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Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

DeFi and Regulation: the European Approach

In an earlier blog about the newest trends in 2021 in the blockchain world I mentioned the spectacular growth in decentralised finance or DeFi. Decentralized finance, an unbundling of traditional finance, is challenging the centralized financial system by disempowering middlemen and facilitate peer-to-peer transactions and let users retain control...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Blockchain, IoT and 5G: a marriage a trois

Long-time blockchain has been looked at as an isolated technology. Recently however we see a growing trend of blockchain being integrated with other technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence amongst others. An interesting development that can be observed is the growing attention of corporates to use blockchain for IoT or Internet of T...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

ECB and a Digital euro: positive consultation results

Last year I wrote a blog on the ECB plans to investigate if one should introduce a Digital euro. They announced to launch a public consultation on the desirability of such a central bank digital currency for the euro zone. Now we are a half year later and in a comprehensive analysis of the results of this consultation the ECB published the findings...

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Blockchain Technology Challenges: new third-generation solutions

Notwithstanding the various benefits of blockchain technology, there are still a number of big challenges to overcome before mass adoption can be realised. These range from low scalability to lack of regulation and limited number of qualified people. In some of my previous blocks I already went into more detail into these challenges and possible s...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Cryptocurrencies and Regulation: Towards a Balanced and Coordinated Approach

Cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, are facing increased regulatory scrutiny, and that is not strange. Warnings from regulatory watchdogs all over the globe have come amid a wildly volatile ride for Bitcoin and other crypto currencies. Bitcoin prices quadrupled in 12 months’ time reaching an all-time high of more than $ 40.000 on 8 January after...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Blockchain trends in 2021: Expect the unexpected

The year 2020 has almost come to an end. It has been a historically tough year for many. A number of events happened that were not included nor expected in my – and many others - 2020 blockchain trends. Especially the COVID-19 pandemic that not only intensified trends that were already underway, but also generated new trends. It is a tradition to ...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Ripple Blockchain and Payments Report 2020: from rippling to spreading out

Ripple, the blockchain payments platform, recently launched its third annual "Blockchain in Payments Report 2020: From Adoption to Growth”. The survey that was conducted in the August-September period this year amongst 854 respondents from payment services providers in 22 countries gives us some interesting and positive insights in the global...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Smart working with blockchain-based smart contracts

Smart contracts are one of the most popular and talked about subjects being built in the blockchain industry. As processes are increasingly digitalised, it is becoming necessary to find a way to make reliable, digital business agreements. Smart contracts are a great alternative for replacing traditional contracts, that are often complex, slow and ...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Blockchain becomes a reality: growing adoption

Early July I wrote my blog Blockchain and Interoperability: key to mass adoption. There I concluded that “we may say that blockchain seems to be at the threshold of widespread acceptance and adoption”. This conclusion was confirmed by Deloitte’s Third ‘Global Blockchain Survey 2020’ studying the investment and development trends in blockchain techn...

/crypto Blockchain Observations

Carlo R.W. De Meijer

Carlo R.W. De Meijer Owner and Economist at MIFSA

Blockchain and Interoperability: key to mass adoption

Blockchain‘s potential for improving business processes, providing transactional transparency and security in the value chain, and reducing operational costs is obvious for many. Notwithstanding this the expected mass adoption failed to happen up till now. What has been holding blockchain? In fact, there have been several concerns in recent years...

/crypto Blockchain Observations