Something big is happening at the intersection of tech and finance.
A revolutionary software called blockchain is poised to transform all sorts of businesses—from big banks to Silicon Valley startups—in the same way broadband Internet and cloud computing did a generation before. Leading tech thinkers say we’re on the cusp of a new web.
This is why Fortune is launching The Ledger, a new franchise to tell the story of fintech. As the name suggests, The Ledger will be an authoritative record. We’ll cover blockchains (also known as distributed ledgers), but also chart the people and companies at the leading edge of money and technology.
The Ledger will stay true to Fortune’s 87-year tradition of smart, incisive business reporting. This means covering stories of the moment such as the boom in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and the “initial coin offering” craze that has enabled firms to raise more than $1 billion in 2017 alone. But it also means reporting on the deeper implications of financial technology. Blockchains, for example, could transform the supply chains of companies such as Walmart and help banks like JPMorgan save billions in transaction fees every year.
To get a flavor of The Ledger, check out our inaugural stories published here this morning (and in Fortune’s Sept. 1 issue): Jen Wieczner’s “The 21st-Century Bank Robbery,” about the digital crime spree targeting cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, and Robert Hackett’s “Blockchain Mania!” which provides a sweeping survey of this new technology and its many prospective uses.
Wieczner is Fortune’s top Wall Street reporter and Hackett is our resident expert on cybersecurity and crypto. Together, they will make up The Ledger’s core team alongside Jeff John Roberts, Fortune’s legal reporter who has written about Bitcoin since 2013. Please follow us on Twitter@FortuneLedger and on Facebook. You can find the latest stories for The Ledger here.
As with everywhere else at Fortune, our readers will be key to the success of The Ledger. We encourage you to reach out (discreetly if you prefer) with tips, gossip, and feedback at Ledger@fortune.com. You can also reach out to us individually at Jeff.Roberts@fortune.com, robert.hackett@fortune.com and jen.wieczner@fortune.com.