BBVA, the Spanish bank, has begun to roll out the trials of what will become its first commercial service for the trading and custody of digital assets. The new service, which will be offered through BBVA Switzerland, will make it possible to manage transactions and have deposits in bitcoin.
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State Street leads Series C funding for Lukka
Lukka, a crypto asset software and data provider, has completed its Series C funding, led by State Street, with participation from S&P Global, and CPA.com, the business and technology subsidiary of the AICPA. Lukka will continue to expand its existing institutional-grade software and data products for traditional businesses and funds as they adopt crypto assets…
Northern Trust makes senior management changes
Northern Trust is making some senior management changes across its asset servicing business. James Wright, who joined in 2016 from J.P. Morgan, is promoted to head the institutional investors group across EMEA, based in the UK. In the U.S., Peter Sanchez, who has run the hedge fund services business in North America since 2011, is…
J.P. Morgan deploys DLT for first intraday repo trade
J.P. Morgan has completed a live, blockchain-based intraday repo transaction. The transaction was conducted between J.P. Morgan’s broker/dealer and banking entity, using an in-house developed blockchain application which supported instantaneous settlement and maturity of the transaction in hours, as opposed to days. Using blockchain enables borrowers and lenders to execute shorter-term, intraday repo transactions with…
Blue Flag Partners appoints PEF as RE fund administrator
PEF Services, a U.S.-based fund administrator for alternative investment managers, has been selected to provide fund administration services to Blue Flag Partners, a U.S.-based real estate firm.
Fidelity launches digital asset collateral service with BlockFi
Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, has launched a new service that enables clients on Fidelity’s institutional-grade digital assets custody platform to pledge bitcoin as collateral in a transaction. The new capability marks Fidelity’s entrance into the digital asset financing space, strengthening and broadening Fidelity Digital Assets’ existing custody offering, which is integrated…
Apex mandated to service new Lux fund for Frontera
Apex has been mandated to provide fund services to Frontera Capital Group Limited, a UAE-based fixed income investment firm. Apex will provide Frontera with AIFM, administration, custody and corporate services. Frontera is currently raising USD400m for a new Luxembourg fund, with final close expected towards the end of Q1 2021.
Clearstream appoints BP2S as ANZ sub-custodian
Clearstream, Deutsche Börse’s post-trade services provider, has mandated BNP Paribas Securities Services to provide local sub-custody services in Australia and New Zealand. BP2S already provides local clearing and custody to Clearstream across the Euronext and Turkish markets.
IQ-EQ hires Wendy Piergolam as U.S. head of client development
IQ-EQ, the Luxembourg-based administrator, has hired Wendy Piergolam as head of client development for the U.S., a newly created position. In her new role, Piergolam will operate primarily under the banner of IQ-EQ subsidiary brand, Blue River, which became part of the group following its acquisition earlier this year. Blue River is a provider of…
DMS acquires Azienda in Luxembourg
The DMS Group, a specialist fund corporate governance provider, has acquired Azienda Financial Services, a corporate services provider based in Luxembourg. Azienda specialises in administering investment structures for private equity, real estate and structured finance. Earlier this year, DMS struck an agreement with Luxembourg-based MDO, and Ireland-based MontLake, to form a broad fund governance and…