A blockchain proof of concept announced via the firm's LOFT innovation hub.
Source: ConsenSys
John Hancock Financial today announced that its Lab of Forward Thinking (LOFT) has entered into a collaborative tri-party synergy with app developer ConsenSys and full-stack infrastructure developer BlockApps STRATO, for an Ethereum Blockchain proof of concept (PoC) solution aimed at enhancing the on-boarding of new wealth management clients, according to a joint press release.
As one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., John Hancock also caters to wealth management clients with financial services products, and is a subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation - a name that it does business under outside of the US - and which has nearly a trillion dollars in assets under management (AuM of $935 billion as of December 31, 2015) and operations across Asia, Canada and the United States. Manulife Financial is listed on multiple exchanges including the NYSE under ticker MFC.
The news follows nearly a year after the company launched the LOFT facility in Boston, featuring a 6,500 square-foot office space located in the Seaport area in the city's 'innovation district', which was established in order to develop FinTech and related endeavors such as the one announced today.
Launched via LOFT hub
"Our goal is to simplify and enhance the customer experience when they first begin doing business with us. In the wealth management business this involves not only satisfying customers, but regulatory and legal aspects as well," said Ace Moghimi, Assistant Vice President and Head of Innovation, North America, for John Hancock/Manulife, commenting in the official press release.
Igor Lilic Source: LinkedIn
Igor Lilic, Principal Technical Lead of ConsenSys Enterprise, added in the announcement: "The LOFT group is a model example of innovation within the enterprise: bright, enthusiastic teams tasked with understanding new technologies and who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty by building prototypes. We are incredibly enthusiastic about John Hancock's commitment to the blockchain ecosystem and we look forward to continued collaboration as LOFT builds smart contract based platforms."
Mr. Lilic was previously a developer at OANDA earlier in his career in 2009, in addition to a number of related prior and subsequent roles within financial services as well as blockchain-related positions. He has been in his current role with ConsenSys for just over nine months already, according to information in a public LinkedIn profile.
Commenting in the press release, Kieren James-Lubin, Chief Product Officer of BlockApps, said: "LOFT is just that - an organization focused around forward thinking. They are building the technical knowhow and internal stakeholder support that will allow John Hancock to be a disruptor rather than a disruptee as the blockchain revolution materializes. We are extremely enthusiastic about our partnership with LOFT."
Finance Magnates is proud to present its inaugural TLV Conference, to be held on the 29th of June. Apart from the invaluable networking opportunities, the agenda is packed with panels, masterclasses and keynote speeches geared towards the subject of fintech. Industry leaders will be discussing subjects such as marketing automation, cybersecurity, financial regulation and cryptocurrencies, with a focus on the booming Israeli fintech scene. In keeping with this, there will also be a fintech spotlight session in which a lineup of firms will each have four minutes to pitch their exciting products, culminating in an award presented to the most promising.
John Hancock Financial today announced that its Lab of Forward Thinking (LOFT) has entered into a collaborative tri-party synergy with app developer ConsenSys and full-stack infrastructure developer BlockApps STRATO, for an Ethereum Blockchain proof of concept (PoC) solution aimed at enhancing the on-boarding of new wealth management clients, according to a joint press release.
As one of the largest insurance companies in the U.S., John Hancock also caters to wealth management clients with financial services products, and is a subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation - a name that it does business under outside of the US - and which has nearly a trillion dollars in assets under management (AuM of $935 billion as of December 31, 2015) and operations across Asia, Canada and the United States. Manulife Financial is listed on multiple exchanges including the NYSE under ticker MFC.
The news follows nearly a year after the company launched the LOFT facility in Boston, featuring a 6,500 square-foot office space located in the Seaport area in the city's 'innovation district', which was established in order to develop FinTech and related endeavors such as the one announced today.
Launched via LOFT hub
"Our goal is to simplify and enhance the customer experience when they first begin doing business with us. In the wealth management business this involves not only satisfying customers, but regulatory and legal aspects as well," said Ace Moghimi, Assistant Vice President and Head of Innovation, North America, for John Hancock/Manulife, commenting in the official press release.
Igor Lilic Source: LinkedIn
Igor Lilic, Principal Technical Lead of ConsenSys Enterprise, added in the announcement: "The LOFT group is a model example of innovation within the enterprise: bright, enthusiastic teams tasked with understanding new technologies and who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty by building prototypes. We are incredibly enthusiastic about John Hancock's commitment to the blockchain ecosystem and we look forward to continued collaboration as LOFT builds smart contract based platforms."
Mr. Lilic was previously a developer at OANDA earlier in his career in 2009, in addition to a number of related prior and subsequent roles within financial services as well as blockchain-related positions. He has been in his current role with ConsenSys for just over nine months already, according to information in a public LinkedIn profile.
