Blockchain technology is making its way into the agendas of the most important financial institutions worldwide, and Frankfurt-based Deutsche Börse is the latest to consider its potential, as reports say the institution has put together a team of 24 experts to evaluate it.
At the cutting edge of financial innovation
This team, ‘DLT, Crypto Assets, and New Market Structures’ is led by Jens Hackmeister, former Chief of Staff for Börse’s CEO, who will be working with deputy Eric Leupold and 22 other experts. Reportedly, their plan is to analyse the technology’s impact on the market, before implementing the innovation on a large scale. Hackmeister highlighted that Blockchain would involve a major change in the sector, but also a potentially challenging aspect: a higher degree of unpredictability. The project head further stated that their work will consider the general trend of the financial markets towards decentralisation.
Even though the direction and pace of Blockchain’s evolution are currently hard to predict, the team is focusing on three main aspects, namely equity funding (ICOs), blockchain-based custody solutions and decentralised secondary market platforms.
Other Blockchain initiatives
Deutsche Börse is one of many heavyweights in the financial world to adapt their vision to incorporate other technologies, even before this group of experts was created. Their plans, announced in May 2018 and detailed in their ‘Roadmap 2020’, include an array of innovative solutions for the financial industry such as big data and analytics, AI, and cloud technologies.
The financial institution joined forces with Germany’s Central Bank and, since 2016, it has been developing blockchain-based prototypes for securities settlements. Carl-Ludwig Thiele, from the Central Bank’s Executive Board, stated that the projects developed together with Deutsche Börse will help in deciding if and how the technology could be implemented in financial transactions.
