Description
Developments in the FinTech space are transforming financial services and blockchain and distributed ledger technology is at the forefront of this revolution. Both The Wall Street Journal and The Economist have described it as technology that could change the world.
Blockchain offers banks, asset managers and other organisations the potential to achieve considerable cost savings, efficiencies and resilience in relation to their payment and payment execution systems. These are developments that no senior executive can afford to ignore. Gaining a foothold at this early stage is vital in shaping the technology strategies of the future.
This course provides a grounded and organisationally relevant introduction to blockchain and related cryptocurrency technology. Starting from first principles, the course approaches the technology from a number of different perspectives providing foundational knowledge that will enable delegates to return to their own organisations with a clear understanding of how this important technology impacts the bottom line.
This course is a comprehensive guide to understanding and using blockchain technology, and through practical demonstrations and examples, will leave people with real sense of what’s possible.
Who should attend
Analysts, Managers and Directors, covering line and project roles working in Technology, Operations and Finance
Commercial, Legal, Compliance and Procurement Teams
Outline
Introduction
Background and Introductions
Course Structure
- Why is blockchain so important?
- How is blockchain used? Sector Examples
- Market dynamics
Context
How organisations work and examples:
- Front to back | Business process flows & making money | Goods & services
- Technology architecture | Centralised vs. Distributed
- Supply and purchase
The emergence of cryptocurrencies (and the blockchain)
Money
- What is money and how does it acquire value?
- Banking and payments infrastructure
- Central banking and regulation
- The advent of the internet and the case for digital money
History of Cryptocurrencies
- The world pre-bitcoin
- The challenge of digital money | Sending and Receiving Money Online
- Bitcoin and why study it?
- The emergence of blockchain from BitcoinBitcoin and Cryptocurrencies Today
- Digital currencies – Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple, Dash, Litecoin, Zcash, Monero etc
- Understanding Wallets, Sending and Receiving Bitcoin
High Level – How blockchains and cryptocurrencies work?
- Cryptographic primitives
- The hash function | SHA 256 and examples
- Digital signing
- Public / private key infrastructure
- The concept of identity and wallets
- Transactions and Consensus Protocols
- Digital Currency Trading Exercise
The Blockchain Game – Compete to Mine A Digital Currency
Decentralised Applications – Open Software and Smart Contracts
- Ethereum and EOS
- Smart Contracts
- Using Smart Contracts
Market Overview
- Currency Segmentation
- Market trends
- Initial Coin Offerings and capital raising
Digital Currency Trading Exercise
- Introduction to digital currency trading and currency exchanges
- Example trading indicators – MACD, Moving Averages, Relative Strength
- Cyber security
Corporate Structures
- Digital currency companies
- Governance
- Distributed Autonomous Organisations
Regulatory, Tax and Compliance
- Government Perspectives
- Regulalory Framework
- Tax Treatment
- Money Laundering – KYC and AML
Workshop Session: Using blockchain and digital currency technology
Opportunity Assessments
- Proof of Concept
- Blockchain Strategies
- Commercial Perspectives – how do you engage a blockchain company?
Blockchain Technologies By Sector and Function
- Sector Review – Financial Services, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Retail, Media
- Functional Review – Provenance, Procurement, Payments, Sales and Identity
Beyond Blockchain Technology
- Challenges with Blockchain Technology
- IOTA
The Future
- Where next for blockchain technology?
- Vision and Opportunities
- Barriers