The advent of cryptocurrency has unleashed a tsunami in the global financial system, and the impact on traditional banking systems, particularly in India, has been nothing short of revolutionary. Effect of cryptocurrency on traditional banking in relation to India(04) Cryptocurrency comprises of non-regulated digital or virtual currency systems that use cryptography as a security process to verify and secure transactions along with the creation of additional units of the currency. Cryptocurrencies are based on the blockchain and are decentralized, serving as an alternative to traditional banking systems due to how it allows for faster, cheaper, and borderless transactions. This threatens traditional banking services, such as remittances, payments and lending. Speculation Points to Continued Growth in the Indian cryptocurrency industry floundered in the face of regulatory uncertainty, but it has still grown exponentially, as tech-savvy people and businesses adopt cryptocurrencies. Within this context, the study analyzes responses of traditional banks, which range from adopting blockchain technology and enhancing digital offerings to address competition from fintech companies. It also examines any regulatory policies implemented by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the repercussions those policies have on the peaceful coexistence of cryptocurrency and traditional banking. The paper seeks to delve into potential collaboration and integrate between cryptos and conventional banking in India via a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods while underlining the necessity of balanced regulation that encourages innovation, all while upholding financial stability. And the research ends with policy recommendations that would allow Indiaâs banking sector adapt to digital currency as it evolves. Keywords: Cryptocurrency, Traditional Banking, Financial Innovation
Marios Vasileiou, Leonidas Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Christina Kleisiari, Pantelis Z. Lappas · 10 authors
Abstract The globalization of contemporary Food Supply Chains (FSCs) has introduced complexities involving multiple actors, food product transportation, and diverse information. Traditional information systems in FSCs face challenges in ensuring transparency and traceability due to the inherent complexities of multi-actor involvement, global transportation, and diverse information, making it difficult to ascertain product origin and processes, exacerbating issues such as food loss, safety concerns, and financial hazards. Blockchain technology, in conjunction with ancillary technologies, offers potential solutions to these challenges. This systematic literature review endeavors to comprehensively explore the multifaceted dimensions of blockchainâs role in FSC management, with an emphasis on food safety and traceability, across six thematic areas, each guided by distinct criteria. These areas include general information, FSC application, factors of blockchain adoption, blockchain platform, ancillary technologies, and the related impact of blockchain adoption. From the 2097 documents found, 122 full-text articles were assessed, and 61 were included and classified in this study based on criteria. These criteria underscore blockchain's capacity for transparency, resilience, and sustainability in FSCs. The results further indicate that blockchain's integration within the FSCs has unveiled a tapestry of possibilities and considerations that underpin its transformative potential in business systems. Blockchainâs inherent traits of transparency and immutability can enhance traceability, mitigate food fraud, and facilitate consumer trust, reshaping the information systemâs implementation in the FSC landscape. However, challenges such as integration complexities, data quality, scalability, and regulatory concerns should be addressed. Through these challenges, Artificial Intelligence (AI) arises as a potential solution complementing Blockchain. This amalgamation can effectively tackle certain existing obstacles, such as ensuring data accuracy and system compatibility, while providing stronger solutions for food safety and fraud prevention. The implementation of a comprehensive blockchain solution requires strategic collaboration, technological refinement, and regulatory alignment to fully realize its benefits and address the intricate management challenges of traditional FSC information systems.
