Polish-British fintech firm Billon has reportedly sealed an almost €2 million (~$2.1 million) grant from European Commission’s Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) Instrument program to develop a blockchain document management system. The news was reported by Billion in a press release on May 14. The Commission’s SME Instrument program provides funding for innovation projects which are close-to-market, and has reportedly awarded Billon a grant under Phase 2 of the program — which provides enterprises with up to 70% of the costs of their proposed project. Billon’s system, dubbed B4TDM (Blockchain for Trusted Document Management), is reportedly a proprietary blockchain-powered solution …

British financial software firm Finastra has signed three global banks on its R3 Corda blockchain-based syndicated loans platform, the firm officially announced on May 14. France-based banking institutions BNP Paribas, Natixis, and Societe Generale have officially joined Finastra’s syndicated lending platform Fusion LenderComm, following previous pilots back in 2017. Based on blockchain consortium R3’s open source blockchain platform Corda Enterprise, Finastra’s Fusion LenderComm reportedly enables banks to instantly share credit agreements, accrual balances and position data to lenders. Cécile Bartenieff, Chief Operating Officer of Global Banking and Investor Solutions at Societe Generale, stated that the Fusion LenderComm initiative will bring …

Cryptocurrency mining firm Argo Blockchain expects a breakeven following an investment in new mining equipment, according to a press release published on the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) site on May 8. London-based Argo said that it expects a cash breakeven in May, and outlined its intention to continue to expand its mining infrastructure as hardware prices become cheaper. The company expects that 1,000 units of Bitmain Z11 miners that came into production on May 2 will improve gross margin during the second quarter. Argo further reveals that it has settled a purchase of 1,000 units of S17 miners for “a …

One of the United Kingdom royal family’s most prominent members believes blockchain is an interesting development, according to candid comments he gave during a meet and greet on May 7. While visiting Berlin, Prince Charles engaged with spectators outside the Brandenburg Gate, at one point responding to a question from a cryptocurrency Twitter community member. “What do you think about bitcoins? Blockchain, bitcoins, cryptocurrency?” the fan asked Charles, who at first appeared confused. Afterwards, he seemed to remember that he was aware of the technology, and then he responded: “Blockchain...very interesting development.” While the U.K. government has taken a conservative …

This article has been updated to clarify that the belfast coin will not be based on blockchain. Authorities in the United Kingdom city of Belfast have partnered with Israeli payment firm Colu to issue their own digital token, a press release confirmed on May 8. Colu, which operates local digital currency ecosystems in four cities, will issue belfast coin later this year in a bid to support local businesses. Colu has clarified to Cointelegraph that the belfast coin will not be based on blockchain technology. Although the Colu About Us says that they are powered by blockchain at press time, …

One of the United Kingdom’s most senior lawyers said in a speech on May 2 that cryptocurrency and smart contract use will inevitably begin, but regulations are needed. Addressing the University of Liverpool School of Law and the Northern Chancery Bar Association, Sir Geoffery Vos, Chancellor of the High Court, dedicated time to exploring necessary changes in order for smart contracts and crypto assets to become widespread. “My starting point is to ask why smart contracts have taken so long to become ubiquitous,” he began. Vos continued: “We have been discussing how and when they may take over the world …

The CEO of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges, believes that blockchain could have a use in issuing securities and settlement. CNBC reported on the CEO Nikhil Rathi’s comments on May 2. Speaking in an interview, Rathi noted that distributed ledger tech (DLT) could potentially play a role in the United Kingdom’s stock market. Specifically, Rathi expressed confidence about blockchain applications used in the issuance process, adding that he can also see the technology also being used for settlement. The stock exchange’s CEO emphasized that the adoption of blockchain in capital markets needed to …

Decentralized sports investment and funding firm SportyCo will reportedly not purchase English Championship football club Hull City AFC, the Next Web reported on May 1. Sources familiar with the matter reportedly told the Next Web that the deal price appeared to be too high when disclosed to investors supporting SportyCo’s bid. Sources reportedly said that the price was “higher than the real market valuation.” Last October, sports-focused media outlet SportsPro reported that SportyCo partnered with the Hull City Supporters Trust (HCST), an organization founded to represent fans and strengthen the link between the club and the local community it serves, …

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has allowed three blockchain-based businesses to join the latest cohort of its regulatory sandbox, the organization announced on April 29. Diro Labs is one of the blockchain-driven companies accepted by the FCA for performing tests on a “short-term and small-scale basis.” According to the regulator, the startup uses a “central blockchain-based store of information” to verify identities and documents online from original sources. Meanwhile, Fintech Delivery Panel Partners has been given permission to test a “decentralized digital identity platform using machine learning identity verification and blockchain-based key management.” Finally, e-commerce payments and verified …

Dave Ramsden, deputy governor of the United Kingdom’s central bank, has said that crypto assets are too volatile to be a store of value. Ramsden made his comments in an interview with CNBC published on April 30. Bank of England (BOE) deputy governor Ramsden noted that over a year ago, the U.K.’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) had concluded that cryptocurrencies’ volatility meant that they could not be a store of value. Furthermore, the FPC also came to the conclusion that cryptos are not a practical medium of exchange because the cost of the transactions was too high. Ramsden told CNBC …

The United States, Japan and South Korea are the world’s biggest fans of cryptocurrency exchanges, new research from software firm DataLight reported April 29. After investigating the origin of traders who use well-known exchanges, DataLight — which continues to publish various insights into the industry — said that the U.S. has the highest share of visits, more than triple the next runner up. The firm analyzed monthly visits to 100 platforms, which yielded around 22.2 million from U.S.-based users. Second was Japan with 6.1 million visits, while South Korea had 5.7 million. The United Kingdom and Russia took fourth and …

London-based West Ham United — a soccer team that plays in the English Premier League — is partnering with blockchain platform Socios.com to launch a fan token ecosystem. The news was revealed in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 30. As previously reported, the Socios tokenized voting platform and blockchain-based mobile app is operated by sports blockchain venture chiliZ, which has the backing of high profile crypto industry players that include crypto exchange Binance and OK Blockchain Capital. West Ham United, currently ranked 11th in the Premier League, has over 2.3 million likes on the club’s official Facebook …