Jan 18, 2022 - Sports and political betting are the most popular genres of prediction markets today. This project examines blockchain-based prediction markets. Global prediction market protocols allow anyone to create a community-owned-and-operated marketplace to bet on the outcomes of future events, such as whether countries will fulfill their climate change commitments on time. The next multibillion-dollar prediction market will be a smart contract protocol deployed as a public utility on the Ethereum blockchain, where user ownership will intensify network loyalty and engagement. Implementation challenges include voter apathy, stakeholder alignment, ongoi...

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...

May 10, 2018 - In this research project, Joel Telpner gives us a guided tour of regulatory risk. Pulling lessons from regulating innovation in telecommunications and the financial markets, he focuses on the extent to which the blockchain represents unprecedented regulatory challenges. He advocates a level-headed approach to determining when regulation is necessary and, in such cases, the form that regulation should take, so as to minimize the unintended consequences. Using illustrations by the legendary political cartoonist John Tenniel and passages from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass: and What Alice Found There, Telpner gives executiv...

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...

May 05, 2020 - This project explores London-based start-up Nivaura’s commercialization of a regulatory-compliant blockchain solution—an ether-denominated bond, the first of its kind, with LuxDeco—for issuing and managing debt, equity, and structured investment products in the United Kingdom. The start-up’s solution freed market participants from legacy infrastructure and inefficient practices that added days and costs to new issues.

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.