As blockchain technology increasingly gains traction in the airline industry, another major international air company has announced a blockchain project. Flagship global airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is applying blockchain technology to facilitate intercompany settlements process with its subsidiaries. Part of one of the world’s biggest airlines, Air France-KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines has partnered with Dutch software startup Unchain.io in order to explore the potential benefits of blockchain technology for its business and internal processes. KLM’s Digital Studio was actively working on blockchain in recent years After close collaboration, Unchain provided KLM Royal Dutch Airlines with a strategic finance application …

Hong Kong and Thailand’s central banks have stepped closer to implementing a joint central bank digital currency (CBDC) for cross-border payments. On Jan. 22, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT) officially announced the outcomes of a joint CBDC research project called Project Inthanon-LionRock. Alongside publishing a joint press release, the banks have issued a detailed 90-page report providing an exhaustive analysis of the potential risks and benefits of CBDCs for real-time money transfers, liquidity management, regulatory compliance, and other aspects of finance. Inthanon-LionRock project was initiated in May 2019 After the HKMA and the …

Recent research by the European Central Bank (ECB) claims that it is possible to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) payment system that protects user privacy. Per the report dubbed “Exploring anonymity in central bank digital currencies,” the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) established a proof-of-concept (PoC) for anonymity in CBDCs, which came as part of its ongoing research of CBDCs and their potential benefits to the public. The dedicated PoC was developed in collaboration with tech companies R3 and Accenture. Corda-based PoC The ESCB used R3’s open-source blockchain platform Corda to develop a PoC featuring four parties …

Multinational IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) launched a blockchain app development kit (DevKit). According to an announcement published by TCS on Dec. 16, the new Quartz DevKit is a low-code web-based integrated development environment that aims to allow enterprises to quickly build and deploy applications on any chosen blockchain in a simplified way. Fast blockchain app deployment The DevKit features expandable pre-built templates for platform setup, administration, deployment, platform security authentication, encryption, node, identity and user management. The firm claims that this lets programmers write smart contracts 40% faster than without its DevKit. Global Quartz head at TCS …

The Marco Polo Network, a trade finance network co-developed by major enterprise blockchain firm R3, has completed its largest finance trial. Built on R3’s open-source blockchain platform Corda, Marco Polo has hosted the largest global trade finance trial that involved over 70 organizations from 25 countries including financial giants like Japanese SBI Holdings, according to an official announcement on Dec. 12. 100% of respondents in the trial believe that blockchain has the potential to improve their industries As the trial has involved more than 340 participants from multiple industries ranging from financial services to automotive, the joint initiative purportedly intends …

CULedger, a blockchain consortium and credit union service organization, has successfully completed a pilot project together with three American credit unions. Fintech Futures reported on Dec. 16 that the pilot focused on implementing CULedger’s blockchain identity platform in the call centers at Unify Financial Credit Union, Desert Financial Credit Union, and TruWest Credit Union. All three credit unions chose to focus their trial on high-risk transactions conducted via phone, identifying these as “a high-friction channel that fraudsters find effective and least expensive to attack.” Secure identity for a potential 260M credit union members worldwide As Cointelegraph previously reported, CULedger uses …

Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and UBS carried out the first transactions on Deutsche Boerse and HQLAX’s distributed ledger technology-enabled (DLT) security lending platform. According to a Deutsche Boerse press release on Dec. 3, the company jointly developed the platform with fintech firm HQLAX, which was launched by R3 and uses Corda DLT technology to provide liquidity and collateral management products. The platform was able to swap ownership of a basket of German government bonds and a basket of corporate bonds between UBS and Commerzbank while employing Clearstream Banking as a custodian. It also conducted a cross-custodian swap between UBS and Credit …

The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) has joined blockchain software firm R3’s trade finance network, the Marco Polo Network. The American banking and financial services firm — which has over $1.9 trillion in assets under management — will conduct an evaluation program using the technology, Marco Polo announced Nov. 25. By joining Marco Polo, BNY Mellon intends to expand its technical expertise and explore how blockchain technology could be applied to its trade finance activities. The move is purportedly in line with BNY Mellon’s efforts to eliminate paper-based processes and digitize its business. Marco Polo is a consortium …

Coming every Sunday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link. Top Stories This Week Binance and Bithumb deny reports of Chinese police raids Heads were turned this week when reports suggested that Binance and Bithumb, two major crypto exchanges, have closed their offices in Shanghai following raids by Chinese police. However, not everything is as it seems, with both companies claiming that the rumors aren’t true. Binance has said …

Oman Oil and Orpic Group and HSBC Bank Oman SAOG have conducted the first trade finance transaction on the blockchain in the country using R3’s Corda platform. As news publication the Oman Observer reported on Nov. 23, Oman Oil and Orpic Group — one of the largest oil and gas businesses in Oman — and HSBC Bank executed the country’s first blockchain-based trade finance transaction: a sale of polypropylene to Abu Dhabi National Carpet Factory. The transaction was carried out using R3’s Corda, an open-source blockchain platform. Fully digitized letter of credit In the transaction, HSBC Oman advised a fully …

CEO of blockchain firm R3 has ridiculed the way Facebook introduced its yet-to-be-released Libra stablecoin. Skepticism surrounding Facebook’s forthcoming Libra stablecoin continues growing as David Rutter, the CEO of enterprise software firm R3, said that the announcement of Libra this summer was “ridiculously stupid,” Financial News reported on Nov. 18. “Really naïve” Rutter delivered comments during a recent company conference in London, admitting that Facebook’s plans to issue their own cryptocurrency made policy makers and financial regulators have sped up the process of examination of blockchain and cryptocurrency applications. However, Rutter added that Facebook’s ambition to enter the financial systems …

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has revealed it is conducting research into applications for a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Ejinsight reported on the news — announced during the Hong Kong Fintech Week — on Nov. 7. HKMA reportedly aims to release a major report on its findings in Q1 2020. Collaboration with the People’s Bank of China HKMA had also just revealed it had signed a blockchain collaboration with a subsidiary of the Institute of Digital Currency at the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) — an institution which many expect will be the first globally to launch a …