Agenda

Defining the next generation of blockchain powered applications and smart contracts the EOS platform is arguably the greatest leap forward in blockchain in 2018. As Strategic Partners for Blockchain Live’s 2nd Annual Expo, we welcome the architects behind this community driven platform to share their insights on the future of blockchain.

Setting the tone for the most popular stage at Blockchain Live, our Blockchain Live 2018 Leader, Blythe Masters, will address both the potential of and barriers before this transformational technology. We invite business leaders, entrepreneurs and government officials to share in this vision for a blockchain enabled future.

Realising the potential of a technology is as much, if not more, about understanding business needs than it is about understanding technical architecture. Personifying thought leadership in blockchain for business, keynote speaker Oliver Bussmann joins the stage to help industry leaders unlock the value of blockchain and DLT.

As one of the founding figures of what has become a rapidly evolving and highly anticipated technological ecosystem, Nick Szabo is also the world’s authority on smart contracts. Blockchain Live is delighted to headline Nick on the Blockchain Leaders’ Summit to deliver unparalleled insight into the future and potential of secure and self-executing contracts.

The UK’s authority on Blockchain, Crypto and Fintech and Co-Founder of 11:FS, one of the fastest growing challenger consultancies, Simon Taylor gives a word to the wise on the projects to watch in the blockchain and DLT ecosystem.

Blockchain’s future lies at the intersection of pioneering regulation, bona fide enterprise and broad-minded businesses. The rise of consortia, foundations and associations demonstrates the appetite for collaboration as well as a commitment to openness. In this talk, we explore the winning formulas for collaboration and predict the future landscape for continued regulation and innovation.

Blockchain and DLT is widely seen as an almost insurmountable subject to understand, but the future success of many businesses will depend on grasping the opportunities which it presents. The University of Nicosia is the first accredited University in the world to accept Bitcoin payments and launch an MSc Degree in Digital Currency. A leading voice in education, we explore their innovative combination of education and enterprise as an exemplar.

As a global ambassador for blockchain and a world-renowned thought leader in emerging tech, Tim Draper live-streams his thoughts on the blockchain marketplace and the future of investment.

The rise and fall of platforms in the blockchain space is a hotly-followed subject with new platforms laying claim to superior architecture, larger communities or bigger partners. In this panel discussion, we evaluate the main differences between platforms as well as offering visions for the future for this keenly attested space.

Closing Blockchain Live, we welcome international bestselling blockchain author Alex Tapscott to deliver a message of encouragement to businesses, governments and the blockchain community.

Closing Blockchain Live, we welcome international bestselling blockchain author Alex Tapscott to deliver a message of encouragement to businesses, governments and the blockchain community.

The cradle of enterprise blockchain, the financial services sector, has witnessed breakneck adoption and experimentation of this transformative technology. Many organisations have sought to leverage the benefits of greater transparency and efficiency offered by blockchain whilst simultaneously exploring entirely new business models. In this opening keynote talk, we explore the scope of innovation brought to finance by the wake of blockchain.

The current banking industry relies on middlemen and transaction fees in order to operate. Eliminating these bumps in the road, blockchain technology aims to bring banking into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There are many valuable lessons to be learnt to aid the adoption of this nascent technology by the financial industry.

ING have etched out their place in the blockchain world as a serious source of innovation. An early mover, the international financial powerhouse is quickly moving from test phase to scale. Join Blockchain Lead, Herve Francois, to discover more about how ING is harnessing the disruptive force of blockchain.

The rise of consortia and the atmosphere of open innovation within the fintech/blockchain movement reflects the understanding that interoperability is a foundational concept for the next generation of blockchain powered fintech. In this discussion, we explore how the financial services sector is overcoming its technical heterogeneity in order to fully capitalize on one of the most powerful outcrops in blockchain.

With a catalogue of pilots under its belt, BNP Paribas has explored DLT use cases for corporate actions, corporate payments, crowdfunding, SME post-trade operations, share registry and fund trading. In this session, we discover how Dean Demellweek is driving this innovation as a holistic push forward for digital transformation.

