Cryptocurrency: Its Promise, Pitfalls & Future

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has identified Cryptocurrency and Blockchain as two of the most significant technologies of the future. Hardly a day goes by without a news story about Bitcoin, the best-known and strongest cryptocurrency technology. Opinions run the spectrum, from those who view it as mainly a monetary vehicle for criminal activity to those who praise its empowering ability for individuals disenfranchised by traditional financial systems. One of the most important legacies of cryptocurrency technologies is the introduction of the Blockchain ecosystem. 

This talk will provide a very brief introduction to the concepts and vocabulary of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. It will largely focus on how the original concepts and applications have evolved and whether they remain consistent with the original spirit reflected in the original paper. We’ll also speculate on the status of the cryptocurrency and Blockchain eco-systems and what directions they may take in the future. 

Bebo White is retired from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the U.S. national laboratory for high-energy physics and basic energy science at Stanford University where he worked as a computational physicist. 

He also holds faculty appointments at multiple academic institutions, is involved with a number of major conferences series, and is a frequent conference and seminar speaker. He is the author (or co-author) of nine books, and over 100 papers and journal articles.