Multinational banking giant HSBC has reportedly become the first bank to complete financing transaction on European blockchain trade platform we.trade. Since we.trade started the project back in 2017, HSBC recently financed a transaction on the platform within a second round of pilots that started in June 2019, economics magazine Global Trade Review (GTR) reported on Aug. 22. The transaction involved HSBC’s client Beeswift, a Midlands-based producer of protective equipment, and their sale to a Rabobank-banked Dutch firm, the report notes. Based in Dublin, we.trade provides a Hyperledger Fabric-based tool for managing, tracking and securing open account trade transactions between SMEs …

Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank by total assets, has joined blockchain-based trade finance network, the Marco Polo Network. Standard Bank will now develop trade finance solutions alongside major global financial institutions such as French BNP Paribas and Dutch ING, according to a press release on Aug. 22. Backed by the world’s biggest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Standard Bank is the first African bank to join the network, the press release notes. To date, the Marco Polo Network includes over 20 global financial firms such as Commerzbank, Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank, Danske Bank, NatWest, Alfa Bank, Bayern LB, …

Shenzhen, a major Chinese city, has issued nearly six million blockchain-based invoices in a year since their inception in August 2018. Shenzhen processed around $550 million through blockchain invoices in a year According to a report by state news agency Xinhua on Aug. 6, more than 5,300 local companies in 113 sectors have joined Shenzhen’s blockchain invoice program so far. As reported by Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau, the average daily issuance of the invoice is estimated to account for 44,000, while the total value of the invoices has amounted to 3.9 billion Chinese yuan ($553 million). First blockchain invoice issued …

The emergence of blockchain technology has undoubtedly altered the course of global digital payment development. With the likes of Ripple and Facebook’s Libra challenging the monopoly of banks and other financial institutions, mainstream players like SWIFT, Visa and Mastercard have been forced to seek significant improvements to the legacy system. Moving forward, the burning issue appears to be relevance. Blockchain systems run on the premise of replacing the legacy system with a more secure and efficient payment infrastructure. The mainstream players seem forced to face the quintessential evolutionary puzzle of “adapt or die out.” Like in every technological race, competitors …

Sina Finance, a finance-focused website owned by China’s major tech company Sina Corp, has added crypto index into its mobile app, China-focused online Twitter resource Cnledger reported on July 3. The new index on China’s major financial news channel provides data on prices and performance of major cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), litecoin (LTC), XRP, and ether (ETH), according to a mobile app screenshot provided by Cnledger. Screenshot of Sina Finance’s Crypto Index on Mobile. Source: Cnledger The new crypto index is only available on the Sina Finance’s mobile app, but not its desktop version, as Chinese …

Ripple incubator and investment arm Xpring has spent $500 million on XRP projects since its launch in May 2018, according to an official blog post on July 2. These funds have reportedly been distributed to over 20 companies, including the blockchain-based gaming platform Forte. In general, the report says that Xpring investments are intended to create use cases for Ripple’s XRP token. They hope to accomplish this by making development easier, and say they are supporting developers by providing “tools, libraries and services for developers on the XRP Ledger and Interledger protocols.” Additionally, Xpring is reportedly taking a two-pronged approach …

The United Nations is working on blockchain solutions for sustainable urban development in Afghanistan, according to a report from tech news site The Sociable, published on July 2. Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General reportedly told The Sociable that the United Nations Office of Communication and Information Technologies (UN-OICT) is developing blockchain solutions for land records and services transparency as part of the UN’s “City for All” initiative. The UN’s “City for All” program began in 2016 with a charter set to continue through 2020 and aims to advance 12 of Afghanistan’s cities, including the capital, Kabul. The initiative …

Huobi Group is jointly developing a new public blockchain for decentralized financial (DeFi) services, according to a press release on July 1. Major global digital asset financial service provider Huobi has partnered with Chinese blockchain startup Nervos enabling companies to deploy their own blockchains, tokenized assets, as well as DeFi services, according to the announcement. The joint initiative, provisionally called “Huobi Finance Chain,” is targeting enterprises, financial institutions, as well as exchanges, and is set to operate as a regulatory-compliant financial blockchain network. Specifically, Huobi is planning to enable regulators to access the network and contribute to it as validators. …

San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has raised over $13 million in financing on online investment platform BnkToTheFuture. Kraken has raised $13.5 million from 2264 investors, surpassing its initial target of $10.2 million purportedly due to popular demand. The fundraising campaign of Kraken — which has over four million clients in nearly 200 countries — is the most successful funding round by individual contributors on BnkToTheFuture. As previously reported, Kraken raised over $6 million in the first day of the campaign from almost 300 investors. On BnkToTheFuture, Kraken describes itself as the only regulated spot and futures cryptocurrency exchange with over …

Visa has launched a payment system for business-to-business (B2B) transactions partially based on blockchain technology. The United States payment behemoth says its platform, called Visa B2B Connect, offers seamless cross-border payment processing for institutional clients without going through the complex web of third-party intermediaries. In doing so, Visa becomes the latest entrant into the blockchain-based payment processing arena. This move brings the company into direct competition with cryptocurrency startups like Ripple and mainstream players, such as Barclays and BNY Mellon with their Utility Settlement Coin (USC) project under the aegis of the Fnality Consortium. Visa B2B Connect — three years …

Clientele from multiple states in Brazil have filed lawsuits against bitcoin (BTC) investments firm Bitcoin Bank Group for inaccessible crypto funds, according to a report by Cointelegraph Brasil on June 18. The lawsuits are reportedly over issues with users being unable to withdraw funds from the BBG’s associated cryptocurrency exchange, Paraná-based NegocieCoins. As of press time, the page for NegocieCoins on crypto market information website CoinMarketCap shows the following message regarding the ongoing issue: “We have received reports that user deposits and withdrawals are impeded. Please be careful with your funds.” Some customers unable to withdraw their funds are attempting …

Major global banking group HSBC has implemented tokenization technology into its receivables infrastructure for corporate clients in India, according to an announcement on June 18. The British multinational financial services company has reportedly launched its Digital Accounts Receivable Tool (HSBC DART), based on tokenization technology developed by Australian blockchain-powered Fintech company Identitii Ltd., the firm said in the announcement. According to the statement, HSBC DART was developed for HSBC’s Global Liquidity and Cash Management (GLCM) business and deploys Identitii’s approach to tokenization within HSBC’s existing infrastructure of receivables to enhance involved processes. The instrument is designed to automate the accounts …