Trade Finance Is (Finally) Going On-Chain
In the aftermath of crypto week there is certainly going to be plenty of discussion around the future of cryptoassets in the United States from a policy perspective, but even while that continues to dominate headlines, blockchain adoption continues to accelerate virtually unabated, albeit in an under-the-radar manner. In the immediate run-up to crypto week it was announced that U.S. Bank had completed its first fully digital trade finance transaction, highlighting the shift away from paper-based processes in international trade. As the first American lender to execute such a transaction using WaveBL – a blockchain that enables encrypted document transfers between trading partners and financial institutions – will have ramifications far beyond the specifics of this individual transaction.
The Digital Container Shipping Association, representing nine (9) of the world's ten (10) largest container lines, has set a target of issuing 100% of bills of lading in an electronic format by 2030. According to research by the Asian Development Bank estimates that there is potentially $1.5 trillion of trade finance opportunities that have remained untapped, excluding small to medium size businesses. With the speed and transparency provided by blockchain based trade financing agreements, much of this gap can be closed; the DCSA goal toward 100% electronic bills of lading will only accelerate the pace at which this goal is achieved.
Outside of the direct benefits to the shipping industry and affiliated entities, lets' take a look at a the benefits this change will create.
Regardless of the political turmoil and debate around the cryptoasset sector the fact remains that institutional adoption has continued virtually unabated. Even as the retail market and utilization of crypto, in the form of stablecoins of other iterations, remains stagnant, the influx of institutional investors and attention the space is worthy of attention. Be it the increasing expansion of crypto services by payment processors such as PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard, or the deployment of crypto-native solutions by banking titans such as J.P. Morgan Chase the landscape has shifted in a definitive manner. Crypto transactions, the processing of said transactions, and the benefits of these transactions are increasingly clear to institutions that handle and process trillions of dollars of transactions on an annual basis. Coupled with the regulatory progress being made related to stablecoins, which in and of themselves combine the benefits of on-chain transactions with the stability of the U.S. dollar, and the implications for the dollar-based reserve banking system are clear. Dollars will be going on-chain and will build on existing efforts to tokenize U.S. Treasuries – the largest and most liquid market in the world – to an even greater extent moving forward.
Policy debates will occur, but crypto advocates and investors alike should keep an eye on the bigger picture as blockchain and tokenized asset adoption continue to accelerate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
10 minutes ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: Triple whammy for Tesla
Tesla's going through a bumpy ride. The electric vehicle company on Wednesday reported a second consecutive quarter of declining auto sales. In Europe, Tesla's market share fell for the sixth straight month to 2.8% in June from 3.4% a year ago. The Trump administration's plans to reportedly roll back the U.S.' push for cleaner vehicles will probably hit Tesla further. A $7,500 EV tax credit in the U.S. will expire at the end of September, indirectly raising the cost of Tesla vehicles. Meanwhile, traditional carmakers will no longer need to purchase EV regulatory credits from Tesla — which receives them for free because its vehicles are completely electric — as the Trump administration intends to stop fining traditional carmakers for missing emission standards. That means Tesla will soon lose a source of revenue. They say bad things come in threes. Here's the last. While Tesla's bitcoin holding is currently worth $1.24 billion, according to its investor deck, it could have been worth billions more. In 2022, the company dumped 75% of its bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is trading at roughly $118,000 now. When Tesla sold its holdings, it was trading at around $19,000. If there's any consolation, even though U.S. President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" will affect Tesla, Trump said on Thursday it wasn't a targeted measure. "I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!" Whether Trump's sentiments can help pave a smoother road for Tesla, though, is another spars with Powell during Fed visit. The U.S. President went back and forth with the Federal Reserve chair over Trump's claims about cost overruns at the Fed headquarters. But Trump said he doesn't think it's "necessary" to fire Powell. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite close at new records. Both indexes were rose Thursday despite an 8% plunge in Tesla shares. On Friday, Asia-Pacific markets fell. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index led losses as of 1:30 a.m. ET. Intel's second-quarter revenue beats estimates. But the chipmaker reported a net loss of $2.9 billion due to an $800 million impairment charge. Intel's new CEO Lip-Bu Tan also announced big spending cuts in the company's foundry business. India expects "preferential" tariffs from the U.S. That's according to New Delhi's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who told CNBC that negotiations were "progressing extremely well." [PRO] An Indian company bets on weight-loss drugs. Expiring patents in Brazil and India mean that this pharma firm has a rare opportunity to be a first mover in dozens of emerging markets. As Trump visits Scotland, the UK looks to settle some unfinished business U.S. President Donald Trump is due to visit two Trump-owned golf sites in Turnberry and Aberdeen between Friday and Tuesday, as well as one of his new golf courses that's set to open in August. He's also due to have an informal meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The question is where might we see some "give and take" in the U.S.-UK trade deal, Kallum Pickering, chief economist at Peel Hunt, told CNBC on Wednesday.
