Digital currencies: The next paradigm shift for my money
Why do I need a bank account to hold, manage or spend money? I really shouldn’t have to pay fees and service charges, especially since my money — everyone’s money — is the gas in the bank’s lending engine. But if I don’t have a bank account, how do I pay my bills? I often […]
Joining forces for the advancement of blockchain technologies
Hyperledger, the Linux Foundation’s open-source collaborative for the advancement of enterprise blockchain technologies, and Ethereum Enterprise Alliance (EEA), a global standards organization focused on delivering and advancing the adoption of Enterprise Ethereum, announced on October 1, 2018 they would be joining each other’s organizations as associate members. Per both organizations, this joint effort is to […]
Two truths and a lie: The newest party game to explain blockchain
The subject of blockchain and the technology behind it is still a hot topic. In the course of an evening, 9 out of 10 parties refer to blockchain at least once — in a non-scientific study conducted by this author. The word “blockchain” is going more mainstream but the fundamental understanding still remains confusing for […]
Decentralized Identity: An alternative to password-based authentication
Many experts say that a password-based login is an insecure approach to online interactions and that multi-factor schemes add friction that reduce user adoption and productivity. Obtaining assured authentication of a person’s identity while adhering to new data privacy laws and regulations presents a minefield of security and customer experiences issues that are costly and […]
Public versus private: What to know before getting started with blockchain
Is a public online forum a better form of communication than a private email? I think most would agree that’s the wrong question to ask — it depends what you’re trying to do. In much the same way, there is no blanket approach to applying blockchain technology to achieve all goals. Blockchain first emerged as […]
Symbiotic collaboration: A key to succeed with blockchain in financial services
What’s stopping blockchain from becoming a more pervasive technology in financial services? If you think it has something to do with the technology behind blockchain, you’re partially wrong — it’s the nature of the solution that is causing the barrier. For a blockchain-based solution to work successfully, it requires multiple entities to come together in […]
Blockchain for KYC: Game-changing RegTech innovation
One of the best things about working at IBM — and in the RegTech field in particular — is meeting daily with the engineers and developers who are driving technological innovation in the financial industry. Consider, for example, the blockchain space. While blockchain’s decentralized, distributed-ledger technology is most popularly known as the basis for cryptocurrencies […]
The yellow pages of blockchain has arrived: Networks are now visible to the world
In the 1830s the first Yellow Pages emerged as an organized directory of businesses. This had a profound effect on commerce and is an often-overlooked key contribution to the Industrial Revolution. Simply put, the Yellow Pages put businesses on the map and made them known to the world. Without it, a business was hidden and […]
Blockchain in insurance: Five reasons why openIDL will succeed
As an IBM Distinguished Engineer, I have spent the last two and a half years working on blockchain with our U.S. banking and insurance clients. More recently, I have been the IBM technical executive overseeing open Insurance Data Link (openIDL), the insurance network partnership with the American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS). It’s been very […]