Thought Leadership
3 Takeaways From Vertalo’s Digital Assets and Securities Conference
Vertalo hosted its Digital Assets and Securities Conference last month, bringing together traditional financial services professionals and digital asset innovators to foster connection, collaboration, and growth of the digital asset ecosystem. This landscape has seen tremendous evolution since the invention of Bitcoin.
Read MoreImproving Insurance with Blockchain Technology
Insurance protects property, assets, health, and professional services by providing “safeguards” against liabilities and increasing social inflation. Although the insurance industry has evolved to accommodate more extensive coverage, back-office operations have failed to keep pace, with slow claims processing and siloed departments hindering efficiency. Blockchain technology’s automated, decentralized, and auditable capabilities have the potential to optimize the insurance industry by improving accuracy, interoperability, and recordkeeping.
Read MoreTokenized Real Estate
Real estate is one of the largest asset classes in the world, with over $280 trillion in market value. Investing in property has persisted as highly attractive and advantageous due to the relative stability of real estate compared to traditional equities and higher earning potential than a low-risk bond.
Read MoreA Tokenization Guide for Institutions
Blockchain and digital assets are here to stay, as evidenced by the recent increase in institutional adoption of this asset class by financial incumbents. Traditional financial services are exploring integrating this innovative technology into their businesses to optimize offerings and stay competitive. For corporations looking to expand into digital assets, here is an informational guide to lead the journey into the digital age.
Read MoreThe First Blockchain Transferred Fund
The journey of the first registered ‘40 Act fund to issue a digital asset security originated from the belief that blockchain technology could solve some of the industry’s most significant challenges: transferability and time. In conjunction with regulators, financial institutions, service and technology providers, and market participants, Arca Labs (Arca’s innovation arm) sought to revolutionize the future of finance incrementally and methodically. The focus was responsible innovation—a guiding principle that drives meaningful improvements to optimize financial structures and participants' experience by deploying new technologies, encouraging inclusive industry collaboration, and facilitating ideation. Thus, the blockchain transferred fund was born.
Read MoreAmerica's Tokenized Future is Here
In December 2021, former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton authored a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial expressing the need for the United States of America to adopt blockchain technology to maintain its global economic leadership position. Mr. Clayton asserted that while advancements in the digital asset space have been impactful over the last decade, further innovation in financial services and the U.S. Treasury is essential. Mr. Clayton affirms that meaningful action by the United States is in the country's best interest; failure to act with urgency could jeopardize America’s role as the dominant global force.
Read MoreDigital Asset Securities Study Announcement
Arca Labs, in partnership with Coalition Greenwich—a leading provider of financial data, analytics, and insights—conducted a global digital asset securities study titled “The Future of Securities: A Digital Asset Securities Study.” Digital assets broadly refer to assets issued and/or transferred using distributed ledger or blockchain technology. A digital asset security is a digital representation of an asset that is a security, whereby ownership is verified and recorded on a distributed ledger.
Read More2022 Digital Asset Securities Predictions
Jerald David, President of Arca Labs, shares 5 predictions for digital asset innovation in 2022.
Read MoreHow Cryptocurrency Regulation Boosts Innovation and Drives Growth
Mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies soared over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, catapulting crypto further into the purview of investors worldwide. The increased attention also brought the question of regulation to the fore: to regulate or not to regulate? With respect to oversight of digital assets, there are two sides to the crypto coin and debates rage over whether regulation stifles growth or encourages it.
Read MoreCan Financial Incumbents Learn to Play The “Right Note”?
Just as the music industry saw a wide array of benefits of technology that led to increased adoption and utility, financial incumbents appear to be suddenly feeling the reality of getting left behind with the undeniable growth of digital assets.
Read MoreAnnouncing Our New Relationship with Securitize
Transitioning the Arca U.S. Treasury Fund to Securitize was the first phase of growing our relationship with Securitize. We expect our relationship to grow as we, Arca Labs, and Securitize work together to develop and launch tokenized financial products designed to allow individuals and companies to enter a global, blockchain-based financial future.
Read MorePermissioned Or Private Blockchains - Which One Is Right For Digital Asset Securities?
An exploration of security token issuance, digital asset security requirements, and securitization practices in the blockchain ecosystem.
Read MoreBlockchain or Blockbuster? The Choice Facing Financial Incumbents
The old-guard financial industry is aware of the competitive threat from decentralized finance, but it's not moving fast enough to catch up.
Read MoreArCoin Integrates with MetaMask: Bridging ArCoin to dApps
Today Arca Labs announces the integration of ArCoin into MetaMask to offer custody of ArCoin. MetaMask enables users to access the Ethereum network and interact with decentralized applications (dApps).
Read MoreBlockchain Adoption for Treasurers is Closer Than Anyone Thinks
Though the pandemic has eclipsed many conferences and events over the past year, the Association of Corporate Treasurers’ (ACT) 2021 Annual Conference was undoubtedly a spectacular showing. ACT is a leading treasury association that provides research, training, and education to corporate treasurers. As the only professional treasury body with a Royal Charter, ACT is actively involved with UK treasury policy making.
Read MoreIs Bitcoin Too Volatile for Treasury Management
The digital asset market is rife with opportunity, but finding the right product, for the right purpose at the right time is imperative. Bitcoin is a historically volatile and speculative investment, which directly conflicts with treasury management objectives. So, why the recent influx of large, recognizable enterprises, MicroStrategy, Square and Tesla, adding bitcoin to their corporate balance sheets? The digital asset ecosystem is much greater than just bitcoin.
