Honestly Mastercoin, and by extension counterparty, needs a true killer app. Sorry to say it, but it's not going to be financial services.

A lot of the high-frequency traders, which Lewis asserts are at the heart of billions of dollars in costs are companies were unknown entities to many on Wall Street, let alone the general public. Companies (some now defunct) like Getco, Citadel, Hudson River Trading, Eagle Seven, Simplex Investments, Evolution Financial Technologies, Cooperfun, and DRW aren’t the bigshots featured in columns haranguing bankers in The New York Times. And yet at one point, says Lewis, Getco was responsible for 10 percent of the stock market.

Niederauer was joined by former co-head of trading at Citadel Matt Andresen, Getco founders Dan Tierney and Stephen Schuler, Allied World Assurance Company CEO Scott Carmilani, and Celeridem FinTech Fund. A Series A round of institutional investment is expected to close in the third quarter."