Blockchain Applied: Practical Technology and Use Cases of Enterprise Blockchain for the Real World

293 Pages·2021·20.649 MB·English

by  Stephen Ashurst, Stefano Tempesta

Blockchain Applied

Blockchain Applied
Practical Technology and Use Cases of
Enterprise Blockchain for the Real World
Stephen Ashurst and Stefano Tempesta
Foreword by Stylianos Kampakis, Phd, MSc
First published 2022
by Routledge
600 Broken Sound Parkway #300, Boca Raton FL, 33487
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Taylor & Francis
The right of Stephen Ashurst and Stefano Tempesta to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 9780367677367 (hbk)
ISBN: 9780367677350 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003132592 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/ 9781003132592
Typeset in Garamond
by Newgen Publishing UK
For Anthony and Isabella
Stephen Ashurst
As a European man living in Australia, I’d like to acknowledge and respect
the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands I am living upon here today.
I acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal
peoples to their country and recognise that their culture and heritage is
important to all peoples today.
Stefano Tempesta

Contents
Foreword ...........................................................................................ix
Preface ...............................................................................................xi
Acknowledgments .......................................................................... xiii
About the Authors ............................................................................xv
1 The Blockchain Age .....................................................................1
2 Bitcoin: Blockchain v1.0? ..........................................................13
3 Blockchain 2.0 and Smart Contracts .........................................33
4 The Next Generation of Enterprise- Ready Blockchain ..............55
5 Governance and Security ...........................................................79
6 The Convergence of IoT, AI and Blockchain ..............................93
7 Trade Finance Use Case ...........................................................109
8 Healthcare Software and Data Use Case ..................................133
9 Retail Investments Use Case ....................................................161
10 Real Estate and Land Registry Use Case ..................................193
11 Central Bank Currency Use Case .............................................217
12 Fund Management Use Case ....................................................237
13 Conclusion ...............................................................................265
Glossary ..........................................................................................267
Index ..............................................................................................269
vii

Foreword
Blockchain is, alongside AI, the most revolutionary technology in computer
science right now. Blockchain is often compared in importance to
transformational technologies like the internet or the operating systems of
the early 1990s that gave rise to the personal computer.
Blockchain is promising to provide a new infrastructure layer for many
of our current systems, such as supply chains, financial transactions and
healthcare. These are only some of the systems that are being disrupted by
blockchain.
While many people in the public associate blockchain with bitcoin, the
truth is that blockchain is way more than that. The challenge, however,
is explaining what blockchain is and how it can be used to a wider non-
technical audience, without diluting the core benefits that blockchain
can offer. This is a difficult task, given that blockchain is a technology
comprised of many interrelated components, from game theory to advanced
cryptography to network theory.
This is where Stephen and Stefano do a great job. This book explains all
the fundamentals of blockchain, from its inception, down to case studies in
many different verticals.
Blockchain is fundamentally a technology that can transform society. The
success of this endeavour depends on its being understood by business
leaders, governments and society at large. Books like Blockchain Applied
help disseminate this knowledge and explain blockchain in simple terms to
all those who need it the most.
I hope that you will enjoy reading the book as much as I did, and that
you will discover in its pages some case studies which you can apply
in your own organisation. And, who knows? Maybe when you buy the
new edition of this book, you’ll pay for it using a cryptocurrency using a
blockchain- backed system.
ix