Japanese Banks, E-Commerce Giant Ramp Up Blockchain Development

42 banks are joining a newly-created Japanese blockchain consortium to enhance the cross-border payment industry. The consortium will focus on research and development, and will cover domestic and foreign exchange services by utilizing blockchain technology. SBI Holdings and Ripple Asia Launch 42 Bank Consortium. .The Japanese blockchain organization....

Sega, one of the largest Japanese gaming companies, has announced that it will launch its first blockchain game in collaboration with Double Jump Tokyo, another Japanese development company. The game, which is based on Sega’s Sangokushi Taisen franchise, will be built using Oasys, a Japanese scaling-focused project, to support its blockchain elements. Sega to Launch First Blockchain Gaming Project Sega, one of the most influential Japan-based gaming companies, has announced that it will build its first blockchain-based game. The project, which will be built by another....

Services giant Cognizant, a company known for its consulting and business process outsourcing services as well as being an information technology provider has joined the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC). The Chamber of Digital Commerce, a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group and trade association that promotes digital currencies and blockchain technology while working closely with policymakers and regulators has announced a new member joining the ranks of its executive committee. As an IT consulting firm, Cognizant is already involved in various blockchain....

Rakuten announced that it plans to enable customers to choose bitcoin as a payment option by integrating Bitnet's payment processing platform on a number of its marketplaces. The Internet services giant will begin accepting the new payment method first in the United States, then in Germany and Austria. The integration with Bitnet's platform will make Rakuten one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world to accept bitcoin payments. "Rakuten's mission is to empower the world through the Internet," said Yaz Iida, President of Rakuten USA. "Not only can bitcoin support this vision by....

A number of Japanese banks are reportedly set to test domestic fund transfers using digital currencies over a blockchain as a low-cost alternative to traditional money transfers. According to a Thursday report by Nikkei, Japan’s most prominent financial publication, a handful of major Japanese banks will perform tests to determine if a digital currency powered blockchain platform could prove a viable alternative for the current national payments clearing platform ‘Zengin’. Operated by the Japanese Bankers Association, the Zengin System powers domestic money transfers in Japan. The....