It is with great pleasure that we announce the SFI Evening Seminar with Prof. Dr. Michael Mainelli in Zurich.

Prof. Michael Mainelli, Director, Z/Yen Group Limited

Mutual Distributed Ledgers (aka blockchains): Myths, Facts, and Fantasies

Mutual distributed ledger (MDLs, aka blockchain) technology has been around for two decades but the public interest surrounding Bitcoin’s blockchain has created a frenzy of interest in applying the underlying ledger technology. Professor Mainelli argues that MDLs are as much about changing the organisation of central third party relationships as about technological implementation. Central third parties validate, safeguard, and preserve transactions among a community. Successful central third parties frequently become natural monopolies, exposing them to two temptations, corruption and indolence. MDLs move much safeguarding and preservation into the technology, in the process reducing the ‘switching costs’ for the community of moving to a new central third party. Both the technology and the reduced switching costs reduce the likelihood of overly powerful natural monopolies. However, this reduced power could, paradoxically, lead to a profusion of new central third party players. Michael will share some of his firm’s current applications and wider work on forthcoming applications. As MDLs are now attempting to cross the technological trough of disillusion, Michael will explore how MDL technology may enduringly change the roles of numerous players in finance.

More Information

The presentation will be held in English and attendance is free of charge. For safety reasons, registration is mandatory.

CFA CE Credits

CFA Society Switzerland has determined that this seminar qualifies for 1 CE.