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Bloomberg
HSBC, Standard Chartered Tested by Geopolitical Woes as Valuations Climb
By , Justina T Lee, Harshita Swaminathan, and Reina Sasaki Save How HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc have managed to cope with uncertainty on trade and interest rate trajectories will be on display in next week's earnings. Momentum in wealth management and cost savings will be key for HSBC's growth amid risks from President Donald Trump's tariffs, which threaten the bank's Asia-focused global trade business model, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Similarly, Standard Chartered's wealth-management performance, efficiency efforts and the resilience of its cross-border network revenue to tariff and trade risks have provided support, BI said in a separate note.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Crypto for Advisors: Blockchain and the Music Industry
Blockchain is reshaping industries beyond finance. In this Crypto for Advisors newsletter, we shift focus from traditional investments to explore a disruptive blockchain use case in the music industry. Inder Phull, CEO and Co-Founder of Pixelynx and creator of KOR Protocol, explains how on-chain music rights and royalties are transforming ownership and why this matters for artists and investors. Then, Ronald Elliot Yung from RaveDAO answers questions about these changes and how they impact investments in Ask an Expert. – Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the ` option Remix, Rights & Revenue: Why Onchain Music Infrastructure Is the Future A fundamental shift, redefining how music is protected, managed, and monetized. Introduction: A Broken Symphony The digital revolution has empowered musicians with unprecedented tools to create, collaborate, and reach global audiences. Unfortunately, this rapid evolution has come with its own set of challenges. While the Internet has rewritten the rules of creation, distribution, and consumption, the methods we use to protect and monetize creative content, such as copyright laws, licensing models, and royalty structures, have not kept pace. In this environment, artists struggle to maintain control of their work, with inadequate attribution and a lack of fair compensation. For advisors, you may have clients in the music industry or investors seeking to invest in these assets. Understanding the evolution of this industry could be a strategic advantage as assets move on-chain. The systems that governed the industry were originally designed in a pre-Internet era when the concepts of global digital rights and licences were yet to be considered. We now find ourselves in a situation where TikTok hits are often born from unauthorized samples, AI-generated music is flooding streaming platforms, and artists struggle to make a living. Legal pathways to capitalize on emerging opportunities, such as AI or UGC virality, remain locked behind gatekeepers, legacy contracts, and unclear ownership data. Enter onchain rights infrastructure: a shift that could rewire how we protect, manage, and monetize music. The Problem: Rights Are Fragmented, and Creators Lose There is a reason why music on social media has yet to generate a revenue stream for artists, why the 'Metaverse' lacks music, and why AI is perceived as a threat. Existing copyright systems do not adequately address the complex web of ownership and usage rights associated with modern applications of music, such as remixing or user-generated content on social media platforms. The current complexity costs the industry billions, as this system often leaves creators underpaid and legally vulnerable. Creators are shifting to owner-created content, where they can track the usage of their creations and consumption, and get paid regardless of where their assets are consumed. The Future: Onchain Rights Infrastructure Onchain rights infrastructure redefines the backend of the music industry. It provides rightsholders with undisputed, verifiable ownership of their work, with rights transparently programmed into the registration. This transparency and programmability enable music to move effortlessly across platforms, applications, and media, automatically tracking attribution, verifying provenance, and eliminating the friction of traditional licensing processes. Artists receive payment instantly, and their rights are enforced in real-time. Imagine if every track came with a smart contract, one that listed the rights holders, the ownership percentages, and the