Exchanges seek to benefit massively from blockchain and DLT, both in terms of creating more autonomous, transparent and secure systems as well as potentially reaping lost profit through inefficiencies. The London Stock Exchange is no different. Having embarked on its blockchain journey when the technology was nascent, we welcome their Lead Blockchain Architect and Developer, Michael Coletta, to tell us how their engagement with blockchain has matured.

In 2016/2017, the Enterprise Blockchain movement moved away from the wellspring of crypto to forge its own destiny. The rise of new currencies and the explosion of new tokens, fuelled by the emergence of ICOs, has since blurred the lines of distinction between crypto and enterprise blockchain. In this session, we explore how traditional financial services are engaging with the rise of a new token economics.

Underlying every transaction in global finance is a complex stack of cascading technologies woven through multiple organisations and jurisdictions. Seamlessly navigating these waters, SWIFT represents an integral bastion to financial stability and security. In this session, we investigate how SWIFT is exploring whether blockchain and distributed ledger technologies can improve the quality, security and speed of its services.

Fintech’s quiet cousin, Instech, has often been given the accolade of blockchain’s next big break and over the past year there has been a surge in blockchain and DLT activity in the insurance space with big players collaboratively seizing the opportunities which this technology offers. An organisation which has long stood on the frontier of blockchain adoption is Aegon Blue Square Re. In this session, we are pleased to welcome Chris and Sylvain to share their expert insight into what enterprise blockchain is bringing to insurance.

The difficulty with realising the incredible potential of blockchain is that, for many organisations, the true benefit of blockchain does not exist within organisational structures but, moreover, in the existing and future spaces between organisations be they partners or competitors. The benefits of sharing and opening data across industry has long been championed as a vehicle for innovation and blockchain’s unparalleled power of trust represents an enabling force for this process. The insurance industry is prime for this movement and, in this discussion, we hear from experts from across the industry to provide an image of a blockchain enabled future.

The frenzied global response to blockchain and crypto is not something businesses or governments can ignore. That which can be called the internet of value will dramatically affect all aspects of human life across the entire globe. In the opening keynote talk for the Govtech Stage, Eva Kaili MEP sheds light on the application of blockchain across a variety of industries, the proven potential for the technology to create new paradigms of interaction and what this means for Government and the public sector at large.

As founding member of the Digital 7 and the home to great innovators such as Deep Mind and Raspberry Pi and Monzo, Britain has a cemented itself as a leading tech-nation. The arrival of blockchain represents an opening for the UK to take the crown as blockchain capital. As a global centre of finance, and with a growing rival tech space in silicon roundabout, the opportunity is real. In this talk, our expert speaker will deliver their vision for British blockchain as well as what this will mean for the UK’s businesses and its citizens.

In this case study session, we explore how central government departments are looking into the trust benefits of blockchain, the scale by which this can save government and businesses both time and money in efficiency savings, and how blockchain can join up government. Join us for a view from a public sector pioneer in blockchain adoption.

The role of technology as a pivotal engine for the betterment of billions of people across the globe is well recognised. For blockchain this is no different, from providing life-changing access to financial services for the unbanked to enshrining transparency, conscience and sustainability into global trade and industry. Blockchain also represents a step change in how technology can build ethics, through governance, into technology itself. In this panel discussion, we open up the question of how we can ensure that blockchain is a movement for good.

The emergence of bitcoin, despite being designed to replace traditional finance, brought forth burgeoning alternative systems of finance which have spurred market efficiencies as well as the pursuit of new business models by incumbents. Set in this milieu of changing mindsets, the relationship between consumer and service provider is also evolving. As blockchain, DLT and new token economic models are explored beyond finance, and particularly within public services, we question whether this movement will also change the relationship between the citizen and the state.

The size of the prize, both in terms of the social and economic benefits envisioned by blockchain entrepreneurs, is not to be underestimated. Governments worldwide are now seeking to tap into this potential and thus nurture the growing blockchain industry. In this hot-seat discussion, we invite the driving force behind the EU’s Blockchain Observatory to discuss what it takes to recognise and maximise innovation.