Read MoreNeuGroup Event Summary: Understanding Cryptocurrency, Digital Asset and Securities Markets in Comparison to Traditional Financial Markets
Jerald David went on to expand, “obviously, one of the benefits of digital assets is the fact that they are traded peer-to-peer… It removes intermediaries, like a broker, it’s not restricted to banking hours, and it also performs a very, very interesting function..."
Read MoreJD Discusses ArCoin on The Crypto Rundown
ArCoin, to many, is a confusing product at first. Not because the structure or digital shares are unusually complex, but because we are doing something that has never been done before. That’s why I love discussing ArCoin with peers and potential customers. To have the opportunity to engage in a live discussion helps people realize that ArCoin is unique because it is the first U.S. Treasury Fund registered under the ‘40 Act to issue its shares as digital securities. Much like paper share certificates were replaced with shareholder databases, the blockchain will offer utility to shareholders giving them the ability to hold and transfer ownership of their shares in a new and innovative way.
Read MoreAnnouncing Our New Relationship with Signature Bank
Today we are pleased to announce a new relationship with Signature Bank, one of the most innovative banks in the digital assets space. We’ve spent years cultivating this relationship, which we think can help pave the way for ArCoin, the digital securities market, and financial markets as a whole to grow.
Read MoreArca Labs Partners with GK8 to Provide ArCoin Custody
Arca Labs is pleased to announce that GK8 has completed an integration that will allow ArCoin holders to custody their digital assets with GK8’s patented air-gapped solution.
Read MoreThe Modern Treasurer Part 2: Bitcoin as a Treasury Investment Solution, ArCoin as a Treasury Management Solution
For those following finance, you are already acutely aware of the recent rise of interest in Bitcoin (“BTC”). Bitcoin, once shunned as an asset used by criminals, is now in many institutional investors’ portfolios as a diversified hedge against inflation. Additionally, the narrative of BTC as “digital gold” is on the rise. Led by the highly publicized investment in Bitcoin by MicroStrategy, Bitcoin's role in traditional treasury management has skyrocketed, with no apparent ceiling to adoption in sight.
Read MoreThe Modern Treasurer Part 1: Treasury Management’s Biggest Pain Points Meet Blockchain
As the first registered Fund to issue digital securities on the blockchain, the Arca US Treasury Fund and its digital share, ArCoin, are uniquely situated to help bridge the gap between traditional finance and blockchain.
Read MoreWhy Insurance Needs a Blockchain Revolution
For most of us, insurance is a necessary evil. The events which trigger insurance payouts are usually unpleasant and disruptive, but having insurance in place prevents them from being catastrophic. Having insurance is now seen as a necessary condition for doing business and a huge global insurance industry has evolved to cater to these needs. The next evolution in insurance may very well be the adoption of blockchain technology.
Read MoreRevolutionizing the Digital Assets Ecosystem: How Arca Pioneered the Use of U.S. Treasuries for ArCoin
The selection of US Treasuries as the underlying asset of the first Blockchain Traded Fund incredibly deliberate. Arca first began thinking about creating the Arca US Treasury Fund and it’s digital security, ArCoin, back in 2018 and set out to accomplish three important goals.
Read MoreOverview of the ArCoin Purchasing Process
Arca Labs strives to provide the highest customer success for investors purchasing, transferring, and storing their ArCoin. Below you will find resources to guide you through purchasing ArCoin using the ArCoin Portal. Before obtaining ArCoin, investors should read the ArCoin FAQs to better understand the processes and requirements associated with holding ArCoin.
Read MoreFrom ETFs to BTFs
For years, participants in the digital assets industry have discussed how to bring institutional money into this ecosystem. While this mission was not always the highest priority for the first-movers in crypto, increased institutional adoption has made the industry focus on meeting their requirements. The reasoning behind this shift is obvious - that’s where the money is. Institutional investors own roughly 80% of the equity market, meaning they can bring trillions of dollars of capital into this ecosystem.
Read MoreIntroducing ArCoin Keepers: A Potential MCD Liquidity Enhancement
In my last blog post I discussed ArCoin’s use case as a bridge between real world financial assets and DAI, Maker’s decentralized stablecoin. As a recap, ArCoin is a digital share of the Arca U.S Treasury Fund issued through the blockchain. Although it served as a provoking theoretical piece, it is time to further discuss ArCoin’s implementation plan to fit into Maker’s Collateralized Debt Positions (CDP).
Read MoreThe Melding of CeFi and DeFi: ArCoin’s Path to Becoming MKR Collateral
The Fund, and it’s digital security, ArCoin, is the first closed end interval fund registered under the 40 Act offering digital shares. Upon the creation of the Fund and ArCoin, we knew that applying to be a collateral option for MakerDAO was one of the first use cases we wanted to pursue.
Read MoreThe Journey to Launching the Arca U.S. Treasury Fund and ArCoin
Today may be a day that changes financial services forever. Arca team members have been lucky enough to launch two regulated futures exchanges, many derivatives contracts and an ETF company, just to name a few. While each of these initiatives forever impacted the landscape of finance, our current launch of the Arca U.S. Treasury Fund (“Fund”) and ArCoin may be more transformative.
Read More