Bank of America Is Now Hiring in Blockchain, Not Just Filing Patents
The second-largest U.S. bank has begun hiring for blockchain positions. The job openings, are the first indicator that Bank of America plans to do much else with the technology apart from 78 blockchain-related patents the bank has filed or won to date. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank has six positions open that mention blockchain: one for a treasury product manager, three for enterprise payment technology senior architects and two for banking regulatory domain architects. Each job description either calls for experience with blockchain tech or the ability to apply it in a banking context. A recently ad on LinkedIn also suggests the bank has plans to use Ripple’s distributed ledger-based payments network in some form. The post for a treasury product manager indicates the role “leads the product management team for the Ripple Project.” The new hire would be responsible for “driving product strategy and growth, overseeing daily product management routines, and overseeing the development of new initiatives that result in an innovative and highly-competitive product offering.”
SNB and Swiss Stock Exchange Team Up on Digital Currency
The Swiss National Bank and stock exchange SIX will jointly explore how to make central bank digital money available for the trading and settlement among financial market players. The buying and selling of assets based on digital ledger technology will reduce counterparty risk and create “significant” economic opportunities, SIX said in a statement Wednesday. The initiative is part of the innovation hub for financial technology the Bank for International Settlements announced it was setting up earlier this year with the SNB. Other hub centers will be based in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Overstock Opens Blockchain R&D Center in Ireland
The firm’s new R&D center is located in “IDA’s flagship North West business park in Sligo” and is expected to make its 100th Irish hire before the end of 2019. Currently, it employs 80 technologists. The move has cost the company over €1 million ($1.1 million). Overstock vice president and site lead David Kenny added: “We’re absolutely delighted with our new home and getting all our teams back under one roof. It further validates Overstock’s choice of the North West as a great place to do business and build high performance software development teams. The combination of a diverse career path, a cutting edge tech environment and a great work life balance has really resonated with the techies who continue to join our growing team.”