In trans-border data (data transferred or accessed across national jurisdictions) exchange scenarios, identity authentication mechanisms serve as critical components for ensuring data security and privacy protection, with their effectiveness directly impacting the compliance and reliability of transnational operations. However, existing identity authentication systems face multiple challenges in trans-border contexts. Firstly, the transnational transfer of identity data struggles to meet the varying data-compliance requirements across different jurisdictions. Secondly, centralized authentication architectures exhibit vulnerabilities in trust chains, where single points of failure may lead to systemic risks. Thirdly, the inefficiency of certificate verification in traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems fails to meet the real-time response demands of globalized business operations. These limitations severely constrain real-time identity verification in international business scenarios. To address these issues, this study proposes a trans-border distributed certificate-free identity authentication framework (STALE). The methodology adopts three key innovations. Firstly, it utilizes email addresses as unique user identifiers combined with a Certificateless Public Key Cryptography (CL-PKC) system for key distribution, eliminating both single-point dependency on traditional Certificate Authorities (CAs) and the key escrow issues inherent in Identity-Based Cryptography (IBC). Secondly, an enhanced Elliptic Curve DiffieâHellman (ECDH) key-exchange protocol is introduced, employing forward-secure session key negotiation to significantly improve communication security in trans-border network environments. Finally, a distributed identity ledger is implemented, using the FISCO BCOS blockchain, enabling decentralized storage and verification of identity information while ensuring data immutability, full traceability, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits significant advantages in authentication efficiency, communication overhead, and computational cost compared to existing solutions.
Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Adnan Khan, Mohammed Rahmat Ali
The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) on blockchain networks is rapidly emerging as a foundational component of the next generation of financial infrastructure. Traditional asset classesâsuch as equities, commodities, and real estateâare often hindered by limited liquidity, high entry barriers, opaque custodianship, and inefficient settlement processes. CRYPT (Collateralized Real-world Yield-bearing Protocol for Tokenization) introduces a robust, fully-reserved framework that brings RWAs on-chain through verifiable, collateral-backed digital representations. By utilizing decentralized smart contracts, Chainlink-powered oracle networks, and a dual-layered mint-and-redeem mechanism, CRYPT ensures a secure and trust-minimized bridge between off-chain assets and on-chain liquidity. Each digital token within CRYPT (e.g., dTSLA representing TSLA stock) is 1:1 collateralized by on-chain assets like USDC or ETH, locked transparently in smart contracts. Off-chain asset verification is facilitated via Chainlink Functions, enabling authenticated data sourcing and regulatory-grade auditability. The protocol prioritizes compliance-ready architecture, integrating role-based access controls, proof-of-reserves attestations, and modularity to adapt to jurisdiction-specific legal frameworks. Furthermore, CRYPT introduces automated redemption logic to ensure that users can always exit positions at fair market value, mitigating counterparty risk and promoting systemic stability. This paper details the system architecture, cryptoeconomic design, oracle integration, and threat models relevant to CRYPT, along with a functional case study demonstrating tokenization of a publicly traded equity. We also explore scalability considerations, cost optimization, and cross-chain interoperability. Through rigorous analysis and simulation-based validation, we establish that CRYPT offers a viable and extensible solution for bridging traditional finance (TradFi) with decentralized finance (DeFi), while laying a foundation for compliant, transparent, and accessible asset tokenization at scale.
In supply chain finance (SCF), the long-standing issue of "difficult and expensive financing" has hindered SMEs' growth, with blockchain technology offering a novel solution.This study adopts a theoretical framework of supply chain internal and external financing to systematically analyze financing models: internal financing for upstream manufacturers, midstream distributors, and downstream e-commerce enterprises, and external bank financing via blockchain platforms.It compares decision-making differences between traditional and blockchain-enabled financing, revealing that blockchain technology reshapes the financing landscape through three core mechanisms: information sharing via distributed ledgers, credit transmission across supply chain tiers, and cost optimization through smart contracts.The study finds that blockchain reconstructs the trust system, optimizes banks' risk pricing, and alleviates financing constraints for end-tier enterprises.Additionally, platforms dominated by different entities (e.g., manufacturers, e-commerce companies, and banks) reshape supply chain pricing and profit distribution through differentiated governance rules.These findings provide theoretical support for integrating "blockchain + SCF" and guide supply chain members in optimizing financing decisions and technology adoption strategies.
