After years of developing blockchain technologies and supporting industry innovations, IBM has sold its blockchain patent portfolio to Circle. Over the better part of a decade, IBM participated in a range of blockchain projects, including the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger initiative, which later evolved into LF Decentralized Trust. The company also launched platforms such as TradeLens,…
Key insight: Sen. Chuck Grassley urged President Donald Trump to force federal agencies to declassify documents, raising the stakes in his yearslong pressure campaign against UBS and predecessor bank Credit Suisse. What’s at stake: The push for executive action adds to the pressure on UBS, which has been locked in a dispute with an outside…
Just eight days after becoming the first Hungary-based provider to receive a MiCA licence, CoinCash said the country’s parliament had approved legislation repealing Hungary’s additional national crypto-asset requirements. CoinCash received its MiCA licence on July 20 following a 16-month review process, becoming the first locally based crypto provider authorised under the EU framework. According to…
Without the support of rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, it’s been a lethargic year in terms of performance by municipal bonds and the related ETFs, but that doesn’t mean advisors and fixed income investors should ignore this bond segment. In fact, the current municipal bond environment may be ripe for active management. It indicates…
Spousal lifetime access trusts can help ultrawealthy couples reduce estate taxes, but advisors must be careful when both spouses establish them. If the two trusts are too similar, the IRS could challenge the arrangement. Processing Content A type of irrevocable trust, a SLAT allows one spouse to transfer assets out of his or her taxable…
Expand Energy earnings beat by $0.19, revenue fell short of estimates
Options Technology revealed Tuesday that it has expanded its New York office, citing rising client growth and increased demand across North America for its trading infrastructure and market data services. The provider of IT infrastructure to financial institutions said the 34,000-square-foot office, in the city’s Financial District, deepens its footprint and brings it closer to…
D-Wave Quantum: Tread Lightly On Quantum Hype
The artificial intelligence (AI) industry is dividing itself along one of the software sector’s most fundamental debates: open versus closed source. The Monday (July 27) announcement that Nvidia had launched an AI safety coalition with companies including Capital One, CrowdStrike, DoorDash, Microsoft, IBM, SpaceX has underlined the marketplace implications of whether the most capable AI models should remain controlled by their…
Key takeaway: Community banks argue that the proposal could divert deposits and payment activity. Expert quote: “If less-supervised payment firms receive direct access without equivalent expectations, those firms could gain operational advantages while shifting risk to receiving banks, customers, and the broader payment ecosystem.” —Jenn Bertematti, managing director of bank operations at INTRUST Bank What’s…