Media Coverage

Reinventing an event for the pandemic world

“With the disruption of the pandemic, Arht Media has created a “virtual stage” product that enables multiple people to appear on the same cyberspace stage. While this year’s gala is free to attend, we’re compensating for lost revenues with sponsorship, and we expect 10 times as many people to tune in. Around the world, innovators are dreaming up other creative ideas to create extraordinary digital experiences.” Read More

5 Ways Blockchain Tech Can Help Us During This Pandemic

“At the Blockchain Research Institute ™, we’re doing our part to facilitate positive change. Technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, augmented/virtual reality, and above all, blockchain are more relevant than ever – not just to business and the economy but to the future of public health and the safety of global populations.” Read More

Eight Essential Tips for Working From Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic

“Hilary Carter is the managing director of Blockchain Research Institute ™, an organization that studies the technology behind cryptocurrency. Having had plenty of experience with working remotely, she also suggests doing what you can to create a work environment that’s stimulating – light a candle, keep a photo of happier times nearby, and make sure there’s plenty of light. The goal is to be comfortable.” Read More

With Cash Both a Carrier of COVID-19 and an Accessory to Crime, Should We Eliminate It?

“So with the drumbeat of digital payments growing louder and with cash both a carrier of COVID-19 and an accessory to crime, should we eliminate it altogether? The answer is no — at least, not until we can introduce a widely adopted alternative.” Read More

Open Letter to Toronto

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part eight in an eight-part series. “You are becoming a leader for this new digital economy, a second era of the digital age focused not just on developing the newest web application, or finding innovative ways to expropriate peoples’ data, but also on developing and using new technologies for prosperity and improving people’s lives.” Read More

Taking Back our Data

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part seven in an eight-part series. “What we need is a fundamental change in how we define and assign ownership of data assets and how we establish, manage, and protect our digital identities. Change those rules, and we end up changing everything.” Read More

Six Things Canadian Corporations Should be Doing to Help Startups Thrive

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part six in an eight-part series. “The most recent 2019 Startup Genome report ranked the Toronto-Waterloo corridor as the 13th most valuable and dynamic startup ecosystem in the world. That means that world-class companies are being forged right here on our doorstep.” Read More

How the Heart and Stroke foundation is experimenting with technology that can identify healthy behaviours

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part five in an eight-part series. “When the Heart and Stroke Foundation decided it wanted to entice people to pay more attention to their health, it turned to Canadian payment company Interac to dangle financial incentives for good behaviour.” Read More

This Toronto company can beam a lifelike version of you into meetings as a human hologram

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part four in an eight-part series. “Don Tapscott, co-founder and executive chairman of Blockchain Research Institute ™, recently used holographic telepresence to beam into a conference in Singapore. He says the technology has freed up his busy schedule, while solving the challenges that accompany travelling.” Read More

A Digital Loonie May Be On the Way

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part three in an eight-part series. “Blockchain will do for capital and assets what the internet did for newspapers, film, and TV. It will force us to rethink the deep structure and workings of many industries, starting with finance.” Read More

Toronto hospital trial allows patients to see their medical records

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part two in an eight-part series. “A blockchain-based app also offers the potential for patients to grant access to their data to anyone they want, from concerned family members, to doctors treating them, and even medical researchers.” Read More

How Blockchain Will Shake Up the Financial World

In March 2020, Don Tapscott guest-edited the Business section of the Toronto Star. Here is part one in an eight-part series. “To meet these new challenges, the time has come for Canada to reimagine its social contract — the basic expectation between business, government and civil society.” Read More

How Blockchain Will Shake Up the Financial World

“All three pillars of our modern world are now deeply invested and engaged in the blockchain. At first it was just civil society working through boot-strapped projects like Bitcoin that originated in distrust of authority. Now you’re increasingly seeing governments who are piloting the idea of crypto-fiat currencies, and private industry efforts such as Facebook’s Libra.” Read More

Blockchain Remains an Opportunity and a Challenge for Investors

“Blockchain is an opportunity and a challenge for investors. It’s creating exciting new products and services, but the advances are not always easy to understand. Unlocking the value takes time and the companies and products first out of the gate aren’t necessarily the ones that will win the race.” Read More

Unleashing the Power of Blockchain in the Enterprise

“Blockchain will work much better for enterprise strategy implementation when enterprise leaders work together on blockchain — specifically on blockchain governance, meaning the stewardship of this distributed ledger technology through its phases of development. They must reach consensus on several types of issues — such as systems integration and scalability — but two in particular are critical to adoption: standards and the governance of change.” Read More

We’re living in an era of digital feudalism.

