BNP Paribas Launches First American Blockchain 'Bizhackathon'

French multinational bank and financial services company, BNP Paribas, is holding its “first Blockchain Bizhackathon in New York for the Americas platform.” The event will be in New York City on September 7 and 8, hosting more than 50 participants.

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American Blockchain Bizhackathon

The American Blockchain Bizhackathon will bring together blockchain experts and BNP Paribas clients and vendors.

Participants will explore how blockchain technology can “advance the consumer/client experience and improve the efficiency of the services offered in different areas of BNP Paribas’ CIB platform,” according to the announcement.

“BNP Paribas’ focus on new technology has been a priority for decades so we are glad to be hosting the First Americas Bizhackathon in New York,” Bruno d’Illiers, Deputy Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking Americas, said.

During the event, the bank will also unveil their new in-house Innovation Lab at their American head office in New York.

D’Illiers also noted:

“With the creation of our new in-house Innovation Lab we want to initiate a dialogue with our clients around Blockchain and find new solutions to integrate the technology that will allow BNP Paribas to better serve them.”

The keynote speakers on September 7 include:

Dan O’Prey, Digital Asset Holdings Chief Marketing Officer

Beth Shah, Digital Asset Holdings Head of Business Development

Todd McDonald, R3 COO & Co-founder

Pascal Bouvier, Fintech Expert and Investor

Yorke Rhodes III, Microsoft Blockchain Business Strategist

Previous Blockchain Bizhackathon

In February, the bank completed its first ‘Blockchain Bizhackathon‘ for transaction banking. It was also a two-day event, and had more than 70 participants.

BNP Paribas head of Corporate Trade and Treasury Solutions, Marc Carlos, said that this Bizhackathon helped the bank “highlight the opportunities of the blockchain for our flow financing activities and our financial services to corporate treasurers, as well as its potential applications to improve our practices, review and optimise our processes, and reinforce the reliability, traceability and security of our transactions.”

BNP Paribas’ Blockchain Efforts

BNP Paribas has been exploring blockchain technology

since 2011. The bank is part of the R3 consortium of 60 top financial institutions, as well as the European CDC initiative. The company is also on the board of Blythe Masters’ Digital Asset Holdings.

In April, the bank partnered with French crowdfunding platform SmartAngels to run a blockchain pilot program. Under the partnership, the bank is developing a blockchain-based share register which will automatically register financial securities issued by SmartAngels’ client companies.

What do you think of BNP Paribas’ Blockchain Bizhackathon? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, BNP Paribas, euromoney.com.