Feb 28, 2018 - This project looks at the three layers of the blockchain stack—protocol, consensus, and economic—from logical and technical points of view; and it distinguishes between two types of standardization, semantic and technological. It should help executives and investors to understand the implementation challenges—such as scalability, energy consumption, and governance of each layer—and the problems that the blockchain community is attempting to solve with each innovation.

Jun 28, 2021 - This project reports on the state of the enterprise blockchain space. It begins with commentary on the state of the world writ large—from the pandemic’s effects on the economy and the global need for vaccinations to the K-shaped recovery and the consequences of helicopter money (e.g., inflation). It covers a series of developments relevant to enterprise users: the price volatility of cryptocurrencies, the shortcomings of consensus mechanisms for enterprise needs, the growth of stablecoins, the status of tokenless blockchains and blockchain-as-a-service offerings, and the latest on central bank digital currencies (e.g., China’s digital c...

Dec 27, 2017 - This research explores breadth of blockchain’s impact on the telecommunications industry. It presents a framework for evaluating use cases, actionable ideas for blockchain implementation, the risks and limitations of blockchain technology, and a path forward for telecom managers.

Dec 07, 2018 - In collaboration with Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada, researcher Alan Majer of Good Robot presents the promise and potential of blockchain applied to the safety and sustainability of Canada’s food supply. He includes in-depth interviews of Emma Weston, CEO of AgriDigital, Padraig Brennan of Bord Bia, and leaders at Agri Traçabilité Québec and BLOCKstrain. Ultimately, he describes a working model of the holistic approach that other government agencies could be taking to test blockchain solutions to pressing national problems that require public-private collaboration. Le chercheu...

Dec 18, 2018 - This case details one of the United Nations Develop Programme’s projects applying technological solutions to some of the humanitarian agency’s most pressing challenges. As a test case, the UNDP sponsored Blockscale Solutions to build a reliable land registry proof of concept in the state of Haryana, India, as a means of reducing bureaucratic corruption and expediting humanitarian aid in the aftermath of natural disasters. The case compares Haryana’s current system of land administration with the long-term benefits and obstacles to implementation of a blockchain-based system.

Apr 22, 2019 - Updated in collaboration with the IBM Institute for Business Value, this project explores how blockchain is transforming education with an emphasis on lifelong learning and the reskilling of the workforce. It covers not just traditional educational institutions but also corporate training and development, where innovators are using blockchain to establish student identity, protect privacy, finance coursework, measure progress, and record badges of achievement and skills mastery. The implementation of microcredentialing capabilities, pay-as-you-learn funding models, and massively open online courses, plus the co-creation of open educational re...