As the guardian of an incredible wealth of private data, including that of citizens, such as medical records, registries of death and birth and criminal records, Governments must continually source new practices and technologies to keep this data safe. This is ever pertinent considering GDPR. The analysis of this data as well as private financial, corporate and performance data is also of great use for governments in improving public services and planning the national budget. Blockchain represents a revolutionary tool for securing and sharing data across departments and functions. In this talk, we explore just how this can be done.

Representing Bitfury, the world’s leading full-service blockchain technology company, Marc Taverner will share his experience on private blockchain implementations in governments enabling robust and transparent economic models. This session will illuminate how the blockchain framework enables the creation of an entirely new and efficient process for citizen-government interactions. This can keep records safe while also offering citizens true control of their assets, ease the process of registry procedures and increase the reliability of government institutions.

Many national banks have committed considerable grey matter to the exploration of digital fiats, with some nations such as Norway pioneering the creation of the E-Krona. The establishment of tokens is also beneficial, however, in more local and issue/sector specific settings. Schemes such as Govcoin or UNICEF’s use of ETH to support Syrian refugees are great examples of how blockchain and tokens can help governments to redesign funding and services. In this discussion, we invite entrepreneurs and public sector officials to explore the opportunities and pitfalls of tokenisation.

Each year the NHS spends £16 billion on medicines, £300 million of which could be saved by better management of unused or partially used medicines. Blockchain’s capacity for the effective tracking and registry of goods and assets is being explored by a plethora of industries from the tracking of perishables to tracing individual fabrics. This faculty could dramatically reduce wasted funds within the NHS, money which could be better spent on acute services. In this talk, we learn how Stephen Slough, CIO of NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, is already pioneering blockchain for this function.

Blockchain has been hailed as an empowering technology by many; one of the best examples of this is patient empowerment. Our panel of experts will discuss the ways in which patients can take control of their healthcare using blockchain technology.

Compared with the evolution of the internet or mobile technology, blockchain and DLT is the result of technology convergence made possible by the milestones of connectivity and cryptography. In this opening talk, we explore how blockchain and DLT came into being as well as how it is evolving to cope with both scale and the ever-present threat of malicious actors.

Blockchain is arguably the highest ranked prefix for those seeking to recruit developers right now, and, with the explosion of developer tools in this space, it may seem pretty daunting to the would-be blockchain developer. In this session, expert blockchain developer, Rhian Lewis, takes us through the necessary tools you need to build, test and deploy successful blockchain applications.

Much of the excitement around blockchain is not because of what it can do in isolation, but rather because of what it enables for a whole rung of sister technologies. In this panel discussion, we delve into two of the most exciting frontiers of convergence, IoT and AI.

Cordite provides distributed governance and economics services to solve the decentralisation challenges enterprises are facing today. The open source CorDapp built on Corda brings tokens, virtual currencies, digital mutual societies, micro-billing and much more. Farzad Pezeshkpour will be discussing how Cordite’s developers selected the appropriate elements and provide a live demo at Blockchain Live.

Heralded as a boost for transaction security, blockchain also represents a brave new world for Cyber Security specialists. In this talk, we explore how blockchain is being assessed by the cyber community and conversely how cyber practices are being transformed in the wake of the blockchain revolution.

A key concern for the future of the blockchain ecosystem is interoperability. With a catalogue of established platforms, there is no sign that a dominant platform yet exists or that more widely adopted platforms are not still yet to come. Much scrutiny is being given to this topic, and in this talk we explore the key barriers as well as some established tools and practices.

The engine of blockchain and related technology, consensus algorithms, are a hotly debated identifying factor of the various cryptocurrencies and blockchain platforms. With proof of work and proof of stake now being common parlance among even the most novice of blockchain enthusiasts, there are in effect over 7 different consensus types. In this talk, we explore how they differ, who is using them and where this field of development is heading.

The paradigm shift in security afforded by the evolution of blockchain is fast being realised by cloud solution providers and challenger organisations. Coupled with, and also owing to, the growing phenomenon of crypto mining, the need for distributed access to spare computing power has given rise to a new age of edge computing. In this session, we will explore how this is being achieved and what this could mean for cloud providers.

