Blockchain & Web3

The role of Blockchain Technologies in business development, through an analysis of the most significant national and international projects in the sector conducted by the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory of the POLIMI School of Management.

Goals

Activities

Work Group

Supporters

Objectives of the Observatory

The Observatory was established in 2018 under the name Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Observatory and in 2023, in response to the evolution of applications based on these technologies, it was renamed the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory.

The mission of the Observatory is to generate and share knowledge on Blockchain and Web3 topics and to contribute to the development of the Italian and international markets by creating opportunities for debate and collaboration among the main stakeholders in the field.

Through the collaboration between the Department of Management Engineering and the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, the Observatory analyzes these topics from a business and technical perspective.

Since 2021, the Observatory has also launched the WEB3HUB, an independent laboratory aimed at promoting, facilitating, and enabling Blockchain and Web3 projects by involving different stakeholders. It provides a pre-competitive development environment where companies can carry out applied research activities.

Blockchain & Web3 Observatory Research

As part of the annual edition, the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory aims to conduct the following Research activities:

six lines of business Research:
- International market: analysis of international projects and the use of Blockchain technologies by startups globally;
- Italian market: analysis of projects and startups active in Italy and survey on the adoption of crypto assets by Italian consumers;
- Survey on the adoption of crypto-assets by Italian and European consumers.
- Internet of Value: analysis of the evolution and adoption of cryptocurrencies, stablecoin, and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC);
- Blockchain for business: analysis of the impact of Blockchain technologies and tokenization on existing business ecosystems and business processes;
- Decentralized web: analysis of main decentralized applications (Dapp) and the most outstanding web3 application areas: Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Non Fungible Token (NFT), Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO), Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), decentralized Metaverse.
four lines of tech Research:
- Wallet and account abstraction: analysis and categorization of different wallet types and development of a reference database, with a focus on the impact of account abstraction;
- Data privacy: identify modes enabling to share data and information in Blockchain;
- Interoperability: analyze main approaches to interoperability between different platforms, and of potential benefits;
- Comparison of platforms: continuously monitor major and most interesting platforms and comparison of most relevant features/characteristics; convergence with other techs: monitor interaction of Blockchain technologies with other technologies (i.e. AI, IoT).
one line of legal Research:
- regulation and legislation: mapping the main regulations affecting the Blockchain world and analysis of the most significant regulatory changes regarding Blockchain technology applications.

Activities

Activities included in the annual edition of the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory in collaboration with the DEIB are:

In-field Research involving major National and International market players.
Many meeting and in-depth consultation opportunities:
- one closed door research set-up workshop dedicated to supporters, aimed at sharing the progress of the Research activities and guiding the next phases, with dedicated networking sessions for the broader Observatory community;
- three content-focused Workshops, reserved exclusively for Observatory supporters and selected key stakeholders, where specific Research findings are presented and discussed, including dedicated networking moments with institutions, Italian and international companies, and communities from other Observatories;
- an international networking Workshop (held in English), designed to connect with institutions and companies across the European landscape, fostering relationships among European institutions, regulators, and businesses.
A public conference to present Research results, with breakout sessions and keynotes delivered by leading figures of the business world.
A Report including main Research results, which will be distributed at the Conference, in addition to some online Reports examining the themes of Research conducted in greater depth.
A weekly press release for Partners and Sponsors to highlight the most relevant news of the international and Italian markets.
The Blockchain Monthly Overview (BMO), a publication by the Observatory sent to the community on a monthly basis illustrating the monitoring of the cryptocurrencies, tokens, DApps market, and much more.
A repository shared by the community where content developed by the Observatory is stored.

Become a supporter of the Blockchain & Web3 Observatory

The Blockchain & Web3 Observatory is supported by several sector partner and sponsor companies. Take part in the Research, access Observatory exclusive data before anyone else, network with companies and qualified experts and gain visibility in our events.

For more information please contact Valeria Portale (valeria.portale@polimi.it) and Giacomo Vella (giacomo.vella@polimi.it).