From Blockchain to Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency and the Global Financial System
Thursday, January 18 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m. EST

Where the internet democratized information, the blockchain democratizes value.

– Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott, “Realizing the Potential of Blockchain,” World Economic Forum white paper, June 2017

Touted by some of its supporters as one of the most important inventions since the creation of the internet itself, blockchain exploded onto the global financial scene in 2017. Originally created in 2008 as the technology behind bitcoin, blockchain is an immutable, nearly unhackable distributed database that enables direct peer-to-peer exchange of value, removing the need for financial intermediaries. Against the backdrop of bitcoin’s meteoric rise in value, investors have poured nearly $1 billion into blockchain-related startups in 2017. Many of the world’s largest global financial firms — including J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and UBS — are investing millions in blockchain platforms, hoping to harness its distributed network to reduce transaction fees and delays, enhance data security, and launch new consumer-focused products.

Though banks have been the first major corporate players to make significant investments in blockchain, tech giants like IBM and Google are now building platforms that will offer blockchain solutions to a wide range of industries, from helping health care companies better manage medical records and insurance claims to improving the traceability and transparency of global supply chains.

In this webinar, we’ll examine blockchain’s history, development, and future, and address the following key questions:

  • What is blockchain technology and why are banks so interested in it?
  • How can blockchain revolutionize the global financial system, and what are the major challenges to mass adoption?
  • Who are the major players investing in the technology?
  • How can blockchain be applied to industries beyond financial services?

Join National Journal Presentation Center analysts Adam Aldrich, Taryn MacKinney, and Alistair Taylor for an in-depth discussion on blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and what to expect moving forward.