Some makers and sellers of gold coins and bars are turning to blockchain, the digital ledger that underpins bitcoin, hoping to add some cryptocurrency luster to bullion trading. In doing so, the industry is banking on a trend that has seen a lot of buzz, but so far little result. Businesses from iced tea to photography have embraced blockchain in name, as last year’s cryptocurrency craze ignited interest in the technology. This year, producers and traders are experimenting with a platform...

A decade after the financial crisis, The Wall Street Journal has checked in on dozens of the bankers, government officials, chief executives, hedge-fund managers and others who left a mark on that period to find out what they are doing now. Today, we spotlight U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank. Former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, whose name is attached to the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that reshaped the financial industry, breathed easier last week after Congress voted to...

Next month, Mr. Collins plans to open up to outside investors his new cryptocurrency fund, which he called Morpheus Asset Strategies after a character in the dystopian film “The Matrix.” In March he put his own money into a portfolio trading bitcoin, other virtual currencies and initial coin offerings. In a sign of how these cryptocurrencies have taken off, he says the value of his holdings has risen more than fivefold since then. “Virtual currency for me is a deep passion,” he said. “We’re...

Banks and traders are experimenting with the technology behind bitcoin in an effort to solve longstanding problems in the trading of physical commodities. Blockchain, the technology used to record ownership of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, has been making inroads recently in the financial world. Central banks and other institutions are exploring it for payments and data sharing. Big banks including J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and...