May newsletter of the EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum

Official Newsletter of the European Union Blockchain Observatory & Forum

We are pleased to present you with our monthly update on the activities of the European Union Blockchain Observatory & Forum.

#EUBlockchain skills survey

This month we are not just updating you on our activities, we are also asking you to get active yourself.

Our request: please take part in our survey on blockchain skills, in which we aim to assess “the skills most needed by the ecosystem for the deployment of blockchain-based solutions”. We do hope you can spare a moment to give us your thoughts on this key topic.

You can fill out the survey here: https://blockchaintech.typeform.com/to/ksRrrY

#EUBlockchain publications

While we did not post any new reports in May, we have been busy behind-the-scenes on the EU Observatory publications front. Here is an update on some of the papers currently "under construction":

Legal recognition of blockchains and smart contracts. As we noted back in December, most blockchain-based products and platforms “cannot help but intersect with the analog – and very human – world of the law and regulation.” This makes legal recognition of blockchains and smart contracts one of our most complex and also intriguing themes. Following our workshop on the subject, a group of some 20 blockchain legal and regulatory thought leaders has been working on this very broad topic for our thematic report. Currently in the final draft stage, we expect the paper to be published in June. Keep an eye out for it on our Reports page.
Supply chain. After financial services, supply chain is probably the oldest and one of the most promising use cases for blockchain technology. This is hardly surprising considering the far-flung nature of global supply chains and the need to exchange large amounts of data between parties with often low levels of trust. On the heels of our workshop in February, we have assembled a group of supply chain thought leaders who have taken on the task of crafting our report on this key theme. Look for a publication before the summer break.
Digital assets academic paper. The University of Southhampton, one of the Observatory's four academic partners, has been working on an academic research paper on the subject of digital assets. A pre-release draft was circulated to participants ahead of our digital assets workshop (see below). The final version will be published June on our Knowledge page.

As usual, we will keep you posted as our publications come online.

#EUBlockchain events

On May 24 we held our tenth workshop, this time on the subject of digital assets. While tokenisation has “opened up a new set of possibilities for issuers, investors and individuals in the capital markets and the broader economy,” as we wrote recently, “digital assets on the blockchain are still a relatively new phenomenon.” That meant there was plenty to discuss for the over 100 people who met in Brussels to take a deep dive into the subject.

You will find an overview of what transpired on our blog.

Please also note that our workshop on "Use cases in the healthcare sector" has been moved from end of June to September 4. Details on our events page.

#EUBlockchain Online Community

As usual, our online forum remains active. Here are some of the issues that caught the attention of our community during the month:

Thank you!

As always, we would like to thank everyone who has been active in contributing to the Observatory. None of this would be possible without the participation of all of you in our community.

With best regards,
The EU Blockchain Observatory & Forum

Details

Publication date: 31 May 2019