Finland's Central Bank Organizes Blockchain Event

Finland’s central bank co-organized a seminar on blockchain last week.

The Bank of Finland held the event in partnership with the country’s Ministry of Finance. The seminar took place on 24th November, according to the central bank.

Attendees included government regulators, local academics and companies based in Finland, drawn from institutions like Aalto University, Lappeenranta University of Technology and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Representatives from firms like Microsoft and Finnish energy firm Fortum were also in attendance.

In statements, central bank representatives said the event supports ongoing research into new technologies like blockchain.

Governor Erkki Liikanen was quoted as saying during remarks at the event:

“Our task is to ensure the reliability and efficiency of the payment system and the overall financial system and to participate in their development. Research into, and support of, new innovations shaping the financial sector constitute part of this work.”

The hope, according to the central bank, was to spur discussion on “a common view and strategy” for the technology in the Finnish public and private sectors. Ten blockchain projects were presented during the one-day seminar, focused on applications in both government and finance, among other areas.

Though no new initiatives were announced or pledged, the central bank said that discussions during the event were, in part, aimed at promoting the development of “guiding principles” for future work among stakeholders in Finland.

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