QFS: Blockchains Building Digital Payment Rails Worldwide

Premium: -- SPECIAL REPORT --

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1. Introduction: The Train Network Analogy for Digital Finance

The global financial landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift, with distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchain projects emerging as the new "train rails" for digital and fiat transactions. Imagine a vast train network where each financial institution serves as a station, the rails are distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms, and the trains are transactions carrying value across borders. This report analyzes primary and secondary DLT projects that build these rails and facilitate transactions, respectively.

To further elaborate on the train analogy, just as a train station serves as a hub for passengers and goods, the financial world is building a digital ecosystem where DLT and blockchain platforms act as rails, and transactions are the trains that move value globally. The attached schematic and supporting documents outline a multi-layered architecture integrating public, private, and hybrid networks.

As already mentioned, this report focuses on the primary projects constructing these rails—Ripple, Stellar, XinFin, Algorand, Hedera, IOTA, and Circle—highlighting their consensus mechanisms, interoperability, and competitive positioning as payment infrastructure for digital and fiat transactions.

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2. Core DLT and Blockchain Projects as Payment Rails

These projects form the foundational infrastructure, acting as the tracks that enable seamless value transfer. Each project's consensus mechanism, interoperability, and competitive positioning are crucial to its role as a payment rail.