Kicking Off Today: Virtual Currency & Blockchain Expo in European Parliament

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Hosted by Syed Kamall MEP and in conjunction with The Cobden Centre, European Digital Currency & Blockchain Technology Forum (EDCAB) is co­-organising a flagship event on Virtual Currencies and Blockchain Technology in the European Parliament. The event, Virtual Currencies and Blockchain Technology: Europe’s Future will consist of an exhibition in the European Parliament which will culminate in a series of exclusive roundtables for industry and policymakers.

The Exhibition, which will be held in the central hub area of the European Parliament, includes informative displays that focus on virtual currencies and Blockchain, the benefits for citizens, the broader economic and societal potential and common myths. The Exhibition will run from Monday 18th April to Thursday 21st April and is targeted at MEPs and their staff as well as other EU institutions, authorities and agencies.

About the Roundtables

Three roundtables, moderated by EDCAB Founder, Siân Jones, will run alongside the Exhibition focusing on Virtual Currencies: The future of money, Blockchain : Trusting distributed ledgers and Regulating virtual currencies and Blockchain: A balancing act.

What will be discussed?

Three roundtables including presentations from industry experts and open discussion moderated by EDCAB Founder, Siân Jones, will focus on:

Virtual currencies: The future of money – setting out how Europe’s economy might benefit from public and private alternatives to government issued currency, ­hosted by Syed Kamall MEP. Presentations from: Harvard Law School, the Sorbonne, Blockchain & UK Treasury.

Blockchain: Trusting distributed ledgers – looking at how Blockchain and use cases can improve trade, economic prosperity, governance and the lives of citizens, hosted by Eva Kaili MEP. Presentations from: Nasdaq, Guardtime, Epiphyte & Europol.

Regulating virtual currencies and Blockchain: A balancing act – exploring effective and proportionate legislation to ensure adequate safeguards while encouraging innovation, ­ hosted by Ashley Fox MEP. Presentations from: IMF, OECD, Bank for International Settlements & ESMA.

Download the full roundtable programme. 

What is the purpose of the roundtables?

The roundtables form part of a series of activities organised by EDCAB to educate and engage with EU policymakers to shape a sound regulatory and policy agenda for virtual currencies and distributed ledger technology in the European Union.

The objective of the sessions is to facilitate a safe place to exchange views and ensure that policy decisions are taken in full knowledge of the virtual currency and Blockchain industry business perspective.

Who is participating?

Roundtables aim to bring together a broad spectrum of industry ­ ranging from traditional financial service players to newly emerging fintech companies ­ with policymakers across all EU institutions, banking authority representatives and academia. Confirmed participants include Bank of International Settlements, Bank of England, Barclays, Blockchain, Circle Internet Financial, ESMA, Europol, French Banking Federation, Harvard, IMF, Microsoft, Nasdaq, OECD, Unicredit, and the World Bank.

Download the full participant list. 

After the roundtables, EDCAB will produce reports to summarise discussions, areas of further collaboration and next steps.

#EUBlockchainExpo – Live coverage

EDCAB will be providing live coverage of the expo and roundtables. Check here for all the latest coverage, as it happens.

Monday 19 April ­- Thursday 21 April 2016

Follow all EDCAB coverage of the expo and roundtables on Twitter: @EDCAB_EU