The growth of Blockchain technology presents a number of legal questions for lawyers, regulators and industry participants alike. Primarily, regulators must allow Blockchain technology to develop whilst also ensuring it is not being abused.

This book addresses the challenges posed by various applications of Blockchain technology, such as cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and initial coin offerings, across different fields of law. Contributors explore whether the problems posed by Blockchain and its applications can be addressed within the present legal system or whether significant rethinking is required.

The growth of Blockchain technology presents a number of legal questions for lawyers, regulators and industry participants alike. This book identifies the legal challenges posed by cryptocurrencies, smart contracts and other applications of Blockchain, questioning whether these challenges can be addressed within the current legal system, or whether significant changes are required.

Chapters assess how Blockchain’s many applications will affect different areas of law, including contract, criminal, financial and private international law. Contributors analyse how these fields of law may need to adapt to accommodate Blockchain technology, proposing possible solutions and ways forward. Several chapters are based on the Swiss legal framework as it allows market participants the widest freedom to operate in Blockchains and cryptocurrencies. Overall, this illuminating work highlights the importance of creating a regulatory structure that will allow Blockchain technologies to develop, whilst also ensuring they are not abused. The conclusions of this book are however quite reassuring, with contributing authors suggesting that although disruptive, the challenges brought about by the ‘Blockchain revolution’ can, for the most part, be effectively addressed within the law as we know it.

This book will be a valuable resource for practising lawyers and academic researchers who are interested in understanding more about how legal and regulatory systems will be affected by the implementation of Blockchain technologies.

Edited by Daniel Kraus, Thierry Obrist and Olivier Hari, Professors and Attorneys, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland., 2019, ISBN: 978 1 78811 512 4