Cryptocurrency - Long Reads, News, Articles & Research: Finextra

Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023: Opposing pressures dovetail to spur blockchain growth

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023: Opposing pressures dovetail to spur blockchain growth

This is an excerpt from The Future of Fintech in the Middle East 2023 report. There is an interesting two-pronged dynamic at play which is arguably giving the Middle East’s blockchain market a unique edge. On one hand, in certain countries across the region, cryptocurrency has seen strong appeal from users looking to access antigovernment money. W...

21 August 2023 /crypto

How the future of decentralised exchanges will impact financial services

Olga Klein Assistant Professor of Finance at Gillmore Centre of Financial Technology at Warwick

How the future of decentralised exchanges will impact financial services

Decentralised Exchanges (DEX) are playing a significant role in the financial services industry, presenting a fundamental shift in the way we conduct transactions and manage assets. The recent collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, resulting in the loss of at least $1 billion of customers’ funds, has brought the benefits of decentralised exchange...

15 August 2023 /crypto

Future of Fintech in Africa 2023: Blockchain is shaping Africa's digital currency based future

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Future of Fintech in Africa 2023: Blockchain is shaping Africa's digital currency based future

This is an excerpt from The Future of Fintech in Africa 2023 report. Africa’s crypto market is surging, but it is still early days for the continent’s overall crypto landscape, and the region’s fundamental appetite and need for the sector lies in the underlying blockchain upon which many believe the future digital payments is being built. Africa i...

08 August 2023 /crypto

Digital currency strategies and their consumer potential

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

Digital currency strategies and their consumer potential

As digital currencies become integrated into the mainstream, payments service providers and technology providers are investigating how consumers will adapt to this new addition to the financial ecosystem. As banks and fintechs become more comfortable with crypto payments, the role of technology firms becomes more integral to the consumer’s journey...

27 June 2023 /crypto

Central bank digital currencies: Why it's time for commercial banks to lead

Gilbert Verdian Founder and CEO at Quant

Central bank digital currencies: Why it's time for commercial banks to lead

Anyone who has ever been involved with a technology project will know that they are notorious for being overtime and over budget. We’ve recently completed one that bucks this trend. It has the potential to significantly reshape our underlying monetary system and the nature of currency – creating a slew of opportunities for banks and payments firms...

21 June 2023 /crypto

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Metaverse progress unlikely in 2023

The metaverse is a hot topic which everyone seems keen to pontificate about, but less so to actually dip their toes in. The reasons for this, especially in the financial services sector, are obvious. This technology is new and not fully developed, and its benefits it offers compared to a more traditional investment option remain to be seen. Despi...

16 February 2023 /crypto

Why is intellectual property protection essential in the virtual world?

Dale Carter Partner at Reddie & Grose LLP

Why is intellectual property protection essential in the virtual world?

This article was co-authored by Jasmine Walters, technical assistant at Reddie & Grose LLP. In 2022, banking and finance brands made a number of notable forays into the metaverse in the context of protecting key Intellectual Property (IP) rights. American Express filed seven new trade mark applications by March relating to its company name, log...

02 February 2023 /crypto

The golden circle: Are gold-linked digital assets the future?

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

The golden circle: Are gold-linked digital assets the future?

Richard Nixon un-pegged the US from the gold standard over 50 years ago, and with it the rest of the world began accepting the free-floating currencies we use today. At the time it was an extremely bold move, but one which was deemed necessary for continued economic growth and to fight against inflation rates. At times of global downturn people of...

25 January 2023 /crypto

CBDC infrastructure in 2023 – scapegoats, politics, and interoperability

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

CBDC infrastructure in 2023 – scapegoats, politics, and interoperability

The potential progress of CBDC remained in the headlines throughout 2022. Towards the end of the year, it was announced that the central banks of Sweden, Norway, and Israel collaborated with the Bank of International Settlement (BIS) to investigate how CBDCs can be used for international retail and remittance payments. The Bank of Canada also par...

11 January 2023 /crypto

Madhvi Mavadiya Head of Content at Finextra

What is a Web 3.0 job?

Web 3.0, the next stage in the evolution of the Internet, allows data to be interconnected in a decentralised way. This is a stark change from the digital world that we know, now also referred to as Web 2.0, where data has historically been centralised and siloed. Is Web 3.0 the future? If yes, should those in the financial services industry and f...

12 December 2022 /crypto

Cryptocurrency sustainability: how do we solve a problem like Bitcoin?

Níamh Curran Senior Reporter at Finextra

Cryptocurrency sustainability: how do we solve a problem like Bitcoin?

Bitcoin uses significant amounts of energy, more than any other cryptocurrency. If cryptocurrencies are to be taken seriously in the wider financial world, it is important that the energy consumption of Bitcoin is not conflated with all cryptocurrencies. While estimates on this vary, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has found th...

08 December 2022 /crypto

Questions unanswered: Dissecting the CBDC business case

Paige McNamee Senior Reporter at Finextra

Questions unanswered: Dissecting the CBDC business case

“This round table achieved great debate, provided a forum for insightful and differing opinions and concluded with a consensus that there was a need for more clarity from central banks and governments on what they are aiming to achieve with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). While banks are ready to invest in the relevant and necessary techn...

16 November 2022 /crypto

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