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.

Feb 19, 2020 - This project underscores the importance of standards and governance of token innovation in managing digital assets. It takes an in-depth look at the Token Taxonomy Initiative, a new open standards effort championed by a who’s who of enterprise blockchain, from Accenture and Enterprise Ethereum Alliance to Microsoft and Web3 Labs. Its members have taken a first-principles blockchain-agnostic approach to developing a Token Taxonomy Framework, which is expected to help unify our understanding of the token economy without sacrificing the decentralization that makes it so powerful. It starts with token types and progresses to token properties, w...

May 23, 2019 - This project explains the role of exchanges after initial coin offerings, compared to conventional initial public offerings. It compares crypto over-the-counter exchanges (Bitfinex, Coinbase) that enable peer-to-peer trading and on-chain decentralized exchanges (Oasis DEX) where all aspects of a trade occur on a blockchain.

Apr 30, 2018 - This research surveys the global landscape of regulatory frameworks, statements, and decisions, on blockchain-based token sales in the jurisdictions of the United States, Canada, Singapore, China, France, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Switzerland, and Gibraltar, with commentary on Malaysia, South Korea, Israel, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Arab Emirates. Its expert authors look at initial coin offerings and compare how different regulators are categorizing token sales in their attempts to balance the protection of investors with the stimulus of innovat...

Feb 09, 2021 - This research project surveys what federal governments can do to exploit the next era of technology across their operations, within their economies and society, and with their allies and global partners. It focuses on the threats and opportunities facing the United States—including China’s increasing dominance in global supply chains and strategic innovation. It also speaks to challenges the new administration faces, and recommends five areas for immediate action: securing digital systems, citizen identities, and personal data; embracing cryptocurrencies and launching a digital dollar; transforming government services and culture; engagin...

Jan 21, 2021 - This research project looks at stablecoins, a new category of digital assets with stable prices in decentralized financial systems. It achieves three goals. First, it examines different ways to stabilize the price of a cryptocurrency. Some are backed by assets with stable value such as US dollars or gold, others are stabilized by algorithms, and some combine those two approaches. Second, it surveys the landscape of stablecoins and analyze the top ten stablecoins by market capitalization. Finally, it suggests ways to use stablecoins for protecting the value of a cryptoasset portfolio.