What is Stern?
We are living in times of digital transformation. The impact of this transformation is clearly seen in how we share information and communicate. There are attempts to digitize many aspects of our lives, especially in the world of finance and banking. Most notably, the advent of Blockchain technology has enabled us to digitize money via cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. There are many at- tempts on foot to apply Blockchain technology to revolutionize other areas of finance. However, most researchers focus on transforming only one financial service or product (e.g. remittances or lending). This trend has emerged because new participants have been nim- bler in adopting emerging technologies compared to incumbents who are hampered by legacy systems. However, this competitive ad- vantage that new entrants enjoy is likely to be a short-lived one as existing banks will use their considerable resources to build the same services to remain competitive or acquire emerging FinTech’s.