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Temasek Backs Efforts to Commercialize Blockchain Projects

Temasek Backs Efforts to Commercialize Blockchain Projects

Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte said it will support efforts to find commercial applications for a project that explored the use of blockchain in the financial industry.

The fifth and final phase of Project Ubin, a central bank initiative that began in 2016, has been completed, Temasek and the Monetary Authority of Singapore said in a joint statement on Monday. The last phase developed a prototype for a blockchain-based payments network and tested connectivity with other applications.

“We look forward to supporting commercialization efforts emanating from Project Ubin and other application areas, with a view to drive greater adoption of blockchain technology,” Temasek’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Chia Song Hwee said in the statement.

Project Ubin validated Temasek’s efforts to explore and build blockchain solutions focused on digital identity, digital currencies and financial asset tokenization, he added.

Blockchain, the technology underpinning digital currencies like Bitcoin, is being adopted worldwide to streamline services ranging from trade finance, cross-border payments to land registry.

Temasek said in May it joined the Libra Association, the organization behind Facebook Inc.’s proposed digital currency.

Project Ubin has demonstrated the benefits of blockchain in areas including salary payments, capital markets and multi-currency payments, according to a report by Accenture commissioned by the MAS and Temasek.

The MAS and Temasek developed the multi-currency payments network prototype together with JPMorgan Chase & Co. It can serve as a test network to develop the cross-border payments infrastructure in cooperation with other central banks and the financial industry, the joint statement said.

Other Project Ubin experiments involved salary payments to gig workers with recruitment agency Adecco Group AG, and digital dividend payments in Swiss francs to investors in Singapore through Sygnum Bank AG.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.