Understanding regime shifts in crypto asset markets is essential for anticipating systemic risk and enhancing real-time monitoring tools. This study investigates structural changes in five major cryptocurrenciesâBitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Aave (AAVE), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH)âover the 2023â2025 period. Using the Generalized Sup Augmented Dickey-Fuller (GSADF) test applied to daily high-frequency mid-price data, we assess the presence and timing of structural breaks in each asset. The results reveal that BTC and BCH experienced regime shifts that aligned with macroeconomic developments such as monetary policy announcements. In contrast, DeFi-related tokens (ETH, SOL, and AAVE) exhibited more fragmented and short-lived shifts, often driven by project-specific technical changes. Notably, ETH showed a structural break in April 2024, likely related to Layer-2 migration pressures and delays in protocol upgrades. In April 2025, both the crypto asset market and traditional financial markets experienced substantial turbulence following heightened trade policy actions by the United States, which fueled global economic uncertainty. Despite these disturbances, the S&P 500 index did not exhibit persistent structural breaks, suggesting that traditional equity markets are more resilient to transient macroeconomic shocks. This contrast underscores Bitcoinâs emerging role as a macro-sensitive digital asset and highlights the structural volatility within decentralized finance ecosystems. Although the GSADF test is computationally intensive (O(T4)), we discuss future research directions involving GPU acceleration and surrogate modeling. Additionally, we propose the integration of LPPLS-based frameworks to support real-time detection of financial exuberance and contribute to more robust risk management strategies in volatile crypto-financial systems.
Ămit Cali, Annabelle Lee, Barry Hayes, ClĂĄudio Lima · 23 authors
The global energy sector is undergoing a significant transformation driven by decarbonization and digitalization , leading to the emergence of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) â particularly blockchain â as a promising tool for enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in modern power systems . This study aims to provide a comprehensive academic and industrial survey of blockchain applications in the energy sector and develop a robust decision-making framework to identify and prioritize the most promising real-world use cases based on multidisciplinary criteria. A three-stage methodology was adopted: (i) a literature and market review encompassing over 300 academic publications and commercial blockchain initiatives in energy, (ii) an in-depth evaluation of the evolution and viability of blockchain initiatives in energy with the help of expert surveys, and (iii) a novel decision-making model using a q-rung orthopair fuzzy Multi-Attributive Border Approximation (q-ROF-MABAC) method under the Einstein operator. The results were compared with existing decision models to validate consistency and robustness. Nine key blockchain use case categories were identified and ranked based on technical, economic, and governance dimensions. The results demonstrated that integrating expert insights into a fuzzy logic framework helps filter out overhyped claims in the literature and prioritize realistic and high-impact applications such as green certificates, grid services , and peer-to-peer energy trading . The modelâs rankings remained stable across varying weight configurations, confirming the robustness of the methodology. This study provides an evidence-based decision-support tool for researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to better understand, evaluate, and adopt blockchain technologies in the energy sector.
Decentralized blockchains have grown into massive and Internet-scale ecosystems, collectively securing hundreds of billions of dollars in value. The complex interplay of technology and economic incentives within blockchain systems creates a delicate balance that is susceptible to significant shifts even from minor changes. This paper underscores the importance of conducting thorough, data-driven studies to monitor and understand the impacts of significant shifts in blockchain systems, particularly focusing on Ethereumâs groundbreaking builderâproposer separation (PBS) as a pivotal innovation reshaping the ecosystem. PBS revolutionizes Ethereumâs block production, entrusting builders with block construction and proposers with validation via blockchain consensus, with significant impacts on Ethereum decentralization, fairness, and security. Our empirical study reveals key insights, including the following: (a) A substantial 261% increase in proposer revenue underscores the effectiveness of PBS in promoting widespread adoption, significantly enhancing block rewards and proposer incomes. (b) The small profits garnered by builders, comprising only a 3.5% share of block rewards, raise concerns that the security assumptions based on builder reputation may introduce new threats to the system. (c) PBS promotes a more equitable distribution of resources among network participants by reducing proposer centralization and preventing centralization trends among builders and relays, thereby significantly enhancing fairness and decentralization in the Ethereum ecosystem. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of Ethereum PBS adoption, exploring its effects on revenue redistribution among various participants and highlighting its implications for the Ethereum ecosystemâs decentralization.
