EDITOR’S NOTE

There’s a special kind of courage that you can only find in the heart of pioneers. Not every difficult or daunting thing is also new. The pages you’re about to read are heavy on this very particular brand of courage. Just about everyone involved with this publication is an early mover in a very young space, and that’s why it’s been such a distinct pleasure putting it all together.

Blockchain has emerged as a very likely positive change-agent for issues as diverse as financial market instability and the efficiency of our power grids. It stands to change the way we do business, how we pay for things, how we securitise our intellectual property and how we’re likely to capitalise on it. I’ll leave the more technical aspects of it to the much keener minds featured later on in the magazine, but we’re living through a special time indeed. The hype is palpable, and more importantly it’s not just hype – as the first movers start to enjoy the company of the early majority starting to move into this space, it’s clear that we’re not just building a monorail here.

The sheer potential diversity in application means that almost anyone has a reason to get excited about blockchain technology.

Also, progress in blockchain is being matched by other very exciting emerging technologies. The eventual interplay of technologies that emerge from blockchain, AI and IoT is as intriguing as the technologies themselves. We explore the chance for crossover in the first issue of The BLOCK

It’s time to say my thanks. Our fearless leader, Eman Pulis, gets the first nod for handing me the reins to this thing, and for going with the name I blurted out within thirty seconds of learning of The BLOCK’s existence. It takes some real oats to do that. Next up: Jessica Camilleri. Her fingerprints are all over this brilliantlydesigned first issue. She was really fun to work with, and her attention to the little visual details is a great complement to my lack thereof. Seriously, if I’d been left to my own devices, you’d be reading this in a comic font. Last but not least, this magazine wouldn’t be quite the same without the electric photographic talents of Aleksey Leonov. So there we have it. I’ve distributed my gratitude. No more puns, I promise…

Enjoy the issue!

Joseph Muscat addresses the success of blockchain in Malta, as the newly-regulated jurisdiction keeps up its promise.” of key blockchain captured

Dr Kristian Haehndel offers a refreshing outlook on blockchain’s potential societal impact.

SiGMA is bringing back its blockchain-themed conference, where the gaming industry will continue to engage with the disruptive tech.

Jonathan Galea explains why Malta is the best choice for The Blockchain Hackathon.

Meet the elite panel of judges, and the lineup of ICOs participating in one of the most keenly-anticipated events at the Malta Blockchain Summit.

Globiance’s Oliver la Rosa gives his take on the opportunities that come with blockchain and crypto.

David Pulis sheds some light on the crypto world and how Malta is the perfect place for blockchain to progress.

Olga Petrunina and Ira Erokhina are taking the tech world by storm with an alternative crypto exchange.

Christian Ellul talk the recent legislation of blockchain and what it means for the industry.

Some key figures on the blockchain scene, all well worth meeting.