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The ESCB's EUROchain research network (with the support of Accenture and R3) uses distributed ledger technology. Based on the R3's Corda platform, the project is a study on how privacy can be balanced with compliance procedures, like anti-money laundering rules, while DLT helps drive down the cost of transactions.

Digital currencies issued by central banks (CBDCs) raise a number of questions, ranging from deciding the scenarios in which such changes are desirable, to how they can effectively be implemented. A recent R3 webinar featured 12 leading experts participating in the most advanced CBDC projects in the world, including the IMF's Tobias Adrian and the BIS's Raphael Auer. They provided extensive insights into the future of CBDCs and his post highlights the key takeaways.

R3 published a report on the application of automated market makers (AMMs) to cross-border and cross-currency central bank digital currency (CBDC). AMM structures, which are are common in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, increase price transparency, work for low liquidity instruments, and bring the process of trading and settlement closer together. Such outcomes could benefit segments of today's FX market. However, adapting AMM to  spot FX markets will need to answer questions including: who would run it, what formula might be appropriate for larger transactions, and how to incentivize participants.

SIX chose Corda Enterprise because the technology was designed for a highly regulated space, and the flourishing open-source Corda ecosystem.

Mastercard has joined Marco Polo. Founded by startups R3 and TradeIX, the blockchain-based network promises real-time connectivity, greater visibility for trading relationships and lower barriers to accessing capital.

In a new report, the R3 Team has outlined the key trends and predictions that business leaders, enterprise architects, and application builders should consider in 2020 as they evaluate or re-evaluate their blockchain strategies.

An R3 white explores proposed CBDC models and applications from across the globe, and examines technologies for different implementations based on recent engagements with central banks and payment infrastructure providers. It discusses use cases that CBDCs are solving, the benefits they may unlock, minimum viable ecosystems, the difference between the hybrid, synthetic and direct models, and the technologies, including blockchain, that are being considered.

The Sveriges Riksbank announced the next phase of its R3 Corda-based distributed ledger technology-based e-krona pilot. This phase will move on from having only simulated participants, to involving external actors (Handelsbanken and TietoEVRY. ) as participants in the test environment, making it possible for the Riksbank to evaluate the integration between the participants' existing systems and the technical platform for the e-krona pilot. The Riksbank will, for instance, be testing an integration of the payment flows developed during the first year of the pilot with the participants' internal systems.

Accenture, SAP and R3 will work together to build a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system that will allow for integration and interoperability between DLT-based and classic government-issued payments and settlements. The prototype design uses currency tokens to facilitate end-to-end settlement.

Bank of New York Mellon has joined the Marco Polo trade finance consortium running on R3's Corda, becoming the 28th bank to do so.

Accenture has partnered with global trade finance blockchain startup TradeIX, becoming an onboarding partner for R3's Marco Polo Network.

LedgerEdge, which is planning to launch in 2021, aims to use blockchain technology to further digitize the bond market, where electronic trading has yet to breach much more than 30% of total volume. Traders have grown fairly comfortable doing small, routine transactions via platforms like MarketAxess, Tradeweb and Trumid, but they still hit the phones when trying to buy or sell bonds in large quantities. On the new platform, banks and investors would share their bond inventories and what they're looking to buy or sell. R3's Corda blockchain will be used to limit information leakage to the wider market. A main target is the vast majority of corporate debt that doesn't trade much beyond the first few days after being issued.

"MAS partnering with R3, a DLT company, and a consortium of financial institutions on a proof-of-concept project to conduct inter-bank payments using Blockchain technology. "

"R3 looks at five projects in the blockchain space whose collapse made the headlines over the last 6 months to consider what common things went wrong and what this signals for the sector in 2023. We cover: FTX, ASX, Terra/Luna, we.trade, and TradeLens."

The World Bank issued the first digital securities on the new Euroclear R3 Corda-based Financial Market Infrastructure (D-FMI) distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform. The three-year Digitally Native Notes raised EUR 100 million to support the financing of World Bank's sustainable development activities.

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emierates (CBUAE) has engaged with G42 Cloud and R3 as the infrastructure and technology providers respectively for its central bank digital currency (CBDC) implementation. The first phase, which is expected to complete over the next 12 to 15 months, comprises (1) the soft launch of mBridge to facilitate real-value cross-border CBDC transactions for international trade settlement, (2) proof-of-concept (PoC) work for bilateral CBDC bridges with India, and (3) PoC work for domestic CBDC issuance covering wholesale and retail usage.

A new R3 research paper, "Will Businesses Ever Use Stablecoins?" identifies where stablecoins may fulfil needs within the established financial system.

The BoC and MAS linked up their respective blockchain projects, Jasper and Ubin, which are built on R3's Corda and JPMorgan's Quorum platforms, respectively. They connected using hashed time-locked contracts that allowed direct PvP settlement without the use of an intermediary.

The Bank of Thailand prototype solution will enable the central bank to settle interbank transactions using a wholesale central bank digital currency among its eight commercial bank partners on the R3 on Corda blockchain platform.

"Curious about the potential of blockchain, our internal IT organization developed the idea to take existing paper contracts between Accenture and our clients and put them on a shared blockchain database that every party can use to securely view contracts, revise and accept changes, all captured on a blockchain ledger. We worked with other Accenture specialists, including legal, to prove out the idea, develop the platform, test and ultimately deploy a new product-Accenture Blockchain for Contracts. Built on R3 Corda technology and hosted through Microsoft Azure, Accenture Blockchain for Contracts provides a new way to draft and sign contracts with low friction, high efficiency and encrypted data."