May 25, 2018 - The utility settlement coin (USC) consortium plans to develop what we believe banks will welcome. This case study describes how the USC, launched by UBS and Clearmatics, will use decentralized blockchain technology to confirm financial agreements that are verifiable without the wastefulness of proof of work. Financial institutions could conduct business more safely because of real-time settlement, smart contracts, and enhanced risk management procedures using this new digital version of fiat currencies.

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...

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...

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...

Sep 30, 2019 - This research explores the disruptive effects of blockchain technologies on central banking and the financial services industry. Its author discusses Facebook’s proposed cryptocurrency Libra, and how the other FAANG companies—that is, Amazon.com, Apple, Netflix, and Google—might respond with their own digital tokens. He introduces five transformations—cryptoassets, the tokenization of everything, blockchains as state machines, a new model for identity, and the nine forms of decentralized finance. He examines the challenges that incumbents and innovators face during this transition; and he previews the world of financial services in th...

Oct 31, 2019 - This is the second half of Trust(less): How Blockchain Will Help Us Navigate the Post-Trust World. It explores the broken promises of prominent players in the first ten years of blockchain technology and examines their behavior in terms of their benevolence, competence, and integrity. It also addresses the negative associations that orbit blockchain in the mind of the average, semi-informed observer and outlines a four-step process for rebuilding trust in the blockchain ecosystem.