PwC France has announced a partnership with the Request Network Foundation, which allows the joint development of innovative blockchain solutions. The partnership will enable PwC strengthen the teams of its “Blockchain Lab”, composed of about thirty multidisciplinary experts who accompany PwC customers from the blockchain strategy to operational integration.
PwC considers it another step forward in its ambition to be a major player in the transformation of corporate auditing and delivering value-added services to its customers.
Create a reference blockchain ecosystem for companies
The expertise in the development of blockchain and the desire to transform financial services through the distributed ledger technology has brough both PwC and Request Network together. PwC and the Request Network Foundation also intend to build together an ecosystem with an international purview.
Commenting on the partnership, Marie-Line Ricard, Partner PwC France and French-speaking Africa, Head of Blockchain Lab, said
“Today we have the chance to explore new opportunities, new technologies, a new type of management, a new state of mind to live together, to share and collaborate: this is exactly what the blockchain promises us. At PwC, we believe it! That’s why we created the Blockchain Lab and reinforce our expertise year after year thanks to the talents we recruit but also thanks to partners. We therefore welcome this new collaboration with one of the most innovative players in the global blockchain ecosystem.”
Together, the teams of the “Blockchain Lab” and the Request Network Foundation will explore the benefits of blockchain and optimize the financial services of private or public organizations.
With branches in New York, Geneva and Singapore, Request Network is an international foundation whose applications are already getting the attention of international organizations, companies, governments and states. Request Network’s technology improves efficiency and results in costs savings by automating financial functions such as billing, payments, accounting or taxes.
As a first step in the partnership, PwC experts visited the Singapore headquarters of the Request Network Foundation for a discussion on joint practical application of blockchain technology and the formalization of use cases.
Christophe Lassuyt, Co-Founder, Request Network Foundation said
“This partnership with PwC France and French-speaking Africa creates a bridge between the business world and the blockchain world.”
Etienne Tatur, Co-Founder, Request Network Foundation, explained
“The combination of our state-of-the-art blockchain technology with the experience of a trusted business partner gives them the best of both worlds, enabling a smooth business transformation.”
Christophe Fonteneau, Partnerships Manager, Request Network Foundation, said
“This partnership is a great way to share our knowledge and expertise. We are providing technology to build together a center of excellence for the finance business, which aims to facilitate the blockchain adoption by the financial industry.”
An additional step for the PwC Blockchain Lab
After an unprecedented partnership with Eureka Certification and the creation of the Vulcan platform in collaboration with three startups, this new partnership is part of the firm’s innovation strategy with technology partners. It is the key to building a complete financial services ecosystem that will meet the growing demand from customers adopting blockchain technology.
This partnership therefore reflects PwC’s continued investment as a pioneer in blockchain issues and its desire to position itself as a benchmark player for the benefit of its clients, as well as increasing numbers of people joining the Blockchain Lab.
Sébastien Choukroun, manager of Blockchain Lab said
“We are striving to recruit profiles with a very good knowledge of blockchains, both in terms of technological and economic issues. The partnership with REQUEST fits perfectly with our desire to provide a state-of-the-art ecosystem that can attract talent to our Blockchain Lab.”
PwC benefits from the strength of a network of more than 200 blockchain specialists in nearly 15 countries. These international teams have already demonstrated their know-how on multiple projects such as:
- the design and development of a prototype for the issue, exchange, settlement and administration of syndicated bank loans for a major banking group.
- the implementation of a smart retail trade finance solution for a major European bank.
- the development of a blockchain prototype for the reinsurance market involving reinsurers, brokers and assignors.
- the Proof of Concept of a securities settlement system for a national bank.
- the implementation of a national exchange by blockchain.
