How will blockchain change the world in 2019?

Ilya Kleyner
London Blockchain Labs
3 min readMar 14, 2019

The largest universities-led blockchain conference in Europe will take place at Imperial College London on March 23rd, 2019. Blockchain In the Digital Economy (BIDE) 2019 will unite up to 500 leading academics, students and professionals in a value-driven push for boosting sustainable blockchain adoption.

The 2018 crypto-market crash has helped to dispel some of the hype surrounding the blockchain space, clear the field from non-value-adding projects and warn off casual investors. The focus has returned to research, development and launching solutions able to improve business models and deliver clear economic and social benefit. BIDE 2019 leverages the scientific power and the student talent of the UK’s leading universities to empower individuals and corporations to maximise the potential of blockchain in 2019.

Education and the Talent Gap

The key tool to powering the world-changing impact of blockchain remains education. With the goal of educating and connecting students, academics, professionals and policy-makers, London Blockchain Labs (LBL) has grown to be the UK’s biggest university-based blockchain community, with 3000+ members across UCL, LSE, Imperial College London and London Business School.

Blockchain adoption is being held back by a huge talent gap. For each available blockchain developer there are ~14 job openings, and there are countless more gaps for decision-makers, able to identify blockchain-driven value and execute long-term digital strategies. LBL’s mission is to fill the global blockchain talent gap, by educating the next generation of blockchain developers, managers and researchers.

A Blockchain Tour de Force

LBL is using its experience of running 70+ educational lectures, workshops and hackathons to give BIDE 2019 attendees a one-day blockchain powercourse:

  • 14+ Directors, CxOs and Chairpeople from UCL, Cambridge University, Barclays, HSBC, Bank of England, ConsenSys and others will share their experiences and insights across academia, industry and government.
  • Hyperledger and its associates Omnitude and Jitsuin will run a hands-on workshop, coaching on how to execute successful enterprise-grade blockchain projects.
  • 3 VIP roundtables will allow decision-makers to debate the next steps in financial sector implementation of blockchain solutions, omnichannel international regulation and the sustainable adoption of cryptocurrencies.
  • Organised SMART Networking and Speed Interviews will allow leading firms to connect with the most talented blockchain students from across UCL, LSE, Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford, LBS and other leading universities.

Non-profit — our partners are driving education too!

LBL is delighted to be supported on BIDE 2019 by global organisations who share the mission of accessible blockchain education as a driver for worldwide adoption:

o Coinscrum — One of the UK’s biggest blockchain Meetup groups

o Lisk Academy — the education division of the leading dApp building platform

o Cardano Foundation — the non-profit community arm of Cardano

o Fintech4Good — A global fintech and blockchain network for social impact

o Tech London Advocates — A worldwide network of tech leaders and entrepreneurs

o BTC Wires — Asia’s leading blockchain news platform

and student organisations including:

o CapitOx — Oxford University’s premier finance and consulting society

o UCL Entrepreneurs — Award winning hub of student-led innovation at UCL

o OxFEST — Oxford Females in Engineering, Science, and Technology

o Cambridge Blockchain Society

o LBS Tech & Media Club

Super Early Bird tickets have sold out ahead of time, so we encourage passionate blockchain enthusiasts, students, developers, decision-makers and researchers to get their tickets as soon as possible at https://londonblockchainlabs.com/bide2019

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Ilya Kleyner
London Blockchain Labs

Former Executive Director of London Blockchain Labs (LBL) - the UK's largest Blockchain student hub