Decentralized marketplaces in Web3 aim to protect against censorship, bias, and single points of failure that may exist in their centralized counterparts. Still, some mechanisms tend to remain centralized, for example the search mechanism that enables discovery of new assets in the market. Such vulnerabilities have been exploited in live marketplaces in recent years: it is all the more essential to provide protection mechanisms. In this thesis, we propose protocols to uphold the reliability and fairness of marketplace mechanisms, notably through resilience against colluding malicious actors. First, to address decentralized selection of a subset of participants among a population comprising malicious actors, we contribute a blockchain-based protocol to avoid malicious actors swaying selection to their benefit. Then, considering selected sets of participants that will work together on tasks in a decentralized computing marketplace, in an environment with no access to trustworthy or non-confidential monitoring information, we present an incentive mechanism that collectively punishes or rewards task participants based on the outcome of their tasks. We also describe and evaluate how to meet a target success rate for the marketplace's tasks: our proposed algorithm is able to meet such targets and to reduce the failure rate by 5 to 10 times compared to an unprotected system. Additionally, we show how providers of a marketplace's search mechanism can favor a subset of search consumers, granting them an unfair advantage in accessing information about the most recent state of the market. We protect decentralized marketplaces' search with our protocol COoL-TEE, which enables honest search consumers to avoid malicious search providers, who selectively delay responses to benefit colluding consumers. Honest consumers collaborate with Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) inside the host providers, in order to select close, fast, and honest providers. Using simulations of consumers sending search requests from around the globe to geo-distributed providers hosted in datacenters, we illustrate how COoL-TEE reduces malicious advantage close to a scenario without attacks. Finally, many TEE and traditional protocols rely on trustworthy time measurements for their execution logic, including COoL-TEE. However, attackers controlling the operating system are capable of attacking the TEE's time perception and, in turn, of manipulating the protocols depending on the timestamps. We contribute a public implementation of the state-of-the-art but closed-source protocol Triad and empirically showcase attacks. Calibration can be manipulated to affect the TEE's perceived clock speed. Furthermore, attacks on a compromised machine could propagate to honest machines participating in Triad's trusted time protocol. We discuss mitigations to these vulnerabilities for higher resilience against such attacks.
Purpose: The paper discusses the intersection of financial literacy and digital asset education as an inherent determinant of the emergence of a new wave of self-made millionaires in America. As conventional means to wealth creation become ever more tenuous, especially for Millennials and Gen Z, advances in digital technology, including cryptocurrency, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and e-business present unparalleled opportunities. The article investigates the key role played by financial literacy in empowering individuals to access these new avenues. Materials and Methods: A mixed-method research design was employed in this study. The paper employs current data published by Pew Research, Chainalysis, Fidelity, and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center. The research also employs qualitative interviews and public case profiles of investors and digital entrepreneurs. Findings: The most successful lasting success factor among the new digital millionaires is not inherited wealth or high income, but rather high financial and digital literacy levels. Case studies of individuals who have utilized cryptocurrency investing, digital enterprises, and online learning to attain prosperity prove the trend. Furthermore, this paper presents a comparative review of traditional and digital wealth creation models. Implications to Theory, Practice, and Policy: The study proposes a redefinition of financial literacy to include blockchain, tokenomics, and platform-based earnings. Practically, it summons schools, governments, and financial institutions to incorporate digital financial literacy into education and advisory services. Policy implications are public funding for Web3 education, support for digital entrepreneurship, and the decentralization of access to wealth-building.
Snowman is the consensus protocol used by blockchains on Avalanche. Recent work has shown both how to augment Snowman with a `liveness' module called `Frosty' that protects against liveness attacks, and also how to modify Snowman so as to be consistent in partial synchrony. Since Frosty assumes (a strong form of) synchrony, the aim of this note is to show how to modify Frosty to deal with the partially synchronous version of Snowman.
