A group of companies, technology startups, corporations and governments working to leverage open-source Ethereum technology for enterprise blockchain solutions, the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA), announces the addition of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, to a list of over 150 members from public and private sectors alike.
This is not the first Sberbank's attempt to enter the blockchain world. Thus, in 2015, Sberbank revealed the desire to join the international banking blockchain consortium led by New York startup R3 (however, R3 refused Sberbank’s membership to the consortium). Then, in September 2016, Sberbank joined the Linux Foundation-led open-source Hyperledger Project.
Now, according to the announcement, Sberbank becomes the first Russian bank to join the EEA and reveals its intent to further Ethereum blockchain solutions Russia.
Our entrance to the Alliance will help broaden cooperation between leading global companies in terms of developing the Ethereum platform. The Alliance is actively developing and I hope that the bank’s expertise will be of use to all of its members. In addition, the bank will be able to influence the enhancement of the platform and its growth in the corporate sector. I hope that our union will further strengthen our relationship with the Ethereum Foundation and serve as a significant step towards developing blockchain technology in Russia.
Igor Bulantsev
Sberbank senior vice president
It's also noteworhty that Sberbank chief executive Herman Gref, a noted blockchain advocate and a Bitcoiner, has speculated that the blockchain technology will lead to commercial applications in 2019.