Part One of this two-part E-alert looked at the challenges facing London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) LIBOR and how the syndicated loan market is dealing with the potential non-availability of these rates. Part two considers if blockchain technology and a ‘LIBOR currency’ could boost submission incentives and make the process more secure.

Most discussions surrounding LIBOR involve ways to replace it using a similar polling mechanism. However, utilizing recent advancements in the field of financial technology, including blockchain technology, might offer innovative ways to improve or replace the benchmark.

Financial technology may be able to solve the three main problems of LIBOR as it now exists: manipulability, opacity, and a lack of incentives for data providers. Currently, no such solution has been proposed, but it is worth considering some ideas involving randomization, encryption, the use of blockchain, and even the issuance of a LIBOR currency.
 
View the full alert here.