Swiss Banks Join Forces to Launch Ethereum Platform
Switzerland’s largest banks have converged on a new blockchain initiative powered by the Ethereum network. The new program will be implemented just in time for new regulations related to counter-party reference data.
Banking giant UBS announced Monday it has united with Barclays, KBC, SIX and Thomson Reuters to advance the MiFID II data collection project. MiFID II is a revamped version of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, which is intended to offer greater protection for investors. MiFID II officially comes into force Jan. 3, 2018.
The joint program will be powered by Ethereum smart contracts, and will be run on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Specifically, it will allow participants to align their Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) reference data against industry consensus. In other words, it will allow financial institutions to identify and sort out anomalies. The smart contracts will reconcile anonymized reference data on the blockchain without compromising the bank’s exclusive access to the source data.
The program was incubated in London at a UBS blockchain development lab.
“Traditionally, a firm such as ours quality checks data against multiple sources but we do not have a quality baseline against peers”, Christophe Tummers, Head of Data at UBS, said in a statement released Monday. “Through using blockchain-inspired smart contracts, the reconciliation of data can happen in almost real-time for all participants, anonymously.”
UBS blockchain strategist Emmanuel Aidoo said this was an important project because it “establishes blockchain benefits in a broader context than clearing and settlement.”
Blockchain technology has been well received by the traditional banking community, which views the new technology as a conduit for future growth, transparency and resiliency. However, these same institutions have been much more critical of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ether.
The announcement had no discernible impact on ether prices. The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap continued to trade around $470 U.S. Ether briefly traded at record highs over the weekend before giving up gains ahead of the planned launch of bitcoin futures. Ethereum continues to be the platform of choice for developers, startups and financial institutions looking to leverage smart contract capability.
Disclaimer: The author owns bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. He holds investment positions in the coins, but does not engage in short-term or day-trading.
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