Looking for the right fit

Bermuda’s focus on fintech has been primarily around economic diversification in the application of technology. This is much broader than the narrow scope of simply initial coin offerings and cryptocurrencies.

We have spent the past two...

Think smart about contracts

It has been more than 20 years since American computer scientist Nick Szabo first proposed the concept of digitised agreements made between individuals and organisations called smart contracts. We are only just beginning to realise the power of...

The standardisation revolution

Standardisation of screw threads and the introduction of interchangeable parts in the late half of the 19th century were pivotal in driving the industrial revolution. They made mass manufacturing and componentisation possible, and were...

Risk and reward: the tried and trusted Bermuda standard

Bermuda has a long history of global trade and disruptive innovation. Our location and ability to innovate quickly played a pivotal role in the early days of trade in the founding of the New World, just as it does today.

Our focus on...

JPM Coin a significant step for fintech

Recently, JP Morgan introduced its own cryptocurrency, JPM Coin. This is big news for the fintech and cryptocurrency community because it showcases how mainstream players are experimenting with the technology.

In order to understand what...

The long tail of fintech law

The application of modern technology to finance, or “fintech”, represents the unlocking of the long tail of investment, particularly that of global and local communities. It has the potential to empower people both globally and locally to pool...

The danger of blockchain as a catch-all phrase

The year was 1995. Then computing expert and 20-year internet user Clifford Stoll published an article in Newsweek magazine outlining why the internet would not live up to the growing sense of hype.

It was titled “The...

Digital assets, future markets and Van Gogh

Imagine a world where you could own a Van Gogh painting. The kind of investment available to only the super-rich, not tied to the ups and downs of traditional markets, which could drive steady appreciation over time owing to its rarity. Digital...

AI not the destroyer of jobs it’s made out to be

Artificial intelligence is pegged as the magic solution to nearly every business challenge, and the destroyer of jobs. Is that accurate? Like any technology, artificial intelligence isn’t magic. It is just another useful tool that can be used to...

Digital assets continue the rate of progress

It can be easy to forget how revolutionary e-mail was. Go back 25 or more years ago and think about how different things were then. To send a letter, it usually meant printing it, putting it in an envelope, putting a stamp on it, dropping it off...

Bermuda Standard cannot be seen as Scam Island

Bermuda recently played host to Hub Culture’s Innovation Sprint. It was an exciting and busy couple of weeks that gave a bit of an idea of the potential for Bermuda in the fintech industry.

Although it is still early days, it cemented that...

Are Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies useless?

Denis Pitcher, The Fintech Column

There has been a lot of excitement around the market collapse of cryptocurrencies lately. So much so that even The Economist recently published an article headlined “Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are...

Understanding the trade-offs in blockchain

Nothing illustrates how complex and fragile our food network is than a bacterial outbreak. Back in April, an E. coli outbreak involving romaine lettuce spread to 22 American states, leading to people being admitted to hospital and developing...

Blockchain scythes through trust factor

Just a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to get into a stranger’s car at night or stay in a stranger’s home. Surprisingly, today it is commonplace. Why? Why do we inherently trust strangers today in ways that would have been...

Hype cycles and blockchain bubbles

Pets.com, a website dedicated to online sales of pet food and supplies, was the poster child of the burst of the e-commerce bubble. The hype surrounding the potential for e-commerce had reached a fever pitch by the time it held its initial public...