OVERVIEW Distributed ledger technology has evolved significantly since 2009 when the first bitcoin was mined and the first bitcoin blockchain was created. In 2017, firms developed numerous blockchain-based projects for use in applications such as internal payments and trade finance. Despite their potential, many of these projects aren’t yet ready for commercial use. This year, we expect bigger issues to emerge around sharing of data, changes in business models and operating in multi-blockchain environments. LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. The fundamentals of blockchain 2. commercial implications on financial services and technology firms 3. use cases on supply chain, registries and trade finance 4. smart contracts 5. disputes and regulations