Recently, it was estimated that the Financial Industry would be investing in over $1bn in Blockchain Technology by the end of this year and investment will continue at this pace well into 2016. Blockchain holds the promise of more fluid and safer transactions and the traditional financial institutions are investing heavily and creating divisions geared towards maximizing the opportunity Blockchain presents. Debates are on both sides of the coin (no pun intended) on this as Blockchain is the underlying technology for bitcoin, which these same institutions are leery of as the reputation is bitcoin operates on the dark net and is used in illegal and dangerous ways. But these same firms ignore that aspect of the development of the technology in order to leverage a competitive edge against other firms in the financial sector. On 24 November in London and on 8 December in New York City, financial, technological and legal firms will be addressing these issues in an evening panel discussion on where the application of Blockchain is heading. With representation from R3CEV, a Blockchain/bank partnership incubator; VISA-Europe, Nasdaq; and VC firms investing in this technology, a high-level debate will tackle the challenges and opportunities of its use. These After the Bell forums, created specifically for the FinTech community, are produced by The Mankoff Company. These two panels will speak to the major issues including: What can Blockchain actually do? An explanation of the underlying technology; Private vs. Public Blockchains – similar to private vs. public cloud technology? How does Blockchain allow for better traceability and auditing? How do you create a scaleable Blockchain? Where do the regulators stand on this technology and how will that impact growth as if they come down on it, does it mean all this investment is dead in the water? And for […]
