Blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) have recently emerged into the mainstream, demonstrating the advantages of decentralization, disintermediation, anonymity and censorship resistance, especially in relation with the financial sector. Blockchain technologies, through recent development, have not only enabled simple transactions, but also complex computation on a network where parties are geographically distant or have no particular trust in each other to interact and exchange value and information on a fully distributed basis with fewer to non-existent central intermediaries. Many popular applications are cloud related. These advances are now not just limited to the financial sector, but also new internet applications can harness these building blocks to empower users to take control of their online footprint, such as in healthcare, social media and other digital services. The IEEE Blockchain community shall become the gathering place for academic researchers, practitioners and business innovators alike, where they may meet and work together to embrace, promote and enhance blockchain technologies and their applications.
