Opinions (Page 38)

On December 10, 2017, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) was the first U.S.-based derivatives exchange to launch the trading of bitcoin futures contracts. A week later, on December 17, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) followed suit and launched its own bitcoin futures contracts after...

Candice Visser, University of Wollongong and Quentin Hanich, University of WollongongIn a significant development for global fisheries, blockchain technology is now being used to improve tuna traceability to help stop illegal and unsustainable fishing practices in the Pacific Islands tuna...

Chris Berg, RMIT University; Jason Potts, RMIT University, and Sinclair Davidson, RMIT UniversityIt’s easy to be a bit amused about Kodak’s new blockchain and cryptocurrency, the KodakOne. The old photography company is the classic case of a firm that failed to keep up with...

Anca Petre, Université Paris Sud – Université Paris-SaclayCurrently 53% of the population doesn’t trust the pharmaceutical industry. Most of this mistrust is caused by the numerous scandals that have hit the industry in recent years, often related to controversial...

Iwa Salami, University of East LondonThe price of bitcoin hit $17,000 late last year and – although the cryptocurrency has plunged since then – there are signs that an absence of regulation can hurt investors and trigger the next financial crisis. Despite the laudable blockchain...

Srinivasan Keshav, University of WaterlooImagine buying a solar panel from a hardware store, mounting it on your roof, then selling the green electricity you produce at a price you set. Is this even possible? Some companies certainly think so. These startups are harnessing the power of blockchains...

Bill Buchanan OBE, Edinburgh Napier UniversityGovernments are extremely worried about cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. These virtual currencies mean you can make payments without involving the banks that most economies and government financial models are built on. People can transfer large amounts...