Major Merger: World’s Largest Members’ Association for Blockchain Technology

Global Blockchain Business Council – the leading global industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem – has announced a major merger with the world’s leading market standards association for the adoption of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, Global Digital Finance (GDF).

The merger sees the two organizations join their respective resources, assets, and membership, becoming the world’s largest industry association for the blockchain technology and digital assets ecosystem. The combined association will have nearly 500 institutional members and 178 ambassadors, operating across 95 jurisdictions and disciplines. Global Digital Finance will be renamed GBBC Digital Finance, based in the United Kingdom, with teams predominantly across EMEA and APAC.

Sandra Ro, CEO of the GBBC, said: “I am so grateful to our GBBC and GDF communities of changemakers. They are why we exist and drive our mission of educating, advocating, and advancing partnerships to create new opportunities for the many, not the few. Our global collaboration, scale, and influence will be a game-changer for our members and for Web3 as a whole. I am incredibly excited about the forthcoming positive impact of this combined network across industries and sectors.”

Lawrence Wintermeyer, GDF Board Chair, has been appointed to the GBBC Board of Directors. He added: “The rapid growth and viability of blockchain, crypto, and digital assets means there is a clear need for effective, harmonized regulation built on a robust global framework. Leading global institutions and leaders need to work with each other, with governments, and with regulators to deliver this framework, and there is a vital role for GBBC and GDF to play in facilitating and driving this crucial collaboration.”

David Treat, a Senior Managing Director and Global Metaverse Continuum Business Group & Blockchain Lead at Accenture, said: “The digital assets industry has seen unprecedented growth across both retail and institutional channels as businesses look to provide more transparent and secure infrastructures. The merger of GBBC and GDF represents a significant move that will further accelerate the use case and benefits of this transformational technology. At Accenture, we believe this technology underpins the next wave of innovation that will open up a whole new range of game-changing opportunities for our clients.”

This announcement is being made at GBBC’s Blockchain Central at Davos – five years following the formation of the GBBC at Davos in 2017.

About Global Blockchain Business Council

GBBC is the leading global industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem with nearly 500 institutional members and 178 Ambassadors from more than 95 jurisdictions and disciplines. GBBC is dedicated to furthering the adoption of blockchain by engaging regulators, business leaders, and global changemakers on how to harness this groundbreaking technology to create more secure, equitable, and functional societies.

GBBC Digital Finance (GDF) will become the UK-based financial services division of the GBBC. GDF focuses on the adoption of best practices for crypto assets and digital finance technologies, through the development of conduct standards in a shared engagement forum with market participants, policymakers, and regulators. Over 350 industry professionals from around the world have worked on developing the GDF codes of conduct: the only global standard in the emerging crypto and digital assets ecosystem. GDF includes existing financial services initiatives within GBBC, such as the Post Trade Distributed Ledger (PTDL) Group.