Trading floors in the 60s and 70s involved hundreds of people shouting bids and offers in multi-coloured jackets standing next to each other in different pits, gesticulating with their hands. The decibel levels were extremely high, so high that traders who traded every day had hearing problems later in life. In 1980, the first widely used electronic trading exchange was established.On September 1, 1969, the California Commodity Advisory Research Project (CCARP) was formed and housed at UC Berkeley. The project's first aim was to examine the feasibility of an electronic, for-profit exchange. At the time, there were only 12 exchanges worldwide, and none were for-profit — or electronic. Read first-hand from Richard Sandor, the project director and how CCARP was 20 years too early for the financial world.

This book serves as a reference for scholars, researchers and practitioners to update their knowledge on methodologies, theoretical analyses, modeling, simulation and empirical studies on blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. Chapters on the evolving theory and practice related to distributed ledger technologies and peer-to-peer digital currencies are intended to provide comprehensive coverage and understanding of their uses within the technological, business, and organizational domains.The contributions from this volume also provide a thorough examination of blockchains and cryptocurrencies with respect to issues of management, governance, trust and privacy, and interoperability.Contributed by a diverse range of authors from both academia and professional fields, this reference book presents frontier research in the fields of blockchains and cryptocurrencies.

This book covers the growing convergence between Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Big Data, Multi-Agent systems, the Internet of Things and 5G technologies. Using real case studies and project outcomes, it illustrates the intricate details of blockchain in these real-life scenarios. The contributions from this volume bring a state-of-the-art assessment of these rapidly evolving trends in a creative way and provide a key resource for all those involved in the study and practice of AI and Blockchain.

This textbook focuses on distributed ledger technology (DLT) and its potential impact on society at large. It aims to offer a detailed and self-contained introduction to the founding principles behind DLT accessible to a well-educated but not necessarily mathematically oriented audience. DLT allows solving many complicated problems arising in economics, banking, and finance, industry, trade, and other fields. However, to reap the ultimate benefits, one has to overcome some of its inherent limitations and use it judiciously. Not surprisingly, amid increasing applications of DLT, misconceptions are formed over its use. The book thoroughly dispels these misconceptions via an impartial assessment of the arguments rooted in scientific reasoning.Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers: Mathematics, Technology, and Economics offers a detailed and self-contained introduction to DLT, blockchains, and cryptocurrencies and seeks to equip the reader with an ability to participate in the crypto economy meaningfully.

This book brings together a series of contributions by leading scholars and practitioners to examine the main features of smart contracts, as well as the response of key stakeholders in technology, business, government and the law. It explores how this new technology interfaces with the goals and content of contract law, introducing and evaluating several mechanisms to improve the 'observability' and reduce the costs of verifying contractual obligations and performance. It also outlines various 'design patterns' that ensure that end users are protected from themselves, prevent cognitive accidents, and translate expectations and values into more user-oriented agreements. Furthermore, the chapters map the new risks associated with smart contracts, particularly for consumers, and consider how they might be alleviated. The book also discusses the challenge of integrating data protection and privacy concerns into the design of these agreements and the broad range of legal knowledge and skills required. The case for using smart contracts goes beyond 'contracts' narrowly defined, and they are increasingly used to disrupt traditional models of business organisation. The book discusses so-called decentralised autonomous organisations and decentralised finance as illustrations of this trend. This book is designed for those interested in looking to deepen their understanding of this game-changing new legal technology.

Cryptocurrency market has been growing fast since its emergence in recent years. Moreover, digital finance has forged the convergence of profit motives with social objectives creating a class of large FinTech companies. In addition, the underlying technology innovation may be applied to a wide range of industries, not limited to financial sector. Yet, few researches have been done to study these phenomena. Hence, it is the task of this book to shed light on the introduction and trends in FinTech, blockchain and token sales.Richly illustrated with original lecture slides taught by the authors, Inclusive FinTech: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and ICO hopes to dispel the many misconceptions about blockchain and cryptocurrencies (especially bitcoin, Initial Crypto-Token Offering or ICO), as well as the idea that businesses can be sustainable without a social dimension going forward. With comprehensive coverage given to the FinTech scene in Asia, it is targeted at those who are searching for business opportunities. Most important of all, this book seeks to change the mindset of a whole new generation that is familiar with digital economy and yearns for a more just and equitable world.