Alipay’s owner just launched a blockchain-based trade platform

The owner of China’s mobile payment app Alipay, Ant Group, has just launched a new blockchain-based platform for international trade settlements. The new launch comes just ahead of its massive $35 billion-large IPO, and it is likely not going to be the last that the firm will create in the near future. Ant is preparing the largest IPO yet Ant Group is a major giant in its field, and as if that wasn’t enough, it is also backed by China’s e-commerce conglomerate, Alibaba Group Holding. After 16 years in business, the firm decided to list in two different markets —