The phrase ‘from field to fork’ is not a technical one, but one which paints a picture of a simpler future. The supply chain to-date is overly complicated and incredibly inefficient, causing many mistakes, high costs, and providing opportunities for exploitation. Using blockchain technology would enable trustless transactions, allowing consumers knowledge of the identity of their products and the producers, and vice versa. Genevieve will walk us through a future in which unlocking the provenance of an item could be as simple as scanning a barcode on a product. Blockchain is the train which can take us there, with companies already employing the technology to combat counterfeiting and crime.

Adapting to the omnichannel world is paramount for modern retail organisations. Cost for retailers is increasing dramatically, with many high street brands closing down shops and going into administration. There is little doubt whether innovation is required, but the question remains whether blockchain is the solution. Antony Welfare will shed light on the matter, exploring blockchain alongside other complementary technologies such as IoT, AI, ML and RPA and the ways in which they can bring increased trust and transparency to the retail sector.

There have been several instances in recent memory in which retailers have recalled food products after customers have become ill consuming them. This costly and lengthy process causes unnecessary illness in consumers and damages brand reputations. Blockchain technology could aid this process by streamlining the means by which the provenance of disease is located, and therefore by limiting the number of uncontaminated products which need to be recalled and the number of people who would be affected. This talk will uncover the ways in which blockchain can provide us with a food supply chain we can trust in and rely upon.

There has long been friction between transport and logistics. By enabling more efficient and cost-saving business operations with features such as smart contracts, blockchain technology has the ability to bring the two together to work harmoniously. Our panel of experts will examine how this can be achieved.

Kevin O’Sullivan of SITA will be talking at Blockchain Live 2018 about the impact of the technology on air travel; specifically, at Heathrow. SITA has teamed up with British Airways and Heathrow Airport to manage flight information with blockchain technology. Managing data in such a bustling and highly regulated environment is a complex matter. Information sharing is crucial and streamlining this across multiple systems to provide travellers with uniformly accurate information is a current roadblock in the passenger experience. SITA is exploring the ways in which blockchain technology can facilitate the frictionless sharing of information across systems to provide customers with a seamless experience.

With the advent of autonomous vehicles comes not only great possibilities but also great dangers. This area has yet to be perfected and will not be ready for mass consumption without first being married to a technology such as blockchain which can provide the security needed for the network to be safe from accidents and attacks alike. This talk will cover the future of the autonomous vehicle and where blockchain fits into its story.

Our modern advertising industry is deeply flawed and incredibly inefficient. Mary Keane-Dawson of Truth Media Agency will be unpacking the problematic systems by which advertising currently operates and why there is a need for evolution in these areas. Blockchain technology provides platforms with the means to eliminate unnecessary ad spend, cultivate positive relationships with audiences, and, ultimately, to put the consumer first.

Blockchain Live 2018 is committed to presenting the impact of blockchain technology on the end user. This nascent technology has been lauded by many businesses as an innovation similar to the internet, but how will the technology’s properties prove profitable for the consumer?

Bitcoin is one of the better-known aspects of blockchain technology, but this does not mean that it is understood. Offering a wealth of insight into the crypto-blockchain ecosystem, Lisa Cheng and Kevin Hobbs from Vanbex will be drawing back the curtain and exploring the lessons to be learnt from this emerging market and the future functions of crypto in society.

Money is a tool for human collaboration and is undergoing its third major technological evolution. Why we need it, how we use it, who creates it and where it flows in society are all up for redesign in the era of user-generated currencies powered by blockchain. We are delighted to host keynote speaker Galia Benartzi to present on this topic.

More than any technological breakthrough before it, Bitcoin has endured systematic suspicion and scepticism. Despite this, and despite a sea of competing currencies which have sought to topple its supremacy, Bitcoin remains the dominant cryptocurrency in circulation. In this session with the Bitcoin Foundation Executive Director, Llew Claasen, we look at the recent past of bitcoin and peer into its not-so-distant future.