Sota Nakashima, Yuta Ishimoto, Masanari Kondo, Tao Xiao · 5 authors
Technical debt refers to suboptimal code that degrades software quality. When developers intentionally introduce such debt, it is called self-admitted technical debt (SATD). Since SATD hinders maintenance, identifying its categories is key to uncovering quality issues. Traditionally, constructing such taxonomies requires manually inspecting SATD comments and surrounding code, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and often inconsistent due to annotator subjectivity. In this study, we investigated to what extent large language models (LLMs) could generate SATD taxonomies. We designed a structured, LLM-driven pipeline that mirrors the taxonomy construction steps researchers typically follow. We evaluated it on SATD datasets from three domains: quantum software, smart contracts, and machine learning. It successfully recovered domain-specific categories reported in prior work, such as Layer Configuration in machine learning. It also completed taxonomy generation in under two hours and for less than $1, even on the largest dataset. These results suggest that, while full automation remains challenging, LLMs can support semi-automated SATD taxonomy construction. Furthermore, our work opens up avenues for future work, such as automated taxonomy generation in other areas.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is a rapidly proliferating e-commerce model, offering consumers to get the product immediately and defer payments. Meanwhile, emerging blockchain technologies endow BNPL platforms with digital currency transactions, allowing BNPL platforms to integrate with digital wallets. However, the transparency of transactions causes critical privacy concerns because malicious participants may derive consumers' financial statuses from on-chain asynchronous payments. Furthermore, the newly created transactions for deferred payments introduce additional time overheads, which weaken the scalability of BNPL services. To address these issues, we propose an efficient and privacy-preserving blockchain-based asynchronous payment scheme (Epass), which has promising scalability while protecting the privacy of on-chain consumer transactions. Specifically, Epass leverages locally verifiable signatures to guarantee the privacy of consumer transactions against malicious acts. Then, a privacy-preserving asynchronous payment scheme can be further constructed by leveraging time-release encryption to control trapdoors of redactable blockchain, reducing time overheads by modifying transactions for deferred payment. We give formal definitions and security models, generic structures, and formal proofs for Epass. Extensive comparisons and experimental analysis show that \textsf{Epass} achieves KB-level communication costs, and reduces time overhead by more than four times in comparisons with locally verifiable signatures and Go-Ethereum private test networks.
The purpose of the covert communication scheme is to conceal the communication behavior entirely. In such schemes, the sender and receiver rely on secret keys to establish a covert channel. However, conventional key exchange protocols would expose the key exchange process between them. An adversary who observes the key exchange would be aware of the existence of communication behavior. The keys used in covert communication are not suitable to be generated through conventional key exchange schemes. To address this, we propose a blockchain-based covert elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange scheme (BCDH) to conceal the process of the key exchange in blockchain transactions. Following a straightforward setup, BCDH allows the sender and receiver to covertly exchange a secret key on a blockchain without direct communication. Furthermore, we expand the BCDH approach to operate across multiple blockchains, further enhancing its covertness and stability. We analyze BCDH from several perspectives, including covertness, security, randomness, etc. Additionally, we implement a prototype of BCDH on the Ethereum platform to assess its feasibility and performance. Our evaluation demonstrates that BCDH is efficient and well-suited for real-world applications.
Open access
Cryptography and Data Security
Advanced Steganography and Watermarking Techniques
This paper presents an analysis of the legal regulation of smart contracts in Switzerland and the United King-dom â two leading countries in the field of digital technologies. The study examines the key approaches to the formation and execution of smart contracts, their place within the law and legislation, as well as their in-fluence on the development of IT technologies. The central issue in regulating smart contract-related relations lies in the ambiguity of their legal nature and the lack of regulatory provisions in legislation, particularly in the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Special attention is given to legislative initiatives in both coun-tries. The research shows that Switzerland has successfully integrated blockchain technologies into its legal system through the adoption of specialized legal frameworks. In contrast, the United Kingdom emphasizes the adaptation of common law to the challenges of the emerging digital economy. The article compares the two countriesâ approaches in the definition and application of smart contracts, their legal status, taxation is-sues and data protection. In Switzerland, this is the Law on Distributed Registries (DLT Act), and in the UK, the recommendations of the Law Commission of England and Wales. The paper also focuses on security is-sues (cyber threats and data protection), potential risks and the cross-border use of smart contracts. A com-parative analysis of both jurisdictionsâ approaches is presented, along with their potential for further devel-opment, including participation in global standardization initiatives. In conclusion, the authors underscore the necessity of establishing international legal standards for the effective and secure use of smart contracts.
