Bitcoin & Blockchain: what goes up must come down ... and up, and down ...

Will cryptocurrencies reshape the financial system, remain a niche product for a select group of enthusiasts or become a regulated part of the mainstream? And what of blockchain, the secure distributed ledger technology behind Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies?

Critics argue that there are several impediments built in – around regulation, scalability, volatility and governance, to say nothing of the huge energy use - which will prevent cryptocurrencies becoming the peer-to-peer electronic cash systems envisioned by Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and others. The lack of intermediaries, while cherished by Bitcoin proponents, is unlikely to go down well with a mass market which dislikes having no rights, no recourse, no guarantees and no legal coverage. As Mark Carney’s recent remarks demonstrated, it doesn’t go down well with regulators either.

Meanwhile, blockchain also has its critics. The complexity of the underlying technology, concerns over settlement times and customer protection, as well as regulatory challenges has brought its effectiveness into question. And, is blockchain as secure as we believe; the advent of quantum computing brings this into focus.

Come and hear the latest thoughts on cryptocurrencies and blockchain from a group of industry and academic experts.

Speakers

• Tim Jones CBE, Founder of Tibado and former CEO Nat West Retail, Also, former CEO of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST)

• Bill McCall (panel chair), Senior Vice-President , Chartered Banker Institute

• Professor Chris Speed (panellist), Chair in Design Informatics, Edinburgh College of Art

• Stephen Ingledew (panellist), CEO, FinTech Scotland

The Business School is also running this event with the Edinburgh Futures Institute, a university wide collaborative project designed to tackle the world's biggest challenges within the economy, education and societies.