2. Cryptocurrencies and blockchains. Creating trust

Jean-Paul DELAHAYE, Professor Emeritus at the University of Lille1, Centre de recherche en informatique, signal et automatique de Lille (CRISTAL), UMR CNRS 9189

In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto defined a new model for currencies, issued and managed on a peer-to-peer network with no centralized control. Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency based on this model, has been in existence since January 2009. Like the 700 other currencies of the same type created in its wake, it operates on a blockchain. This is a file shared and collectively controlled by a peer-to-peer network. It can be used for many purposes other than currency creation. Thanks to this technology, a multitude of applications are gradually being studied and implemented, particularly in the world of banking...