Middleware Consulting International

IBM Cloud provides Vortex platform with scalability and strong performance for online gamers around the world on almost any device

ARMONK, N.Y.,  — IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Polish startup RemoteMyApp will adopt IBM Cloud for increasing global reach and scaling of its Vortex gaming platform.

Vortex allows users to play games anywhere in the world on almost any device – smartphone, tablet, or smart TV –via the application, without downloading the game. As the platform has grown in usage and expanded to new markets such as Latin America and South East Asia, Vortex needed to scale its services, updates, and functionality to meet growing demand from players. Vortex turned to IBM Cloud to provide the global scale needed to provide a low latency gaming experience no matter where players are or what device they are using.

IBM Cloud positions the Vortex platform to provide high performance computing service with GPU graphics cards. Using powerful servers hosted in several of the nearly 60 IBM Data Centers around the world, Vortex can handle an infinite number of players from all continents without any loss in efficiency or quality of services and with the lowest possible latency. With a game library available in the cloud, gamers will even play games on older devices because all of the processing, including graphics, has been transferred to the cloud.

The growth of online gaming platforms turning to cloud is the result of two factors –a constant growth in the number of players and the increasing popularity of mobile devices. The Vortex deployment is just one of a handful of gaming industry clients like EA’s Firemonkeys, Exit Games, and LiquidSky that recently adopted the IBM Cloud to deliver a gaming experience that is globally scalable and allows for quick product updates in a competitive market.

“The gaming market is currently the fastest growing entertainment sector, and the sale of video games alone generates almost three times more revenue than the global film industry,” said Andreas Hestbeck, CEO at RemoteMyApp. “Our users live almost everywhere in the world and the subscriptions are growing every day – which is why we need IBM Cloud for reliable, global scalability.”

“RemoteMyApp chose IBM Cloud as a collaborator in their digital transformation because we are dedicated to meeting customers where they are on their cloud journey whether they’re a startup or have decades of legacy systems and need a hybrid cloud solution,” said Przemyslaw Galinski, IBM Cloud Platform Sales Leader Poland and Baltics. “We look forward to providing RemoteMyApp with the scale they need as they mature in this competitive, growing market.”

Since its launch in 2017, Vortex has gained in popularity among cloud gaming platforms with more than 6 million users. With a monthly subscription model, players are granted 100 hours of gameplay and access to more than 100 games, including new releases. Unlike many other streaming platforms, Vortex does not require installing anything other than the application to access the library and choose a game.

Provides real time settlement using a variety of digital assets

SINGAPORE,  — MONEY 20/20: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced IBM Blockchain World Wire, a real-time global payments network for regulated financial institutions, is officially accessible in a growing number of markets.

Designed to optimize and accelerate foreign exchange, cross border payments and remittances, World Wire is the first blockchain network of its kind to integrate payment messaging, clearing and settlement on a single unified network, while allowing participants to dynamically choose from a variety of digital assets for settlement.

“We’ve created a new type of payment network designed to accelerate remittances and transform cross-border payments to facilitate the movement of money in countries that need it most,” said Marie Wieck, General Manager, IBM Blockchain. “By creating a network where financial institutions support multiple digital assets, we expect to spur innovation and improve financial inclusion worldwide.”

Today World Wire has enabled payment locations in 72 countries, with 47 currencies and 44 banking endpoints.  Local regulations will continue to guide activation, and IBM is actively growing the network with additional financial institutions globally.

World Wire provides a more straight-through model for cross border payments using the Stellar protocol that makes money transfers point-to-point in lieu of the complexities of conventional correspondent banking. It reduces intermediaries and allows users to accelerate settlement time often in seconds by transmitting monetary value in the form of digital assets, commonly known as cryptocurrencies or “stable coins.” This simplified approach improves operational efficiency and liquidity management, streamlining payment reconciliation and reducing overall transaction costs for financial institutions.

The network already supports settlement using Stellar Lumens and a U.S. dollar stable coin through IBM’s previously-announced collaboration with Stronghold.  Pending regulatory approvals and other reviews, six international banks, including Banco Bradesco, Bank Busan, and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), have signed letters of intent to issue their own stable coins on World Wire, adding Euro, Indonesian Rupiah, Philippine Peso, Korean Won and Brazilian Real stable coins to the network. IBM will continue to expand the ecosystem of settlement assets based on client demand.

“Bradesco continuously adopts innovation that enhances customer experience and improves efficiency,” said Luiz Carlos Brandao Cavalcanti Junior, Innovation and Digital Channels Executive Director, Banco Bradesco. “The World Wire Network addresses both of these aspects, and therefore presents a valuable opportunity for Bradesco and its customers in Brazil.”

“RCBC is pleased to be an early innovator with plans to issue our own Peso stable coin on World Wire, pending final approval from our regulators,” said Manny T. Narcisco, First Senior Vice-President, RCBC. “We’re focused on innovation that adds value for our customers, and World Wire presents a tremendous opportunity to transform and enhance our payment infrastructure.”

DENVER, CO — CULedger, a credit union service organization (CUSO), today announced a collaboration with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to pioneer new blockchain-based services to help credit unions provide a better experience for members.

CULedger will work with IBM to use permissioned blockchain technologies to create an immutable audit trail that can be used to create new business models and transform existing business processes for credit unions. The companies also intend to help drive greater financial inclusion by extending reach to a broader range of new members.

The credit union industry serves more than 260 million members worldwide with over $1.7 trillion of circulating assets and is historically known for superior customer service. The adoption of blockchain technology will help build continued momentum among all demographics, as well as small and medium enterprises that currently lack access to financial services.

By creating a permissioned blockchain network where services can be shared among all credit unions, CULedger will improve services such as identification authentication, regulatory compliance around know-your-customer (KYC), lending and payments, while making it easier and more efficient for consumers to conduct any interactions that require authentication.

“A cooperative model that helps improve the member experience while benefitting all credit unions is the ideal approach to ensuring the next wave of financial innovation for the credit union industry,” said John Ainsworth, CEO and President, CULedger. “We are creating a network through which all members can join and access new services and enabling credit unions to become even more competitive while addressing new market dynamics where members are demanding even more for their financial services provider.”

Credit union members worldwide will also have access to a CULedger issued digital credential, called MyCUID that adheres to the privacy-by-design requirements of self-sovereign identity supported by the Sovrin Foundation. MyCUID will help credit unions support shared financial services which allows members to conduct transactions among any credit union on the network.

Blockchain’s potential value to the enterprise is expected to grow to more than $360 billion by 2026, then surge to more than $3.1 trillion by 2030, according to a recent Gartner report^1.  As the financial services industry continues to evolve, blockchain technology is being used to help address consumer demands for safer, faster and more efficient transactions.

“Credit unions will be able to cooperate and receive shared value from quickly exchanging sensitive data in a permissioned, individually controlled and transparent way. This decentralized approach using blockchain helps put the customer in control of their own identity,” said Marie Wieck, General Manager, IBM Blockchain. “The work underway between CULedger and IBM will also lay the foundation for new kinds of services and collaboration among credit unions as we work together to scale and extend the network.”

As the leader in Enterprise Blockchain, IBM brings deep expertise in the financial services industry and experience in building blockchain networks among large ecosystems of members. IBM Blockchain supports real business needs while addressing the requirements for accountability, privacy, scalability and high security in the network.

Initial services on CULedger’s blockchain network will be available to credit unions worldwide beginning later in 2019