Latest Blockchain Digital Transformation News

Chris Dixon, a16z, says crypto can shift power away from Big Tech

After raising a record-breaking $4.5 billion (£3.8bn) for its latest crypto fund earlier this year, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has said it sees the ongoing market downturn as an investment opportunity.

Chris Dixon, the founder of a16z’s crypto arm, believes cryptocurrency has the ability to disrupt the power imbalance between consumers and big tech companies like Meta and Twitter.

In an interview on FT's Tech Tonic podcast, Dixon said that power on the internet...

24 August 2022 | Banking

KPMG invests £25m into web3 training as it preps for the metaverse

KPMG, one of the Big Four global accounting firms, is investing £25 million into web3 training for its employees to explore potential metaverse use cases.

The centrepiece of the project will be a collaboration hub built to explore metaverse applications in industries such as healthcare, retail, and financial services.

Laura Newinski, deputy chair and chief operating officer at KPMG in the US, said: "The metaverse is a market opportunity, a way to re-engage talent, and a...

30 June 2022 | Digital Transformation

JPMorgan enters the metaverse alongside new report on its potential

JPMorgan is officially the first major bank to enter the metaverse, having opened a lounge in blockchain-based virtual world Decentraland.

That’s right. The United States’ largest bank has a virtual space called the Onyx Lounge fitted with a portrait of Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s CEO, a walk-in presentation on cryptocurrency, and even a roaming tiger.

Named after the bank’s suite of permissioned Ethereum-based services, the Onyx Lounge was revealed alongside a...

16 February 2022 | Banking

Super Bowl sees crypto adverts break into the mainstream

Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI, the annual playoff game for the US National Football League (NFL), saw four major exchanges debuting cryptocurrency adverts during the commercial breaks.

Long renowned as a clear sign of pushing into the mainstream of marketing, Super Bowl ads are eye-wateringly expensive and tend to generate significant online discussion by themselves.

This year saw adverts from Coinbase, Crypto.com, eToro, and FTX, despite growing sentiment amongst regulatory...

14 February 2022 | Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin processes $187bn more in transactions per quarter than PayPal

The Bitcoin (BTC) network is now processing more volume in terms of transactions than payments platform PayPal, according to blockchain analysis firm Blockdata.

Looking at average transaction volumes, Blockdata says that the Bitcoin network outshone PayPal by $187 billion (£140.4bn) per quarter this year. An impressive overtake for a payments system twelve years younger than PayPal.

Blockdata reported that: “The Bitcoin network processed an estimated average of $489...

1 December 2021 | Banking

France FinTech launches €100m blockchain initiative funded by Binance

France FinTech, a non-profit association that promotes financial technologies in France, has launched a €100 million (£85m) initiative to support the development of the French and European blockchain ecosystem.

The initiative, which is being fully funded by leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, will see the development of a research and development hub in France, a decentralised ledger accelerator, and an online education programme.

The education programme is being...

4 November 2021 | Blockchain Applications

Blockwall creates venture capital fund for blockchain startups

Blockwall Management, a Bafin-registered asset manager, has closed its Blockwall Capital II fund.

The target volume for the venture capital fund, which invests in pioneering blockchain startups, is up to €50 million (£42.97). The final closing is scheduled for the end of 2021.

The new fund focuses on equity investments in early-stage startups that can advance tangible applications based on blockchain technology and thus add real value to businesses. The venture...

29 June 2021 | Digital Transformation

Associated Press auctions first NFT artwork commemorating blockchain usage in US election

As non-fungible tokens (NFTs) become an increasingly popular way to create artificial scarcity in the digital marketplace, the Associated Press (AP) has listed its first ever NFT artwork for auction in collaboration with Everipedia and digital artist Marko Stanojevic.

Total sales across NFT marketplaces stood at $500 million (£360m) in February, compared to just $200m (£144m) for the whole of 2020, signifying their increasing popularity due to Bitcoin’s growing value alongside...

10 March 2021 | Digital Transformation

Blockchain lags behind other technologies in finance adoption for now, says Broadridge

Global fintech firm Broadridge Financial Solutions has released a new report on next-gen technology adoption amongst financial services firms.

It finds that, of the four ABCDs of innovation (AI, blockchain, cloud, and digital), blockchain technologies are currently being implemented the least.

Of the 1,000 C-suite executives and direct reports that were surveyed, only 15% are currently at mid to advanced stage implementation of blockchain technologies. This compares to...

25 February 2021 | Banking

Ripple pushes for carbon net-zero by 2030, urges all crypto players to be ‘accountable’

Ripple has announced a commitment to be carbon net-zero by 2030, claiming to be the first blockchain company to do so - and has put together partnerships to help achieve it.

The company is partnering with conservation organisations Rocky Mountain Institute and REBA, as well as the Energy Web Foundation, to help 'ensure fintech is sustainable' - a goal Ripple says is 'critical.'

The collaboration with Energy Web Foundation has seen Ripple co-create EW Zero, an open source...