Haydn Jones

• Managing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers

At its best, technological innovation benefits business and consumers, by cutting costs, increasing profits and creating new jobs. However, it can also have unforeseen risks, face resistance from technophobes and expose businesses and consumers to fraud. It’s the job of regulators, therefore, to protect consumers and markets without stifling innova...

Bitcoin, a trailblazing cryptocurrency and the first practical deployment of a blockchain, was established over a decade ago. Since then it has become the most capitalised cryptocurrency out of approximately two thousand in existence. This chapter examines Bitcoin’s success and explains why it is one of the most trusted cryptocurrencies in the worl...

There is a buzz of excitement surrounding smart contracts, with considerable speculation about the role they will play in changing the face of e-commerce. To back this up, there has been significant investment in smart contract technology from small organisations as well as much larger consortia.

There is always a temptation for businesses to rush headlong to adopt new technology, often driven by the fear of missing out on the ‘next big thing’. Blockchain has significant potential to add value and transform the way businesses operate. Procuring the wrong technology, however, can be costly and damaging, so it’s necessary to follow a clear im...

CryptographyCryptography! The word alone is enough to send most non-techies diving for cover. And if you also happen to be a time-poor business person with a thousand-and-one important task competing for your attention, it would be entirely understandable were you tempted to skip this chapter. However, that would be a mistake that could ultimately...

History is littered with predictions that have proved to be spectacularly wrong. In 1876, William Orton, President of Western Union said ‘This “telephone” has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication’, contemptuously dismissing Alexander Graham Bell’s new invention.

At the time of writing, there are a few thousand cryptocurrencies (or virtual currency) in existence, which is a staggering number given that the first cryptocurrency cryptocurrency was only created in 2009.

On January 3, 2009 the cryptocurrency era began with the birth of Bitcoin. This chapter describes the history and the impact of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Hopefully, you will now have a better understanding of blockchain technology, and the advantages it has over traditional payment systems. It’s now time to look beyond the relationship between blockchain and cryptocurrencies and examine in detail ways in which this innovative technology can be used in other areas of commerce. Bitcoin is a very good...

Keeping up with fast evolving technology is a challenge that every business leader faces. As organisations start to wake up to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s becoming more important than ever to be able to utilise and exploit new digital platforms. With the simple aim of demystifying blockchain for business leaders, The Executive Guide to B...

Suppliers increasingly find themselves required to put in competitive tenders in order to win business, especially public sector contracts. Indeed, large organizations of all kinds, including NGOs, increasingly require their suppliers to go through structured tendering processes. But often those structured tendering processes are inappropriate for...