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...

Aug 17, 2022 - Co-led by two seasoned 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—this case study digs into the Chinese government’s approach to the research, development, testing, and launch 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 and Road Initiative and in the context of the Communist Party of China’s political and economic goals. They cover the drivers of the tech...

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.

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...

Nov 13, 2020 - For cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies to scale in adoption as the Internet did, people need more human-friendly ways to use them. We believe that the digital wallet is one such way. Digital wallets are pieces of software that hold digital things of value for us, such as money, ID cards, and documents such as receipts. They enable us to make payments, prove our identities, record and verify our actions and transactions, and aggregrate and manage our cryptoassets such bitcoin, ether, or derivatives of cryptocurrencies. Eventually, we expect them to capture and protect our Internet browsing, online shopping, and other streams of...

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.