licensing terms in code. If you wanted to use the song in a remix, a sync, or a sample, the contract would tell you what's allowed and automatically distribute royalties. That's what on-chain rights infrastructure makes possible. On a blockchain, rights can be: Transparent — anyone can see who owns what Programmable — remix terms, splits, and conditions are encoded Traceable — derivatives and remixes are tracked in real time Compositional — rights become building blocks, not walls If the music industry wants to capitalize on emerging technology and cater to tomorrow's digital consumers, it will need a more agile and forward-looking approach to music rights management and licensing. Onchain rights infrastructure is the answer. Understanding the shift to on-chain rights infrastructure is no longer niche; it's a key part of the future. Whether you're advising IP holders navigating their royalty flows or helping investors explore music IP as an emerging asset class, being fluent in how rights and revenue can be transparently encoded onchain is vital. Just as streaming reshaped consumption models, on-chain infrastructure is reshaping the ownership system; those who understand it early will be best positioned to grow in the evolving digital economy. - Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the ` option Ask an Expert Q. In a world of corporate festivals and algorithm-driven playlists, how can decentralized models enable new music scenes, community leadership, and fan ownership? Music has always thrived in pockets: underground clubs, bedroom producers, DIY scenes. Blockchain now offers a chance to bring these microcultures to the world, placing influence in the hands of those who live the culture, not just those who monetize it. For investors, the upside is early access to untapped cultural capital and the energy of self-organizing communities. Most users still crave experiences, not just technology. No protocol can manufacture authenticity, and it's easy for on-chain 'ownership' to become performative if it's disconnected from what's happening on the ground. The winning models will get the 'local-to-global' flywheel right: using technology to empower people, not just platforms, and ensuring new voices and collectives receive the recognition and support they need before being absorbed by the next algorithmic trend. Q. What persistent problems can blockchain and AI fix in live events, and what's still unsolved for the music economy? Blockchain finally addresses ticket fraud, opaque splits, and the lack of fan ownership in events. On-chain tickets are tamper-proof and traceable, making resale and royalty flows transparent. AI is cutting through noise by personalizing experiences, automating support, and making sense of the huge, messy flood of fan data most venues still ignore. However, technology alone won't solve the music industry's most profound issues. Scene-building, trust, and curation remain deeply human challenges. No blockchain replaces the hustle of earning credibility, or the magic of a local scene bubbling up in defiance of the mainstream. Even the best AI can't spot next year's genre-defining artist without a pulse on culture itself. For investors and advisors, the risk is buying into the illusion that data and automation alone can drive engagement and loyalty. The most compelling opportunities will blend digital tools with real-world understanding, creating systems that empower communities rather than just optimize transactions. Q. What are the blind spots in the current 'Web3 x Music' hype cycle, and where should advisors exercise caution? There's no shortage of pitch decks promising to 'revolutionize' music with tokens and NFTs. But hype alone can't replace authentic connection, or build the grassroots energy that makes festivals last. Advisors should look beyond user counts or Discord noise and ask: Are local communities actually thriving? Is community governance a real process or just a buzzword? Can this model attract and retain both serious talent and loyal fans? The winners will be platforms that treat culture as a living ecosystem, not a quick flip, and that balance on-chain innovation with the off-chain work of building trust. - Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the ` option Keep Reading Charles Schwab CEO says crypto trading is coming soon for clients. President Trump signed the first U.S. cryptocurrency bill into law during 'crypto week'. JP Morgan is planning to offer bitcoin-backed loans. Sign in to access your portfolio
