Cryptocurrencies: Coins, Tokens, NFTs, DAOs. Are We on the Way to a Blockchain-Powered, Decentralized Future?

Dear Colleagues,

Since January 2017, the total market value of cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed from 20bn USD to roughly 2tn USD, with bitcoin being the undisputed leader. Smart contract-capable blockchains such as Ethereum, Cardano, Solana, and Avalanche have laid the foundation for numerous innovations, creating a demand for crypto assets and driving up prices. We have seen the rise of decentralized applications (DApps), decentralized finance, tokenized assets, non-fungible tokens, decentralized autonomous organizations, blockchains based play to earn gaming, metaverse projects, web3, and even the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender by some countries. In the near future, we will likely see further growth in blockchain-based applications with real-world use cases. Therefore, the mass adoption of crypto may be just around the corner, transitioning into a decentralized and blockchain-driven world. On the downside, crypto still faces issues—such as security, hacks, and scams, as well as regulatory concerns—that need to be resolved.

This Special Issue aims to explore various aspects of cryptocurrencies and their applications. Subject areas include, but are not limited to:

• Decentralized finance; automated market makers, borrowing and lending, and derivatives
• Crypto-based payment systems and stable coins
• Central bank digital currencies
• Non-fungible tokens and asset tokenization
• Decentralized autonomous organizations
• Metaverse and blockchain games
• Usability, security, scams, and hacks
• The regulation of crypto

Prof. Dr. Alexander Brauneis
Guest Editor

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