The emergence of cryptocurrencies and the dawn of ICOs has given rise to a new field of economics. Dubbed tokenomics, this growing field of study assesses the evolving nature of new funding vehicles. As more tokens come into being, this in effect feeds back into cryptomarkets. In this talk, we provide a better understanding of tokenomics as well as seeking lessons from established theoretical finance.

GDPR alone represents a tsunami of concerns for industry and, for the wave of new companies in the growing token economy, this is no different. This session assesses the minefield of current and future regulatory concerns which budding organisations in the token space must successfully navigate if they are to move beyond PoC.

Blockchain Live is delighted to host award-winning writer, broadcaster and speaker Misha Glenny. As an international expert on cybersecurity and organised crime, Misha has extensive experience covering crucial topics and contributing to major investigations. This year, he will be turning his attention towards the world of blockchain technology in order to provide an in-depth and global picture of the financial security of cryptocurrencies.

At the extreme end of bitcoin price predictions, we can expect the champion currency to hit almost $1M by 2020, while more modest and perhaps less emotional predictions put it at $25k by the end of this year. Ethereum is also not immune to volatile forecasting, with some believing that it will see gains of 696.43% in 2018. In this session, we look at both bullish and bearish predictions as well as assessing what bell-weathers may have emerged in this nascent yet stabilising market.

The 2017 Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study was the first to systematically investigate key cryptocurrency industry sectors by collecting empirical, non-public data from over 140 companies and projects. We are delighted to welcome Michel Rauchs to present this year’s findings at Blockchain Live. The study provides a rigorous and data-driven analysis of the current state of the ecosystem in order to help industry, users, policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders to make informed decisions.

Crypto exchanges, far from being innocuous marketplaces, have become a topic of their own in blockchain, and the crypto and the blockchain economy. From the products and services they offer and their business models to debates around the qualities and pitfalls of centralised and decentralised exchanges, this talk will look into the various distinctions and explore how traditional financial institutions are seeking to capitalise on this new marketplace.

Hot, cold or paper? A question you would rarely ask yourself in any other situation, these basic distinctions determine a lot for crypto storage. As crypto becomes more widely accepted and as token economies become more broadly adopted by businesses the world over, how we store these new units of value has resulted in new architectures as well as new enterprises in hardware.

The modern world runs on the availability of energy resources. However, the energy industry is owned by a few organisations which dominate the market. As people become more conscious of concerns attached to energy distribution, such a centralised system of operation becomes incompatible. By implementing blockchain technology people have far more control over a resource which plays a huge role in daily life. It can aid with the digital recording of transactions, the security of the smart home, high transaction costs and network transparency. Blockchain could make the future energy sector a far more efficient version of its current self.

The energy industry, like so many others, could be served well by implementing blockchain technology. This hype-laden technology has been presented by many as a solve-all solution; but what does this mean in reality for energy systems? Our industry-leading speaker will explore the key ways in which blockchain can disrupt the energy sector and tackle its inefficiencies. This includes the development of peer-to-peer energy trading, such as utilising any excess solar power and trading this amongst peers. This could raise energy capacity whilst lowering carbon emissions and presents a huge benefit to users.

Countries and trading blocks across the globe are now responding to the opportunities presented by distributed ledgers by changing policy and regulation governing the generation, distribution and trading of energy. In the EU, the draft Renewable Energy directive includes provision for community self-consumption, and in China there are plans for inter-regional trading of energy and peer-to-peer trading within regions. An overview of regulatory preparedness in key markets will be presented to to help business understand likely areas of growth.

Blockchain Live is delighted to gather some of the key thinkers in the blockchain energy space for our Energy Forum panel discussion. With representatives from regulatory bodies and energy consortia, this panel will cover a myriad of topics such as peer-to-peer local energy trading platforms, wide-scale adoption of blockchain technology in energy, and ways in which innovation can be facilitated.

Both supply and demand in the energy market have respectively witnessed a serge of innovation with the arrival of emerging technologies such as IoT and AI. Blockchain is equally being explored, not only for the benefits of convergence but also for its innate qualities of simplifying mechanisms and corporate structures of trust. In the case of balancing supply and demand, blockchain is proving to be a powerful tool.

