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

What Swift’s blockchain ledger means for stablecoin innovation

Ram Gopal Professor at University of Warwick

What Swift’s blockchain ledger means for stablecoin innovation

At Sibos in Frankfurt, Swift announced it will add a blockchain-based shared ledger to its infrastructure stack. For a co-operative best known for messaging standards, this is a profound shift: moving from coordinating instructions to coordinating on-chain state, with the aim of enabling 24/7, instant, and programmable cross-border transactions at ...

13 October 2025 /crypto

The devil is in the details: Delivering on the UK-US Digital Asset Taskforce

Simon Jennings Executive Director at UK Cryptoasset Business Council

The devil is in the details: Delivering on the UK-US Digital Asset Taskforce

Last month, the UK and US governments announced the creation of a new ‘Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future’ - a joint initiative to enhance collaboration on digital assets and foster innovation in cross-border markets. This is a huge step forward, and I want to take this moment to congratulate both sides on getting this over the line...

08 October 2025 /crypto

Crypto’s embrace of extremism risks derailing legitimate economic progress

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Crypto’s embrace of extremism risks derailing legitimate economic progress

A global pattern is emerging: extreme right-wing organisations and state actors are using cryptocurrencies to make clandestine donations to likeminded political movements. A big development came from the UK in May 2025, when Nigel Farage announced at a conference in Las Vegas that Reform would be the first party in Europe to accept cryptocurrencies...

23 September 2025 /crypto

Stablecoin summer: The summer financial services turned crypto-curious

Madhvi Sonia Head of Content at Finextra

Stablecoin summer: The summer financial services turned crypto-curious

The summer of 2025 may be remembered as the moment stablecoins moved from speculative sidelines to the centre of financial innovation. Despite the term ‘stablecoin’ first appearing in 2013, and early launches like BitUSD and Tether following soon after, this season marked the closest the industry has come to creating a truly less volatile cryptocu...

09 September 2025 /crypto

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

What is blockchain?

Since its ideation over 30 years ago, blockchain’s use by the private and public sector has grown exponentially. In August 2025, Bloomberg reported that the United States had put its gross domestic product (GDP) data on blockchain, marking yet another foray by President Trump into the world of crypto. Google Cloud, meanwhile, is said to be develo...

02 September 2025 /crypto

Bridging the divide: The hybrid future of stablecoins and traditional finance

Rhomaios Ram Honorary Research Fellow at Warwick Business School

Bridging the divide: The hybrid future of stablecoins and traditional finance

The financial landscape is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the imperatives of the digital economy and the internet which have reshaped modern businesses. The speed and global reach of the digital economy are amplifying the perceived shortcomings of traditional finance: cost, speed, and accessibility. While the push for real-time pay...

29 August 2025 /crypto

Tokenised deposits are Britain’s best bet for smarter payments

Retired Member

Tokenised deposits are Britain’s best bet for smarter payments

Confused by the stablecoin versus CBDC debate? There’s a third way - and the Bank of England is right to call it out. There’s a saying in finance: a payment is a payment is a payment. It reflects how, for most people, the mechanics of money movement are invisible - we just expect it to work. But beneath the simplicity of a tap on a card reader or a...

27 August 2025 /crypto

Britain must get serious about stablecoins – or risk falling behind

Simon Jennings Executive Director at UK Cryptoasset Business Council

Britain must get serious about stablecoins – or risk falling behind

The UK Government wants Britain to be a global hub for digital assets. A goal the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, placed firmly at the centre of her recent Mansion House speech. But when it comes to stablecoins – one of the most practical and fast-growing components of the digital asset economy - the UK is moving too slowly and potentially in the wrong...

21 August 2025 /crypto

How long before the GENIUS Act helps your business run faster and cheaper?

Scott Hamilton Contributing Editor at Finextra Research

How long before the GENIUS Act helps your business run faster and cheaper?

If you conduct business internationally to or from the US, you might be able to save a lot of money, especially on cross-border payments - and also get those payments done much more quickly - in the near future thanks to stablecoin adoption. Even better, with blockchain encryption and security in place for everyone, it could be safer and easier to...

01 August 2025 /crypto

What is the real bitcoin inflation rate?

Martin Walker Research Fellow at Warwick Business School

What is the real bitcoin inflation rate?

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less." - Through the Looking Glass, Chapter 6, by Lewis Carroll One of the explanations for the value of bitcoin is based on its claimed anti-inflationary properties. The ultimate supply of bitcoin, unlik...

03 July 2025 /crypto

The UK’s next Big Bang: Digital assets, blockchain, and Web3

Simon Jennings Executive Director at UK Cryptoasset Business Council

The UK’s next Big Bang: Digital assets, blockchain, and Web3

With HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) actively consulting on the future regulatory framework, real progress feels within reach. But as ever, the devil is in the details. Warm words and platitudes alone won’t deliver what is required, and regulation is only part of the puzzle. That’s why today, the UK Cryptoasset Business Counc...

19 June 2025 /crypto

What UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s US cryptoasset collaboration means

Sehrish Alikhan Reporter at Finextra

What UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s US cryptoasset collaboration means

At the Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) 2025, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves took the stage to speak on the Government’s commitment to supporting and advancing the fintech sector. Reeves discussed UK-US collaboration on fostering an environment primed for digital asset development, new additions to the Pensions Schemes Bill, and ...

30 April 2025 /crypto

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