Blockchain

Do you need a blockchain?
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Do you need a blockchain?

Blockchain technology is set to have a profound impact on a wide range of industries ranging from capital markets to the music industry. While some use cases may seem obvious, the technology is still surrounded by its fair share of hype and uncertainty. As a manager, how should you approach the subject, and when should you put your money where your mouth is and actively aim to implement blockchain technology?

by Christoffer Hernæs••10
Is the surge of ICOs an innovative funding source or a bubble waiting to burst?
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Is the surge of ICOs an innovative funding source or a bubble waiting to burst?

Initial Coin Offerings has suddenly emerged to be a fast growing funding source for technology startups, and by July this year, almost $1,3 billion has been raised through this funding mechanism, where more than half of the amount was raised in June. With this speed of adoption, wither someone has figured out something ingenious to fill a gap in the market, or we are looking at a greed-driven bubble.

by Christoffer Hernæs••3
Identitet i en digital verden
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Identitet i en digital verden

Hver person, ting og entitet har sin egne unike identitet, og evnen til å bevise denne er nøkkelen til alt fra å logge inn på Facebook til å levere inn selvangivelsen. Vi omgir oss med ulike former for digitale identitetsløsninger som gir oss tilgang til innhold, foreta betalinger og kommunisere gjennom dagen. Samtidig henger mange av prosessene og reglene knyttet til opprettelse og verifisering av identitet igjen i den fysiske verden med signaturer, papirbasert ID og fysisk oppmøte.

by Christoffer Hernæs••0
Core banking – fintech’s final frontier
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Core banking – fintech’s final frontier

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This idiom has acted as a rule of thumb for core banking solution for several years. While analysts has claimed repeatedly that legacy IT is slowing incumbents down, the existing and sometime ancient core banking systems still work flawlessly. Although, even if something works an upgrade is due when the world around is moving at an increasingly rapid pace.

by Christoffer Hernæs••12
You can’t have financial inclusion without digital inclusion
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You can’t have financial inclusion without digital inclusion

One of the most exciting aspects of fintech is the promise of delivering financial services to the unbanked and underbanked population of the world. According to the World Bank, 2 billion people are still unbanked in the world today. Even though this is a high number, it still is a decrease of 20 percent since 2011. Of the unbanked population, 1,5 billion people are unbanked due to their inability to prove their identity through a valid birth certificate, passport, proof of residence through utility bill or some other means to fulfil traditional KYC-procedures.

by Christoffer Hernæs••4
How will blockchain impact the music industry?
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How will blockchain impact the music industry?

While the financial industry is on the brink of disruption, the music industry has been on a steady decline as digital has replaced physical distribution the last ten years. Even though revenues in the music industry is growing for the first time since 1995, the gap between music consumption and artist revenues is growing. This is due to several factors, but one of the contributors for lesser known artists is how streaming platforms calculate royalties. The way it works, the artist’s monthly streams is divided on total monthly streams, effectively favoring whatever becomes that months huge hit, instead of dividing revenues per play. This has enraged both fans and artists, and some artists have chosen to pull their music from streaming services such as Spotify.

by Christoffer Hernæs••4