The shift towards more peer-to-peer energy trading models, brought about by the application of blockchain and distributed ledger technology, is not only giving power back to the consumer but also galvanising the renewables sector. The industry is capitalising on new token economies with wind, solar and hydro tokens helping them to better connect with consumers and investors.

While blockchain sparked a lot of interests in the financial industry, other industries seem to be catching up as well with many of them having established in-house blockchain teams. But why are there so little real world applications that we see or hear off when it comes to blockchain in large enterprises? To give us an insight into the opportunities and challenges that enterprises face when working on blockchain projects, Arno Laeven will share his experience as being a ‘serial enterprise-blockchain-team-builder’. He will share examples of use cases, discuss strategy and create insight into when and what to expect from companies like Shell, Bosch, KLM and Philips where he has set up and led blockchain initiatives.

This Keynote discussion will provide an overview of what blockchain technology means for the future of art in all its forms. From films to paintings, music to gaming, the world inhabited by creatives is already evolving through the use of distributed ledger technology. Marcus O’Dair will explore the opportunities, barriers and risks to the creative world presented by blockchain technology. Blockchain Live is proud to present the ways in which artists of every kind are being empowered by this technology and how they are creatively innovating and paving the way for the future.

Erik Beijnoff of Spotify will be joining us to discuss the future of music and the direction of creative innovation in the music industry. Streaming services such as Spotify have massively altered the way we consume music, yet the methods by which creators are paid for their work remains archaic and is in need of an innovative solution. Blockchain is a trust machine which has the capabilities to address this attribution problem and keep up with the huge generation of data necessary to ensure all artists are properly credited. This session will explore the steps necessary to achieve fairness within the music industry.

Our panel of industry experts will discuss moving beyond the harm of safe harbour models and into a future where creatives can realise their artistic vision and be paid their dues. Blockchain is already evolving creative industries by facilitating efficient and transparent digital rights management and provenance tracking. There are a myriad of issues which need to be addressed, such as counterfeit ticketing and double spend, and blockchain provides a solution for many of these. This panel will address, not just why blockchain should be used in these areas, but, specifically, how it is being used to propel artists into a more efficient and fair future.

The film and television industries have long suffered from an almost-militaristic hierarchy which has, at certain points, limited creativity. Omnipotent studios take apart original scripts and remake them in a Hollywood mould, the provenance of creativity is murky, and audiences pillage content by viewing pirated copies of films and shows. Blockchain technology is a democratising tool which has the power to make transparent the filmmaking process and put the power back into the hands of creators. There are already use cases where filmmakers have funded their film through blockchain technology rather than sacrifice their creative integrity. Implemented correctly, blockchain could be the change the film industry needs, not deserves.

Blockchain is breaking down the barriers between consoles and games, between developer and gamer, and even between games themselves. For years, gamers have been restricted by the consoles they have purchased, by the rules imposed upon games by developers, and subject to gaming platforms being shut down and losing hours of work they invested into gaming universes. Blockchain technology allows players to have a sense of ownership over their gaming experience. Gaming is entering an era of streaming, allowing gamers far more accessibility in terms of choice of games and their ownership of digital collectibles. Blockchain-based games and platforms allow users to have a more rewarding experience by providing them with agency over the ways in which they play and the assets they spend time cultivating.

The gambling industry has seen a similar level of transformation from blockchain as the other industries we have explored today. Many gambling platforms have started to make use of cryptocurrencies, increasing the efficiency of deposits and withdrawals as well as allowing their users a degree of anonymity previously unavailable to them. Increased transparency into the workings of casinos is possible with the implementation of blockchain. This trustless technology can assure users that the platforms they use are, indeed, reporting their honest behaviour. In a similar manner, esports gambling utilises networks of oracle nodes to report event outcomes, allowing this trustless data to drive a more accurate predictive market. This session will examine the benefits gambling seeks to gain from blockchain technology and how it can lead to more responsible gambling.