Master's Thesis from the year 2021 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: Merit, University of Salford, course: International Business, language: English, abstract: The research aimed to analyse the impact of blockchain technology on international trade and find out how blockchain technology can improve the various fields of international trade. The research also intended to find the challenges regarding the implementation of blockchain technology in international trade to help companies achieve successful collaboration and understand what requirements need to be met in advance. The literature review of this research covered the fundamentals of blockchain technology, blockchain's role in facilitating supply chain and trade finance, the impact and adoption of blockchain technology, and blockchain implementation's key challenges. A qualitative approach was used based on 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten companies operating in different business fields and two blockchain specialists to obtain empirical data. This research found that blockchain technology has significantly impacted international trade by improving supply chain efficiency, reducing the complexity of the paper-based trade process, and enabling faster cross-border payments. The empirical findings presented that blockchain can facilitate the supply chain by providing a high level of transparency and better product traceability. Furthermore, the findings showed that smart contracts could facilitate trade finance by providing automatic payments and eliminating intermediaries and blockchain-based ICOs could be a great fundraising option for innovative projects. However, this research also found that the large-scale implementation of blockchain in trade finance is still not possible due to government regulations. Blockchain technology ensures to transform the supply chain and trade finance and reduce the complexity of the current international trade process. However, some critical challenges are associated with blockchain implementation, and some essential requirements need to be met in advance for successful implementation, which was discussed in this research. Furthermore, several suggestions regarding the large-scale implementation of blockchain in trade finance were presented. The empirical findings will help companies develop their adoption strategies and prepare to implement the technology in the trade process. Furthermore, the findings of this research can bring new insight into the policymaking process regarding the implementation of blockchain in trade finance.

Blockchain technology is one of the most talked about topics in the sphere of information technology as well as in the facilitation of electronic business. The cryptocurrency Blockchain applications are well known and well-publicized, however, this technology has the potential to influence the way that we do business today, as its use expands to new areas. Blockchain, which is one form of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), offers opportunities to increase the reliability and security of trade transactions. The repetition of data among multiple ledgers in a network, as well as the immutability of information after it has been integrated into the Blockchain, can increase levels of confidence for both traders and regulators.

An exploration of the current state of global trade law in the era of Big Data and AI. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Trade has always been shaped by technological innovation. In recent times, a new technology, Blockchain, has been greeted by many as the next big game-changer. Can Blockchain revolutionize international trade? This publication seeks to demystify the Blockchain phenomenon by providing a basic explanation of the technology. It analyses the relevance of this technology for international trade by reviewing how it is currently used or can be used in the various areas covered by WTO rules. In doing so, it provides an insight into the extent to which this technology could affect cross-border trade in goods and services, and intellectual property rights. It discusses the potential of Blockchain for reducing trade costs and enhancing supply chain transparency as well as the opportunities it provides for small-scale producers and companies. Finally, it reviews various challenges that must be addressed before the technology can be used on a wide scale and have a significant impact on international trade.

Nobody can deny the importance of currency in the financial or economic world. With the advancements in technology, there was a need for some digital way to store data. Then Blockchain arrived and changed the thinking of people and businesses. Yes, Blockchain is definitely a breakthrough in the digital financial world and it is going to be the stronger technology for future generations. Big companies, as well as businesses, have felt the importance of this new technology. That is why many of the biggest organizations, business owners and businesses are focusing on Blockchain. They also think that this is going to be the front line method to transfer or send money from one place of the world to the other place within a few seconds. There is no doubt that Blockchain has already made great changes in the financial as well as the other fields of the world. In the future, it is expected to grow more and surely its future is bright.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is taking an increasingly important role in our society. From cars, smartphones, airplanes, consumer applications, and even medical equipment, the impact of AI is changing the world around us. The ability of machines to demonstrate advanced cognitive skills in taking decisions, learn and perceive the environment, predict certain behavior, and process written or spoken languages, among other skills, makes this discipline of paramount importance in today's world. Although AI is changing the world for the better in many applications, it also comes with its challenges. This book encompasses many applications as well as new techniques, challenges, and opportunities in this fascinating area.

The book discusses the various ways that blockchain technology is changing the future of money, transactions, government, and business. The first two chapters walk through the foundation of blockchain. Chapters 3–12 look at applications of blockchain in different industries and highlight its exciting new business applications. It show why so many companies are implementing blockchain, and present examples of companies who have successfully employed the technology to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. Chapter 13 highlights blockchain’s powerful potential to foster emerging markets and economies including smart cities, value-based healthcare, decentralized sharing economy, machine to machine transactions, data-sharing marketplace, etc. Chapter 14 offers a conceptual model, provides information and insights, and covers a step-by-step approach to plan and develop blockchain-based technology.

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

This open access book contributes to the creation of a cyber ecosystem supported by blockchain technology in which technology and people can coexist in harmony. Blockchains have shown that trusted records, or ledgers, of permanent data can be stored on the Internet in a decentralized manner. The decentralization of the recording process is expected to significantly economize the cost of transactions. Creating a ledger on data, a blockchain makes it possible to designate the owner of each piece of data, to trade data pieces, and to market them. This book examines the formation of markets for various types of data from the theory of market quality proposed and developed by M. Yano. Blockchains are expected to give data itself the status of a new production factor. Bringing ownership of data to the hands of data producers, blockchains can reduce the possibility of information leakage, enhance the sharing and use of IoT data, and prevent data monopoly and misuse. The industry will have a bright future as soon as better technology is developed and when a healthy infrastructure is created to support the blockchain market.