I'm a newbie and I'm not across the specifics so excuse my ignorance but isn't this what Ripple is trying to do as well, just using another protocol? I find it really interesting to observe the different plays of the Financial Services and technology companies to position well for the inevitable future. In my opinion though, the banks really need to consider their value proposition to SMEs going forward. I'm not sure if it is in providing these semi-centralised platforms, but rather to go back to their roots and focus on providing 'safe' local liquidity (i.e. loans) to SMEs.
RE: IBM Selected by Consortium of Seven Major European Banks for Blockchain Solution