Jul 11, 2022 - This research brief lays out a taxonomy of nine digital asset categories, including tokens for exchanges, natural assets, platform governance, and smart contracting protocols. For each category, it provides a definition with examples of the asset’s creation and usage. It also explains the asset category’s disruptive effects on financial services and the global economy. The brief is ideal for leaders who want a quick overview of these important financial innovations.

Aug 17, 2022 - Central banks, rev up your digital currency engines! The race to global adoption is on, and this case study of China’s e-yuan captures the first mover in action. Co-led by PhDs—one a fintech advisor, strategy consultant, and researcher based in Hong Kong/Singapore, and the other a professor at the Schulich School of Business in Toronto—the case digs into the Chinese government’s approach to the research, development, and roll out of its digital yuan. The authors analyze China’s digital currency electronic payment in terms of the government’s joint venture with SWIFT, its Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Belt an...

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...

Oct 18, 2018 - Energy expert and innovator Lawrence Orsini shares his research and work on blockchain applications that will transform global energy grids at local, national, and international levels. He provides a snapshot of today’s energy markets, consumers’ willingness to generate their own energy through green technology, and blockchain’s ability to create peer-to-peer markets for excess energy. Pointing to experiments in Australia and German, Orsini shows how blockchain will support the next generation of energy infrastructure. He discusses the roles of stakeholders -- policymakers, energy producers, and corporate intermediaries -- and he sugges...

May 21, 2019 - This research delves into the current state of project management and how blockchain technology is beginning to transform it. Its authors identify five key areas where blockchain-based platforms and applications can support the efforts of the project management office, including creating and managing digital records, exchanging digital assets, verifying and reinforcing acceptable performance, building reputation systems, and executing smart contracts. It presents case studies of enterprises that are currently deploying blockchain to manage clinical trials, construction projects, and the provenance and custody of assets in collaborations with ...

Jan 22, 2018 - Blockchain technology could enable cooperative models for organizing capital and capability, exchanging value, and managing risk peer to peer. This research project explores distributed marketplaces for insurance and financial assets, where peers amass large pools of liquidity on the blockchain, smart contracts pay liabilities, and artificial intelligence calculates actuarial risk.