A cross-pollination of ideas about distributed ledger technological innovation through a multidisciplinary and multisectoral lens: insights from the blockchain technology symposium’21

Abstract

Blockchain Technology Symposium 2021 (BTS’ 21) is a forum where academic researchers, industry professionals, and decision makers came together to present recent advancements, discuss adoption barriers, tackle common challenges, and explore future roadmaps surrounding blockchain and its related technologies such as consensus algorithms, smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, and distributed ledger technologies generally. As a follow-up to BTS’18 & BTS ‘20, which were hosted by Ryerson University and The Fields Institute, and by popular demand, BTS 2021 gathered a diverse audience from academia, industry, and policy makers to engage in a dialogue around crucial topics in the adoption of blockchain technology, with the aim of cross-fertilizing ideas from these communities to address the challenges and seize the opportunities brought forward by this promising technology. BTS’21 featured multidisciplinary and multisectoral talks and presentations on four major themes: (1) decentralized finance (DeFi), (2) decentralized identity, (3) decentralized health and (4) decentralized supply chain management. This article provides reflections on some of the key insights found in the BTS’21 presentations.