle on against a regulatory onslaught by adopting a charter and forming an executive team. Set in...

Is blockchain being used as a gimmick in achieving sustainable development goals? (Keystone / Un Photo/loey Felipe Handout) Our regular analysis of developments in the world of fintech and Crypto Nation. All eyes were on Libra at the Blockchain 4 Impact summit in Geneva last week. But the Facebook stablecoin project was only one part of a two-day event asking the question: Can blockchain help meet Sustainable Development Goalsexternal link? The question of blockchain...

The canton Zug-based Arab Bank Switzerland joins a growing list of established banks now offering clients access to cryptocurrencies. Arab Bank Switzerland has teamed up with blockchain technology firm Taurus to offer its wealthy clients access to bitcoin and ethereum. The bank joins a growing list of established players joining forces with fintech firms to tap into cryptoassets. The partnership says it will launch a “new range of digital asset services, including...

Switzerland is ploughing ahead with its plans to become a global crypto leader. Facebook takes on global finance. But its proposed digital currency Libra frightens central banks and regulators. Below the radar, Switzerland launches its own skirmish. Two local crypto-finance pioneers this week became the first to win banking licences. Previously famous for its secretive private banks, the affluent Alpine state is becoming a wheeling and dealing hub for electronic...