Cardiff University Bitcoin Database (CUBiD) and its applications

Dr. Hossein Jahanshahloo,
Cardiff University Business School

While Bitcoin created an unprecedented level of transparency, the wealth of data in Bitcoin network is extremely under-utilised in all applicable areas ranging from research, trading and regulation to anti-money laundering. In this talk, I will very briefly explain how CUBiD (and overall the Bitcoin network data) can be used to prevent (or reduce) the abuse of this cryptocurrency by criminals and terrorists.

Bio:
I joined the Cardiff Business School in January 2019. I received my MSc and PhD in Finance from Leeds University Business and I did my BSc in Computer Software Engineering. Prior to pursuing my MSc, I worked in financial industry for 5 years as a software engineer. My research interests include market microstructure and and Cryptocurrencies. I am the creator and founder of Cardiff University Bitcoin Database (CUBiD).

Increasing Public Service Operational Efficiency with
Blockchain Technology

Ali Shahaab & Dr. Imtiaz Khan
Cardiff Metropolitan University

An important aspect of governments is to maintain and provide trusted information about the assets, organisations, citizens and activities that take place within its jurisdictions. Governments across the globe are exploring the effective use of the blockchain technology to increase trust and improve the operational efficiency, thereby adding value for citizens. Here we present a blockchain based proof of concept (PoC) application, developed in collaboration with Companies House, the executive agency responsible for registering companies across UK since 1844 and currently holds over 4 million company records. The ability to integrate this blockchain application as a separate layer and without perturbing existing data management and business processes of public service organisation like Companies House suggests an accelerated adoption lifecycle from technical, financial, administrative, legal and social perspectives. This hybrid private-public blockchain architecture addresses three operational challenges of public services – interoperability of data across different government agencies, transparency / fraud detection and Once Only Principle of European Union. The research demonstrates that an increase in data availability and transparency via the blockchain system contributes to a more transparent and consistent register of events across the public services and respond to the challenges highlighted by several public services, in the recent consultations.

Bio(s):
A. Shahaab is a PhD candidate at Cardiff Metropolitan University. His research focuses on the feasibility of Distributed Ledgers (DLTs) and Blockchain Technology to guarantee the integrity of Companies House UK data.

Dr Imtiaz Khan is an Associate Professor of data science at Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. He is a multidisciplinary data scientist with a mission to increase the veracity and value of big data. At present his research interests include provenance, blockchain, data modelling, data interoperability, interactive data visualisation, virtualisation and machine learning.