Digitization’s banking future As PSD2 approaches, European banks have been increasing the pace of digitization, which is a practice they will increasingly need to take on in order to remain relevant in a world that’s becoming more open to digital disruption everyday. Despite this reality, many of the largest banks have not utilised the trend, being lukewarm to commit to digitization. This is particularly interesting given that, according to Citigroup, between two and six million banking jobs in Europe and the U.S. could be lost over the next decade. With both the pressures of a decreased workforce and facing mounting pressure from digital disruptors, one would think more banks would embrace digital platforms, particularly if some executives are even looking towards fintech courses to remain competitive and be one step ahead of disruption.

Education’s future: opening itself to blockchain  

Blockchain is here to stay, and it’s gearing up to disrupt many industries so some executives are preparing for the quickly-approaching future with blockchain courses. Oxford has just launched a blockchain course for executives—it already offers online courses in fintech for executives, as does Princeton University. Other prominent institutions, such as Duke University, Princeton University, Stanford University,  and University of California-Berkeley, also offer general courses in blockchain technology. Some universities even use it as a means to deliver services in educational environments, as MIT has done, recently issuing digital diplomas in a pilot project. In the midst of all of this, the European Commission just released a study titled, “Blockchain in Education,” exploring the possible impact the technology could have in the education sector, as well as possible pitfalls.

The future of bitcoin futures

In the past few days, two Swiss companies have launched bitcoin futures, allowing investors to bet against the price of the currency. This is all amid the currency surpassing a valuation of 8,000 USD on Friday, for the first time, and falling in the wake of SegWit2x’s cancellation last week, to below 6,000 USD. Recently, CME Group also announced its own bitcoin futures product, to be launched in the near future. These moves to offer bitcoin futures are the first of their kind by traditional institutional investors, and signal that cryptocurrency products are growing on these stalwarts.  ]]>