Enabling the Internet of Value: How Blockchain Connects Global Businesses

This book shows how blockchain technology can transform the Internet, connecting global businesses in disruptive ways. It offers a comprehensive and multi-faceted examination of the potential of distributed ledger technology (DLT) from a new perspective: as an enabler of the Internet of Value (IoV).

The authors discuss applications of blockchain technology to the financial services domain, e.g. in real estate, insurance and the emerging Decentralised Finance (DeFi) movement. They also cover applications to the media and e-commerce domains. DLT’s impacts on the circular economy, marketplace, Internet of Things (IoT) and oracle business models are also investigated. In closing, the book provides outlooks on the evolution of DLT, as well as the systemic governance and privacy risks of the IoV.

The book is intended for a broad readership, including students, researchers and industry practitioners.

Nikhil Vadgama is Deputy Director of the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London (UCL CBT), United Kingdom, and an adjunct teaching fellow at the UCL School of Management. His research interests focus on emerging technologies and decentralised finance. He has experience in industry in the financial services, real estate and education technology sectors.

Jiahua Xu is Research Project Manager and Research Associate at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London (UCL CBT), United Kingdom. She was previously a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland as well as a research associate at Harvard Business School, Boston MA, USA.

Paolo Tasca is a digital economist specialising in P2P financial systems. He has advised on blockchain technologies for different international organisations including the EU Parliament and the United Nations. Paolo is a serial entrepreneur in the blockchain space and is also the founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London (UCL CBT), United Kingdom.