Reed Smith releases third update of Blockchain white paper

Global law firm Reed Smith yesterday released the third edition of its white paper on the global legal landscape impacting blockchain technology.

Blockchain – Distributed Ledger Technology and Designing the Future, Third Edition – focuses on numerous applications of blockchain technology across a variety of industries, including the rapidly developing cryptocurrency /digital token arena spurred by Bitcoin’s launch over a decade ago. The white paper also addresses the complex and uncertain legal and regulatory environment related to cryptocurrencies and ICOs around the world, which has prompted an increased urgency among governing bodies.

Cover: Reed Smith’s Blockchain white paper “Blockchain – Distributed Ledger Technology and Designing the Future, Third Edition”. Click image to download PDF.

Blockchain’s 14 chapters provide a depth of information to help businesses and organizations initiate or expand their relationships with digital currencies and digital ledger technology (DLT). In addition to a foreword from the Chamber of Digital Commerce, Blockchain’s contents cover:

• The mysterious origins of blockchain
• Blockchain 101
• Smart contracts
• Applications of DLT
• U.S. regulatory landscape
• European regulatory landscape
• Asian financial regulatory landscape
• Rest of the world financial regulatory landscape
• Insuring digital currency and digital currency business
• Applications in capital markets
• Blockchain innovation in energy, commodities, shipping and trade finance
• Privacy and re-identification of the blockchain
• Intellectual property
• Social

According to the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the value of this white paper to companies in the blockchain space stems from the cohesive and understandable format in which the content is delivered. In its foreword, the Chamber for Digital Commerce describes Blockchain as “an important resource for participants in the blockchain ecosystem, laying out the foundation for regulatory oversight and then diving in to specific use cases and geographies to help guide this industry to success in a regulated environment.”

“In the year and a half since publication of the second edition of Blockchain, the boom in businesses implementing distributed ledger technology, the financial and economic impact of digital currencies and now, digital assets, and the increasing complexity of this legal and regulatory environment has exceeded the expectations of many of the most bullish blockchain proponents,” said Herbert F. Kozlov, partner and Chair of Reed Smith’s Global FinTech practice.

Kozlov added, “This white paper serves as a much-needed update of the current state of the blockchain world and provides practical guidance across multiple environments and use cases. It is an invaluable tool for anyone evaluating the impact of blockchain and digital assets to their future business.”
Source: Reed Smith