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...

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.

Mar 16, 2018 - This project digs into the regulatory implications of privately funding public blockchain-based resources, some of which qualify as an ecosystem such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, some as a decentralized application (Dapp), and some as a regulated security (e.g., The DAO), according the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Coalition of Automated Legal Applications describes various legal solutions, such as simple agreement for future tokens, that could support ecosystems that are innovative, streamlined, and fair for all stakeholders.

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...

Dec 23, 2019 - This research explores how blockchain technologies could address the challenges of the market for life insurance. Through initiatives such as open IDL and consortia such as B3i and The Institutes RiskStream Collaborative, the insurance industry is exploring use cases where blockchain could deliver near-seamless automated processes, more secure data sharing, uniform compliance, and better fraud prevention. New business models such as peer-to-peer insurance and insurance-as-a-service will likely gain traction as insurance technology start-ups move into life insurance.