- Thirty-nine US state bankers associations launched the BankChain Alliance on 25 August, an industry-owned, industry-designed and industry-governed blockchain network targeting a 2027 launch.
- Member associations represent 3,283 banks holding US$21.8 trillion in assets as of March 31, according to the alliance, which plans smart payment tools, tokenised deposits, stablecoins and automated settlement.
- Former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Kathy Kraninger serves as interim chair, and no technology partner has been selected yet.
Thirty-nine US state bankers associations have launched the BankChain Alliance, a bank-owned consortium that plans to bring tokenised deposits, stablecoins and automated settlement to a nationwide permissioned blockchain network targeted for 2027.
Structured as BankChain Alliance, LLC, the group describes its goal as an “industry-owned and industry-governed network built on a common blockchain platform”. It carries smart payment tools, tokenised deposits, stablecoins, automated settlement and other innovations while maintaining the regulatory standards and security customers expect from banks.
Member associations represent 3,283 banks holding US$21.8 trillion (AU$30.52 trillion) in assets as of March 31, according to the alliance.
“This is about banks of all sizes building their own future”, stated interim chair Kathy Kraninger, president and chief executive of the Florida Bankers Association and a former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The alliance is building “a secure, regulated, industry-built and industry-owned network” so institutions can keep serving customers “in rural, urban and regional communities across the country”, she said.
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Compliance Weighs Heaviest in Partner Search
The alliance says it is undergoing a rigorous selection process. The first phase of the request-for-proposal process is complete, American Banker reported, with compliance weighted highest among the selection criteria and the chosen partner expected to take an ownership stake in the network.
A ten-member board oversees the alliance, drawing the heads of the Texas, Ohio, Nebraska, North Carolina, Missouri, Utah, New Hampshire and Massachusetts bankers associations alongside TekFactor founder and chief executive Kim Askwith.
“We’re building this alliance to ensure that each one of our member banks has equal access to a network they own, where their voice is heard”, Utah Bankers Association president Howard Headlee stated.
“Iowa is a strong community banking state where banks have always embraced innovation, all while preserving the trust their customers and communities depend on”, Iowa Bankers Association president and chief executive Adam Gregg stated in his association’s own launch announcement.
Deposits, Stablecoins and the Defensive Play
Emarketer banking analyst Myra Thomas characterised such bank groups as forming “defensively to protect deposit funding from stablecoins while meeting corporate demand for 24/7 programmable settlement”. Moody’s has put the stablecoin market above US$300 billion (AU$420 billion) while judging the threat to bank deposits limited.
Swift is building a tokenised payments ledger with more than 30 global financial institutions, and J.P. Morgan has launched its JPM Coin deposit token on a public blockchain for 24/7 institutional settlement.
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