Track Information

Track: Blockchain Technology and Applications

This track builds on the successful editions of EMCIS 2018-2023 track on Blockchain technology and applications. Blockchain, the technology underlying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, has been receiving considerable attention in recent years, as new use cases in the public and private sector have been identified. What started as a solution to the double-spending problem in Bitcoin, is being explored as the backbone technology in scenarios where a trusted third party (e.g., a notary or a bank) is normally required. Using this technology, transactions are securely registered on a data structure (aka the ledger) replicated across a network of peers that validate the entries using a consensus mechanism. New records are cryptographically linked to existing ones, rendering them virtually immutable. The resulting auditability and transparency have been leveraged in proposing innovative solutions to land registries, to stop the spread of conflict diamonds, to fight the counterfeiting of medication, to make supply chains less opaque, and, generally, to promote new financial services.

Additionally, blockchains can also store and enforce the execution of algorithmic code know as smart contracts – pieces of code that are executed automatically once predetermined conditions are met – further reducing uncertainty and promoting confidence among stakeholders that would not normally trust each other. Nevertheless, we are still in the early days of blockchain adoption, compared by some to the introduction of the World Wide Web itself. Then, as now, few if any could predict the full extent of the disruptive innovations that would emerge fostered by this emerging technology.

For these reasons, it is important for academics to systematically research this field, at various levels. Conferences play a key role in disseminating knowledge about Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT – including blockchains) due to the speed at which developments occur. The proposed track had a considerable attendance in the past three editions, with the audience also registering to get information on new editions or other related developments.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Barriers and enablers in blockchain adoption
  • Blockchain and business model innovation
  • Blockchain and digital transformation
  • Blockchain Governance
  • Blockchain and Metaverse
  • Blockchain and privacy, security, and identity
  • Blockchain and the Internet-of-Things
  • Blockchain case studies, applications, and implementations
  • Blockchain in education
  • Blockchain in e-government and public administration
  • Blockchain in solving migration and refugee issues
  • Blockchain-driven marketplaces
  • Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
  • Decentralized Applications (DApps)
  • Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)
  • Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
  • GameFi
  • Innovative uses of Blockchain technology
  • Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
  • Regulatory frameworks for Blockchain
  • Technology and infrastructure issues in Blockchain
  • The social and organizational impact of blockchain
  • Tokenization
  • Uses and challenges of smart contracts
  • Verticals using Blockchain (financial, healthcare, energy, transportation, others)

Track chairs:

Klitos Christodoulou, University of Nicosia, Cyprus (email: Christodoulou.Kl@unic.ac.cy)

Marinos Themistocleous, University of Nicosia, Cyprus (email: Themistocleous.m@unic.ac.cy)

Elias Iosif, University of Nicosia, Cyprus (email: Iosif.e@unic.ac.cy)