Publication
ESG and internal investigations: New compliance challenges
As ESG concerns have come to the forefront in different jurisdictions, the scope of these inquiries is expanding in kind.
Unlocking the blockchain: A global legal and regulatory guide - Chapter 1
Global | Publication | August 2016
Our global blockchain team has published a global legal and regulatory guide titled ‘Unlocking the blockchain’.
Overview
Interest in blockchain technologies has grown dramatically over the last twelve months.
This has triggered growth in investment in businesses operating in this area and marked engagement from all industry sectors (and financial institutions in particular) in blockchain technologies and their disruptive potential. Such engagement has led to the development of increasingly sophisticated proof-of-concept use cases and notable live deployments.
In view of these developments, we have produced a new global legal and regulatory guide to blockchain technologies in which we explore the regulatory considerations and a range of other legal issues that should be taken into account with any proposed deployment. The guide will be published in a series of chapters, with the first one covering ‘an introduction to blockchain technologies’ that we invite you to read.
Chapter 1: An introduction to blockchain technologies
Blockchain technologies are receiving a great deal of attention from businesses across a broad range of industry sectors, and for very good reasons.
In this first chapter we consider the circumstances in which the deployment of blockchain technologies is likely to deliver significant value and the potential impact of the new technologies upon various industry sectors (and horizontally across multiple sectors). We outline the nature of blockchain technologies, survey the current state of the vendor landscape and current investment trends, and examine potential obstacles to adoption. We also outline the key legal and regulatory issues (and deal with many of these in more detail in later chapters of this Guide). Finally, we consider the implications for businesses.
We invite you to read the first chapter which can be downloaded here. The subsequent chapters will only be available to contacts who have registered.
Chapters in the series:
Register to receive the subsequent chapters
Topics
- an introduction to blockchain technologies
- the regulatory considerations
- the IP and IT issues
- litigation and dispute resolution considerations
- competition / anti-trust issues
- tax considerations
Use cases
- digitizing the insurance value chain
- clearing and settlement
- securitisation and trade receivables finance
- identity (including data privacy issues)
- supply chain management
- DAOs (decentralised autonomous organisations)
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this topic further, please get in touch.
Global head of FinTech
Email
sean.murphy@nortonrosefulbright.com
Recent publications
Publication
Energy reform: The new regulation for the Hydrocarbons Sector in Mexico
In compliance with the constitutional reforms published in the Federal Official Gazette, new secondary legislation regulating the energy sector, specifically in terms of power and hydrocarbons, was published on March 18, 2025.
Publication
Tariff turmoil: US tariffs and Canadian retaliatory tariffs
On February 1, US President Donald Trump signed three executive orders which impose tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico based on declared national emergencies associated with purported illegal immigration and fentanyl imports from each country.
Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest legal news, information and events . . .