Wall Street brings blockchain into the fold

LAS VEGAS — The buzz at Money 20/20 is focused on consumers being on the verge of near-instant banking transfers, including at night or on weekends, Axios' Ryan Lawler and Lucinda Shen report.Why it matters: America's financial giants have talked for years about bringing blockchain — the technology that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are built on — into their systems. Now they're actually doing it.That shift to instant transfers could also make investing faster and more convenient: Digital versions of stocks could let investors transfer shares around the clock, even when exchanges are closed."It's becoming more mainstream institutionally than it ever has been," Digital Currency Group investor Aaron Fu tells Axios, pointing to financial institutions building more blockchain infrastructure in-house.💡 How it works: Financial institutions have begun using private blockchains to instantly track money and investments as they change hands.Yes, but: Using the technology behind cryptocurrencies doesn't necessarily mean using the currencies themselves.Banks can create digital versions of the dollars customers already have on deposit.💰 State of play: Money 20/20 attendees say that the conve…

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