“Instead of farm produce, today the new asset class is data—created by us, but captured by digital landlords such as social-media companies, search engines, online retailers, governments, and banks. “Surfing the internet” has become “serfing the internet,” with users giving up intimate details of their lives for the internet lordships to aggregate, expropriate, and monetize. We, as the serfs, only get left with a few lousy cabbages.” Read More

How Blockchain Will Change Construction

“Can the same distributed ledger technology that powers bitcoin also enable better execution of strategic projects in a conservative sector like construction, involving large teams of contractors and subcontractors and an abundance of building codes, safety regulations, and standards?” Read More

Facebook’s Libra, for all of its promise, faces an uphill battle

Alex Tapscott defines the deployment of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency as a “watershed moment”, one that opens up the possibility of banking the unbanked, but also comes with many challenges for the conglomerate: conflict with big banks who no longer own the only route to payment services, a potential crypto war with other large digital conglomerates such as Amazon, and working with regulators and citizens to rebuild trust in the company. Read More

Q&A: Blockchain expert Alex Tapscott sees coming crypto war as ‘cataclysmic’

In this interview with Computerworld, Alex Tapscott discusses Facebook’s shift into financial services with the new Libra blockchain and what this signals for the banking industry. Read More

The Blockchain Future Don Tapscott Wants for his Grandchildren

“So how will blockchain make an impact on the lives of Tapscott’s newborn grand-kids? If Don had his wish, by the time they’re 18, they will own their own data and be masters of their own identity. They’ll trust democratic institutions that work from transparent platforms. And they’ll be part of an economy that includes everyone – including the 2 billion “unbanked” at present – and ensures that creators are fairly compensated for the value they produce.” Read More

It’s Time For Online Voting

In this article for the New York Times, Alex Tapscott (co-author of Blockchain Revolution and co-founder of the Blockchain Research Institute ™), offers some fresh thinking about how new technologies could help eliminate voter suppression and strengthen participation and trust in democracy. Read More

Canada Emerges as a Hub for Blockchain Technology

“Alex Tapscott says the rise of Canada as a blockchain hub can be attributed to a combination of factors, including a healthy startup community, a transparent legal system, a robust financial-services industry as well as industry regulators who are open to innovation.” Read More

Taking stock of the blockchain revolution

In May 2016, Don and Alex Tapscott published Blockchain Revolution. Now, two years on and with a new edition under their belt, Alex sits down with VentureBeat to discuss his views on the revolution as it stands in 2018, from Cryptokitties and scalability improvements to the growing global recognition of the software and its impact on society. Read More

Who Would Win the World Cup of Blockchain?

“When the World Cup is well underway and soccer fans are rooting for their team’s global dominance, there’s a different but equally thrilling competition underfoot:the race to reinvent the internet as we know it.” Read More

Ten cryptocurrency predictions for 2018 from the co-founder of the Blockchain Research Institute ™

A year ago, Alex Tapscott (my co-author of Blockchain Revolution) and I made some predictions for 2017. At the end of the year we compared those predictions to what had actually occurred. Overall they stood up well.Notably we said: “Bitcoin will hit $2,000 (that’s right: one bitcoin will be worth $2,000). Ethereum will not collapse, post-DAO, but will become a dominant platform for new apps and new business models.” Read More

Tencent, Bell Canada join Blockchain Research Institute ™ as founding members

The Toronto-based Blockchain Research Institute ™ announced 16 new organizations have joined as founding members.The organizations include Barrick Gold, Bell Canada, Capgemini Canada, Cimcorp, Deloitte Canada, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), FedEx, Fujitsu, the Institute on Governance, Interac/Acxsys, KPMG LLP, Loblaw Companies Limited, MKS Switzerland, Moog, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, and Tencent. Read More

Blockchain Research Institute ™ começa operação no Brasil

O Blockchain Research Institute ™, criado por Don Tapscott – curador do Fórum Econômico Mundial – começa operação no Brasil. É a primeira promovida fora do Canadá.Mas o que é “blockchain”? Palavra ainda pouco usada, é uma mudança tecnológica que permite que informações não sejam distribuídas em cópias – como já ocorre nas transações financeiras online. Read More