Commenting in the press release, Kieren James-Lubin, Chief Product Officer of BlockApps, said: "LOFT is just that - an organization focused around forward thinking. They are building the technical knowhow and internal stakeholder support that will allow John Hancock to be a disruptor rather than a disruptee as the blockchain revolution materializes. We are extremely enthusiastic about our partnership with LOFT."
Finance Magnates is proud to present its inaugural TLV Conference, to be held on the 29th of June. Apart from the invaluable networking opportunities, the agenda is packed with panels, masterclasses and keynote speeches geared towards the subject of fintech. Industry leaders will be discussing subjects such as marketing automation, cybersecurity, financial regulation and cryptocurrencies, with a focus on the booming Israeli fintech scene. In keeping with this, there will also be a fintech spotlight session in which a lineup of firms will each have four minutes to pitch their exciting products, culminating in an award presented to the most promising.
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Executive Interview | Charlotte Bullock | Chief Product Officer, Bank of London | FMLS:25
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Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this interview, we sat down with Charlotte Bullock, Head of Product at The Bank of London, previously at SAP and now shaping product at one of the sector’s most ambitious new banking players.
Charlotte reflects on the Summit so far and talks about the culture inside fintech banks today. We look at the pressures that come with scaling, and how firms can hold onto the nimble approach that made them stand out early on.
We also cover the state of payments ahead of her appearance on the payments roundtable: the blockages financial firms face, the areas that still need fixing, and what a realistic solution looks like in 2026.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
In this conversation, we sit down with Drew Niv, CSO at ATFX Connect and one of the most influential figures in modern FX.
We speak about market structure, the institutional view on liquidity, and the sharp rise of prop trading, a sector Drew has been commenting on in recent months. Drew explains why he once dismissed prop trading, why his view changed, and what he now thinks the model means for brokers, clients and risk managers.
We explore subscription-fee dependency, the high reneging rate, and the long-term challenge: how brokers can build a more stable and honest version of the model. Drew also talks about the traffic advantage standalone prop firms have built and why brokers may still win in the long run if they take the right approach.
Executive Interview | Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller| CEO & Founder Muinmos | FMLS:25
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Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this interview, Remonda Z. Kirketerp Møller, founder of Muinmos, breaks down the state of AI in regtech and what responsible adoption really looks like for brokers. We talk about rising fragmentation, the pressures around compliance accuracy, and why most firms are still in the early stages of AI maturity.
Ramanda also shares insights on regulator sandboxes, shifting expectations around accountability, and the current reality of MiCA licensing and passporting in Europe.
A concise look at where compliance, onboarding, and AI-driven processes are heading next.
In this conversation, we speak with Aydin Bonabi, CEO and co-founder of Surveill, a firm focused on fraud detection and AI-driven compliance tools for financial institutions.
We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
He closes with a clear message: fraud is scaling, and so must the tools that stop it.
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We start with Aydin’s view of the Summit and the challenges brokers face as fraud tactics grow more complex. He explains how firms can stay ahead through real-time signals, data patterns, and early-stage detection.
We also talk about AI training and why compliance teams often struggle to keep models accurate, fair, and aligned with regulatory expectations. Aydin breaks down what “good” AI training looks like inside a financial environment, including the importance of clean data, domain expertise, and human oversight.
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Exness expands its presence in Africa: Inside our interview with Paul Margarites in Cape Town
Exness expands its presence in Africa: Inside our interview with Paul Margarites in Cape Town
Finance Magnates met with Paul Margarites, Exness regional commercial director for Sub-Saharan Africa, during a visit to the firm’s office opening in Cape Town. In this talk, led by Andrea Badiola Mateos, Co-CEO at Finance Magnates, Paul shares views on the South African trading space, local user behavior, mobile trends, regulation, team growth, and how Exness plans to grow in more markets across the region. @Exness
Read the article at: https://www.financemagnates.com/thought-leadership/exness-expands-its-presence-in-africa-inside-our-interview-with-paul-margarites/
#exness #financemagnates #exnesstrading #CFDtrading #tradeonline #africanews #capetown
Finance Magnates met with Paul Margarites, Exness regional commercial director for Sub-Saharan Africa, during a visit to the firm’s office opening in Cape Town. In this talk, led by Andrea Badiola Mateos, Co-CEO at Finance Magnates, Paul shares views on the South African trading space, local user behavior, mobile trends, regulation, team growth, and how Exness plans to grow in more markets across the region. @Exness
Read the article at: https://www.financemagnates.com/thought-leadership/exness-expands-its-presence-in-africa-inside-our-interview-with-paul-margarites/
#exness #financemagnates #exnesstrading #CFDtrading #tradeonline #africanews #capetown
