Coinbase, ConenSys and Circle Become Founding Members of Global Digital Finance

Alongside the core team expansion news, the non-profit also released its Taxonomy for crypto-assets and its Code of Conduct.

GDF was launched on the 19th March 2018 in London by Lawrence Wintermeyer, Jeff Bandman, and Simon Taylor, who announced the news with a Twitter post. The GDF founding members are now Goldman-backed Circle Internet Financial; cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, ConsenSys – Ethereum blockchain-oriented venture production studio, Diginex – a blockchain technology solutions consulting company, enterprise blockchain company R3, and leading international law companies DLA Piper and Hogan Lovells.

These companies will support GDF’s idea to develop a strategy and grow a community of companies that want to follow its Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct, discussed and approved after a series of summits in Asia, Europe, and the United States, was derived out of “over 200 company contributions and 100 feedbacks from cryptocurrency firms”.

The Code of Conduct is a shared “rulebook” for companies to follow when conducting with customers, launching ICOs, creating exchange platforms, and trading with digital assets.

In the three-part document, the GDF emphasizes compliance with existing laws, legal and organizational requirements, ethics, conflicts management, market integrity, treatment of customers and customer assets, and compliance with the Code.

Part two and three describe the contents of a “whitepaper,” the way tokens are being sold, and how the trading platforms should operate in a safe, trustless, transparent way.

Companies will be able to register with GDF’s Code from the first quarter of 2019.