A brief explanation why blockchain and cryptocurrencies became the fastest growing market we have ever seen.

We start with a brief history of money and payment systems, presenting the monetary evolution from barter trade to fiat and virtual currencies. This naturally leads us to virtual crypto currencies on the blockchain.

Bitcoin, being the first decentralized monetary system that reached public attention, is presented in detail. This section covers its historical background and the fundamental technologies and economic principles that make it work.

In this section of the Blockchain course, we examine in detail the five forces behind Bitcoin: blockchain, mining and proof-of-work, game theory, P2P network, and software code base.

Next, we introduce the second generation of blockchain technology with Ethereum. Its creators started from the Bitcoin framework and brought to the world ground-breaking innovations of their own, like smart contracts, decentralized applications, and the Ethereum Virtual Machine. We show many examples of decentralized applications created on top of Ethereum and other blockchains, such as the alternative funding method through blockchain-based crowdfunding campaigns used by start-ups, known as Initial Coin Offerings (or ICO).

In this section of the Blockchaincourse, we move on to blockchain solutions tailored to specific industries and use-cases. These can be open-source public networks or private permissioned networks. We go through several examples of public blockchains with specific functionalities like Steem, designed for the media industry, several Internet of Things and supply chain management blockchains, and blockchains with enhanced privacy features like Monero, Zcash, and DASH. Then, we present the main private blockchain projects designed for corporate use in a permissioned environment: R3 Corda, Hyperledger, and the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.

In each of the following chapters, we examine a different industry. We discuss how blockchain might impact it in the future and what business opportunities will arise from that. We start with the finance industry, as it has been stagnant for quite some time and the technology known as “the Internet of Money” will disrupt the existing status quo.

In this chapter of the Blockchain course, we discuss the intersection with consumer goods. In particular, we focus on retail, intellectual property-related products, fast moving consumer goods, and the automotive industry. The aim is to build upon the use cases discussed in the previous sections and expand your knowledge of blockchain’s future applications.

This section’s focus is the future of internet giants in the blockchain era. Many of the hypotheses we make are based on the assumption that blockchain will change the world.

This new field has managed to excite a lot of smart people, which see enormous opportunities emerging. Talent and money are flowing in with a strong momentum from all parts of the world. The trend is similar to what we have seen in previous industrial revolutions like steam power, railroads, automobiles, electricity, computers, and the internet. They all have gone through the cycle which blockchain technology is experiencing now.