Reference Architecture for Cryptocurrency in Banking

Abstract

The Internet has now become an environment and source for innovation development that has impacted a wide range of industries. The platform has enabled entrepreneurs to create groundbreaking solutions that have had a disruptive and transformative effect on the lives of many people. While banking had dealt with several innovations such as internet payment providers, more recently a virtual alternative to cash has begun to emerge. Although the notion of true electronic cash has been considered for some time, the availability of a practical electronic currency has only recently gained actual adoption that is forcing many financial institutions to reconsider the potential long-term impact. We provide some insight into the latest trends in cryptocurrency and propose a reference architecture for adopting this form of financial asset in a central banking scenario; i.e. a Fiat based cryptocurrency. The presently used cryptocurrency are based on a peer to peer scheme and hence we outline an IT solution that will accommodate a centrally issued electronic currency.