Blockchain & Web3

The role of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger 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 Graduate School of Management.

Goals

Activities

Work Group

Objectives of the Observatory

Blockchain technologies today are no longer considered only instruments enabling the improvement of existing processes but solutions enabling the development of original and innovative organizational models. Combined with other technologies Blockchain could be the basis of the “next web revolution”, that is, web3; a sort of decentralized web that could be a natural evolution of the current – centralized and dominated by Big Tech – web.

As a result of the collaboration between the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale (DIG) – Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering – and the Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria (DEIB) – Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering –, the Observatory analyzes these issues from both a business and technical point of view.

The Observatory was established in 2018 as the Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Observatory, and in response to the evolving applications of these technologies, in 2023 it changed its name to Blockchain & Web3 Observatory. Since 2018 the mission of the Observatory is to generate and share knowledge on Blockchain and Web3 related topics and contribute to the development of the Italian and international markets, creating opportunities for meeting and debate among main active players.

Additionally, since 2021 the Observatory has also activated the Blockchain Innovation & Solutions HUB, an independent laboratory that aims to promote, encourage, and enable Blockchain projects involving various players by creating a pre-competitive development environment where companies can conduct applied research.

Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Observatory Research

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

five 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;
- 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;

six lines of tech Research:
- DAO and governance token: Analysis of how Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) are created and operate.
- Data privacy: identify modes enabling to share data and information in Blockchain;
- performance, scalability, and power consumption: identify the differences and of ways of filling the gap between current performances of existing platforms and requirements of various applications;
- 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 and Distributed Ledger 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 Research progress status and at addressing next-step activities;
- four content Workshops, dedicated exclusively to Observatory supporters and select stakeholders, to share with them some Research results on specific topics;
- a networking workshop, i.e., an interactive event with organized and informal networking opportunities where participants can share ideas, experiences, and form new professional relationships.
An international conference held entirely in English in which international partners will play an active role in Research results discussions.
A public conference to present Research results, with breakout sessions and keynotes delivered by leading figures of the business world.
A hard-copy 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 & Distributed Ledger Observatory

The Blockchain & Distributed Ledger 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).