Emerging Technology
Central Bank Digital Currencies gather steam
Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs, are gathering steam. The years since the 2008 financial crash have seen both the emergence of cryptocurrencies and a rapid rise in the use of digital forms of payment. The Bank of England published their second discussion paper on CBDC a few days ago, and Governor Andrew Bailey told…
Read MoreCryptoPunk 7523 and original digital art
Hearing the hammer fall on CryptoPunk 7523 at Sotheby’s on Thursday 10th June, 2021, was a breathtaking moment. The price was one thing, jumping from a bid of $1.8m straight to the winning bid at $11.8m (4520 ETH), but the occasion was more significant. In the traditional art world, the value placed on a unique…
Read MoreThe Dash for Digital Currency
PayPal announced this week that they are enabling customers to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency on their platform. Although the news was cautiously received for several reasons, it’s just one symptom of the dash for digital currency which is gathering speed around the world. I expected that PayPal would eventually throw their hat into this…
Read MoreA Future of Work – Decentralised
The future of work against a backdrop of accelerating technological advances has been the subject of discussion for years, and the debate has intensified in the last few months. Our recent experience has focused on technology and best practice which enables effective communication and collaboration in a distanced setting. There is another dimension which is…
Read MoreBlockchain book chosen by Harvard
Kate Baucherel has been helping business leaders to use emerging technologies effectively for the past three decades. Her latest book “Blockchain Hurricane: Origins, Applications and Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency” has been chosen by Harvard Business Publishing to add to their catalogue of learning materials and pair with their world-leading case studies. Blockchain Hurricane gives…
Read MoreDurian and the Value Chain
While researching my latest book “Blockchain Hurricane: Origins, Applications and Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency” in summer 2019, I came across an article from Fintechnews Singapore that intrigued me. “Millions of Durians Will Be Tracked on the Blockchain for Thailand’s Largest Durian Exporter,” it said. Having eaten the legendary smelly fruit (once and once only)…
Read MoreE-Voting systems under the spotlight
E-voting has been under the spotlight in the past few months, and as the world moves inexorably online in the face of COVID-19, how close are we to finding a real solutions? The adverse publicity around an apparently hastily-built voting app made all the wrong headlines as chaos ensued at the Iowa caucases. After all,…
Read MoreBlocked Borders
The one certainty around the January 31st Brexit milestone is that there is going to be an awful lot of work to do in the coming year and beyond. The time has come to flesh out the details of our future relationships and establish the systems and processes which will help the country’s infrastructure and…
Read MoreGetting to Truth on the Blockchain
The second phase of the enquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire begins today. As the BBC reports, the first phase found that the cladding work on the tower did not comply with building regulations, and the role of the second phase is to unpick the complex records held by seven different contractors to determine accountability.…
Read MoreIs Magic Internet Money going mainstream?
Spoilers: No. We are not all going to be using our cryptocurrency of choice on a daily basis any time soon. Here in our comfortable first world existence, the vast majority do not have a need for an alternative to established national currencies. However, there are emerging patterns and pockets of adoption which merit scrutiny.…
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