Reports

In sub-Saharan Africa, the digital revolution has propelled innovation and development on an unprecedented scale. With those benefits come dangers, especially with the advance of e-commerce and e-government, which use troves of personal data. But while criminal and terrorist groups could exploit vulnerabilities, governments could also use cybersecurity as an ...

Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize public administration by fostering efficiency, transparency and automation. There are limits to the technology, but currently the main roadblocks are of a legal and organizational nature. Some governments have already started removing such hurdles or teamed up with technology providers to build innovative solutions.

Blockchain could considerably lighten the administrative load of the maritime transport industry, in addition to preventing devastating cyberattacks. However, companies are hesitant to adopt the technology because of the legal uncertainty that surrounds it. The current lack of comprehensive regulations is perceived as a security liability, but there are also ...

Blockchain technology could profoundly change how states and governments operate. Its ability to quickly and securely transfer assets could disrupt current institutional frameworks and decentralize power. It is therefore unclear how far states will go to support blockchain, even though it could make their economies and their own operations more ...

After a few years of hype, experts are now tamping down expectations for cryptocurrencies. Indeed, several concerns about security and regulation need to be addressed. But cryptocurrencies – and the blockchain technology they are based on – also offer tremendous room for innovation and efficiency. By competing with traditional fiat ...

Blockchain, the fundamental technology behind new cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, is based on a novel governance system that is radically different from the centralized approach used today in banks, corporations and governments. Blockchain’s numerous advantages may prove too important to be ignored, even in the face of opposition from defenders ...

Blockchain – a decentralized ledger of transactions that uses computer technology to link, secure and encrypt records – has the potential to become a hugely disruptive technology, rendering financial intermediaries unnecessary and making money transfers nearly instantaneous. However, it requires huge amounts of computing power and still cannot come close ...

The campaign in many countries against cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin is part of a larger government quest for citizen control. Oversized transaction and compliance systems, ostensibly imposed on financial institutions to help fight the gray economy and terrorism, are in fact control tools, used both by democratic and authoritarian governments. ...