Registration
Blockchain

Blockchain and fintech

Blockchain is a key technology in FinTech. The original blockchain design focused on the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Because of its specific characteristics, many companies and users are now finding blockchain very useful for applications in many areas beyond cybercurrencies, including finance, logistics, insurance, medicine and even music. However, blockchain’s design uses cryptographic techniques that cannot be easily understood by those who are not information technology and security professionals.

To better understand what types of applications are best suited to blockchain and other forms of distributed ledger technology, as well as the potential of these new technologies, it is important to understand the design rationale, the underlying technology, the underlying cryptographic framework and its limitations. This topic will address issues such as:

  • The blockchain design rationale and challenges for such decentralized accounting (transaction) systems.
  • The underlying technology (e.g., how the fundamental algorithms – cryptographic primitives – work together) behind it and how it makes blockchain work and secure.
  • The differences between the different blockchain platforms that exist and the capabilities of those platforms (e.g., the pros and cons of the major platforms).
  • What types of applications (both traditional and new) are best suited to blockchain technology and how blockchain technology can benefit those applications.
  • Blockchain has its limitations. We will disclose the problems and limitations of blockchain technology to give developers and researchers an opportunity to think about how to improve existing blockchain technology, and for practitioners to better address the challenges of using blockchain in their applications.

This topic will also briefly explore the downside of blockchain with respect to protection against criminal activity (e.g., why ransomware always asks for bitcoins as ransom and the problem of money laundering).

The topic is aimed at a broad audience: it will give participants a good understanding of the technology, applicability, limitations, and “illegal” uses of blockchain technology.