Canadian Government Agencies Join Tapscott-Led Blockchain Research Effort

The government of Canada, along with several provincial and municipal administrations, has joined a prominent blockchain research effort.Announced today, the Blockchain Research Institute ™, founded in March by “Blockchain Revolution” authors Don and Alex Tapscott, revealed new members including the provincial government of Ontario, the city of Toronto and the Bank of Canada, the country’s central bank. Read More

Gowling supports Blockchain Research Institute ™ and other legal moves and grooves for June 13

As a founding private sector member, Gowling WLG is the first international law firm to support the Blockchain Research Initiative, a multi-million dollar Toronto-based research project aimed at investigating blockchain strategies, implementation challenges and market opportunities.“We’re here to provide [BRI] with the advanced legal guidance they’ll need as they navigate uncharted territory and uncover new and more effective ways to do business,” said Mark Tamminga, leader of innovation initiatives at Gowling WLG. Read More

Blockchain Research Institute ™ announces research partnership with Canadian gov’t, City of Toronto

Father-and-son duo Don and Alex Tapscott, also the co-founders of the Blockchain Research Institute ™, (BRI) have announced a research partnership with several members of Canada’s public sector.The BRI, which is dedicated to studying the implications of blockchain across various industries, will receive support from a number of public sector members including the Government of Canada, the Ontario government, the City of Toronto, University Health Network, the Bank of Canada, and the Federal Institute on Governance. The Institute is also welcoming support from private sector members including Thomson Reuters, the Institute’s first law firm Gowling WLG, and TMX Group. Read More

Blockchain Research Institute ™ welcomes support from public and private sector members

Blockchain Research Institute ™ (BRI) that explores strategic opportunities of the blockchain technology, announced that its initiative is being supported by broad public sector.The initiative, which is a syndicated research program of more than 40 projects working on strategic deployment of blockchain technology, has officially welcomed support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, The University Health Network in Toronto, Bank of Canada, and the Federal Institute on Governance, the release stated. Read More

Don Tapscott Announces International Blockchain Research Institute ™

The government of Canada, in partnership with other government bodies and private sector companies, is establishing a Blockchain Research Institute ™ in Toronto to bring together the top minds in public and private sector research to build blockchain-based economies around the world.Like the early days of the internet when defense and research agencies worked together to build the internet, the new foundation is hoping to engage researchers and companies that are willing to set aside their organizational biases and personal interests to develop the best possible models to go forward building a blockchain-based economy. Read More

‘Blockchain Revolution’ Authors Launch Enterprise Research Effort

A group of global governments, tech firms and blockchain startups have announced the launch of a new initiative dubbed the Blockchain Research Institute ™.The syndicated research group said it is committed to the academic analysis of the impacts of blockchain on a wide range of industries, including financial services, retail and manufacturing, along with the impact of the tech on a number of executive level professions. Read More

Don Tapscott Announces International Blockchain Research Institute ™

The government of Canada, in partnership with other government bodies and private sector companies, is establishing a Blockchain Research Institute ™ in Toronto to bring together the top minds in public and private sector research to build blockchain-based economies around the world.Like the early days of the internet when defense and research agencies worked together to build the internet, the new foundation is hoping to engage researchers and companies that are willing to set aside their organizational biases and personal interests to develop the best possible models to go forward building a blockchain-based economy. Read More

Don and Alex Tapscott launch Blockchain Research Institute ™ with IBM, Ontario gov’t

A new Blockchain Research Institute ™ has launched in Toronto with $2 million in funding from several companies and the Ontario government. The goal of the Institute is to study blockchain’s effect on various industries.The Toronto Star reported that blockchain experts and father-and-son duo Don and Alex Tapscott co-founded the Institute. Founding members include Accenture, IBM, SAP, Digital Asset, NASDAQ, PepsiCo, Centrica, Liberty Global, the Government of Ontario, and University Health Network. Canadian blockchain pioneers Paycase and Nuco are also involved. Read More

How Blockchain is Changing Finance

Don and Alex Tapscott review the inefficiencies in our financial system and propose a solution to this “innovation logjam”: blockchain. They use the example of venture capital to discuss the challenges and expansive opportunities of blockchain applications in this space, as the industry organizes around use cases, regulations, and innovations.Read More

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