Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, others partner in new blockchain network

A new blockchain network aimed at financial institutions is in the works from a conglomerate of participants in the finance and tech space, including the likes of Microsoft and Goldman Sachs.

According to the announcement on May 9, the Canton Network will be a privacy-enabled interoperable blockchain network aimed at those working with institutional assets. It will allow the synchronization of financial markets that were “previously siloed.”

The network will begin testing its capabilities in July, which include extensive privacy controls and the ability to achieve the scale and performance needed by major financial institutions. Participants in the network currently include BNP Paribas, Cboe Global Markets, Digital Asset, Paxos, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and others.

Cathy Clay, the executive vice president at Cboe Global Markets – one of the partners in the project- said that when leveraged, blockchain technology can potentially “unlock” new opportunities in the market.

“…the tokenization of real-world assets may offer an unprecedented opportunity to create new market infrastructure and drive efficiency in the trading of products across the globe.”

Canton is built on Daml, the smart-contract language of Digital Asset, which creates an interoperable system where “assets, data, and cash” can synchronize across linked applications. 

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As the crypto winter shows signs of thawing, investment and industry interest continue from institutional investors.

In March, Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment bought up around $18 million in Coinbase shares which equaled out to about 269,928 shares. A study from Goldman Sachs released on May 8 revealed that 32% of family offices currently have investments in digital assets.

On May 3, the securities token platform INX launched a new MPC wallet for institutional investors to control assets and employee access to such assets. 

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