Buy-Side Technology Awards 2017: Best Distributed-Ledger Technology Project—Symbiont
Symbiont repeats as the Best Distributed Ledger Technology Project

Caitlin Long, Symbiont president and chairman, says the buy side is attracted to projects that level the playing field. “I think we offer a truly decentralized platform where there are no gatekeepers,” says Long. “The buy side is attracted because a lot of the technology they use, say for syndicated loans, are prescribed by the originators of the financial instrument, the sell-side. They don’t have much choice in which technologies to use. But with distributed ledger, it’s an even playing field.”
She adds that some distributed-ledger projects often have “supernodes” or assigned gatekeeper roles to sell-side institutions, but the projects Symbiont so far has initiated do not feature such nodes. The firm recently upgraded the multi-layer privacy feature of the syndicated loans blockchain project. It partnered with Credit Suisse and R3 for the proof-of-concept. Long says it was done to ensure that buy-side firms are able to hide their identities in transactions yet be transparent to regulators. She adds that stability enhancements to the platform were also added in order to be able to meet Credit Suisse’s go live date of 2018. The project was first announced in September 2016 and the proof-of-concept was deemed a success in March. “It’s been our goal to provide value to the buy side and be the premiere distributed-ledger provider,” says Long.
Speaking broadly about distributed-ledger technology, Long feels the hype cycle has moved ahead of reality, so people might see a slowdown in projects being launched and may even see some shelved. But this does not mean that these blockchain experiments have failed, just that the technology is now in the evaluation phase before being scaling up. “Enterprise blockchain has to go through a high due diligence so there is a perceived slowdown. It’s easier to do a science project than to get it out so that’s where enterprise blockchain is now,” she says. “All the hype has gone to initial coin offerings but that’s really because people are in the process of evaluating current projects, particularly since these are regulated markets. It just takes time to implement.”
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Awards & Rankings
Witad Awards 2025: Technology innovator of the year (end-user)—Ruchi Acharya Saraswat, RBC Capital Markets
Ruchi Acharya Saraswat, managing director, head of strategy and transformation, business and client services technology at RBC Capital Markets, wins technology innovator of the year (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Best company for diversity and inclusion (end-user)—BNP Paribas Portugal
BNP Paribas Portugal wins best company for diversity and inclusion (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Wellness/work-life balance award (end-user)—Sarah Mears, MUFG Investor Services
Sarah Mears, chief human resources officer at MUFG Investor Services, wins the wellness/work-life balance award (end-user) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Exchange professional of the year—Valerie Bannert-Thurner, Nasdaq
Valerie Bannert-Thurner, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the financial technology division at Nasdaq, wins exchange professional of the year in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Rising star (vendor)—Hannah Sayson, S&P Global Marketplace
Hannah Sayson, lead product manager of the S&P Global Marketplace, wins rising star (vendor) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Data science professional of the year (vendor)—Kaja Zupanc, Duco
Kaja Zupanc, head of machine learning at Duco, wins data science professional of the year (vendor) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Vendor professional of the year (data and operations)—Pooja Padgavkar, SmartStream Technologies
Pooja Padgavkar, senior consultant at SmartStream Technologies, wins vendor professional of the year (data and operations) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.
Witad Awards 2025: Vendor professional of the year (trading and risk)—Eva Sehic, Lime Trading Corp.
Eva Sehic, CEO of Lime Trading, wins vendor professional of the year (trading and risk) in the 2025 Women in Technology and Data Awards.