Handbook

Blockchain as a technology has captured the imagination of businesses since 2009 when the Bitcoin protocol was introduced to the world. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that is regulated through a consensus mechanism and secured with cryptographic technology. Although functionally identical to a distributed ledger, the integrity of transactions in the Blockchain is protected through the involvement of network actors in maintaining, updating, and validating all transactions in the network through consensus. By design, a blockchain is virtually immutable and resists data modification. Despite originating as the foundational architecture for transferring cryptocurrencies in the likes of Bitcoin, the application of blockchain technology has since progress beyond its original purpose.

With its potential ability to serve as the critical infrastructure of a radically new economy like the advent of the web3 environment, Blockchain applications have the potential to serve as a foundational technology for new socioeconomic systems. This innovation could usher in a new and decentralised paradigm of data governance that will support a decentralised peer-to-peer economy where value and creativity can flow freely with expensive rent-seeking behaviour of traditional intermediaries. The course aims to introduce students to the world of blockchain innovations with specific focus on those that will manifest in the web3 environment such as the metaverse, AI-enabled commerce, self-sovereignty-based governance, and decentralised autonomous organizations (DAOs).