This paper investigates the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies in the financial market of Shanghai from 2018 to 2024. It examines the role of smart contracts, distributed ledger systems, and AI-powered automation in reshaping financial services, including trade finance, cross-border transactions, and personalized banking. The study highlights regulatory evolution, institutional support, and the economic impact of digital financial transformation. Governmentled initiatives, such as the digital yuan pilot and regulatory sandboxes, contributed to Shanghai's emergence as a leading financial center. The challenges of data privacy, compliance, and ethical governance are also analyzed under the formation of the National Financial Regulatory Administration. The convergence of AI and blockchain demonstrates potential for increased efficiency, scalability, and innovation in global financial ecosystems.
The security proof of a protocol, though formally rigorous within a given model, is entirely contingent on the model's assumptions. If the adversary's capabilities are underspecified, the cryptographic primitives are idealized, or the security properties are incompletely formalized, the proof may not hold in practice.The first contribution advances prior work on refining symbolic models for crypto- graphic primitives to better capture their behaviors. Specifically, we propose more precise equational theories for the ElGamal cryptosystem, DSA signatures, and Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Standard symbolic modeling of these primitives disregards their algebraic prop- erties, which may lead to missed attacks in larger protocols. Additionally, we introduce a formal model of exponentiation and re-encryption Mix-Networks. By combining these models with our equational theories, we can automatically find attacks based on the incorrect use of the Mix-Networks missed by previous symbolic models.The second contribution involves analyzing the WireGuard protocol. We examine the protocol's claimed security properties under an adversary capable of compromising any possible key combinations. To systematize this analysis, we introduce the concepts of minimal defensive model and minimal offensive adversary model. The defensive models ensures that violating a security property requires possessing specific atomic capabilities. Minimal offensive models define the smallest sets of adversarial capabilities that break security. Theses derivations helped to identify an implementation optimization that introduces new attack vectors.The third contribution presents a hybrid protocol combining WireGuard and Post- Quantum WireGuard, aligning with recommendations for a secure transition to post- quantum cryptography. Although a symbolic analysis of PQ-WireGuard existed, we uncover discrepancies between the model and the protocol's specifications, including pre- viously missed Unknown Key-Share attacks. We propose fixes and ensure the hybrid protocol's security relies on both the corrected post-quantum and classical WireGuard protocols. We formally defined a hybrid protocol's security as when there exists both minimal defensive models dependent on post-quantum keys and defensive models depen- dent on classical keys. Our work underscores the importance of iterative analysis during design, as achieving hybrid security required repeated refinement between modeling and verification.
Abdulbari Kaje Yamkee, Mohd Hafiz Bin Jamaludin, Hanira Hanafi, Moch. Bukhori Muslim
Bitcoin is the worldâs first cryptocurrency, created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. Initially designed as a currency, Bitcoin has increasingly been used as a speculative investment instrument in recent years. The growing popularity of Bitcoin investment among investors has raised questions about its compatibility with the principles of maqasid syariah in general and the concept of áž„ifáș al-mÄl in particular. This study aims to analyze the concept of áž„ifáș al-mÄl from the perspective of maqasid syariah in relation to Bitcoin investment. កifáș al-mÄl is one of the five essential objectives of maqasid syariah, emphasizing financial security, asset protection, avoidance of excessive risk, fraud and other non-compliant elements. This study adopts a qualitative approach through a literature review to assess the suitability of Bitcoin investment within the framework of áž„ifáș al-mÄl and maqasid syariah. Data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The data were than analyzed based on the established themes. The findings indicate that Bitcoin investment carries both high profit potential and significant risk. Furthermore, ensuring that Bitcoin investment fully aligns with maqasid syariah, particularly in the context of áž„ifáș al-mÄl, present considerable challenges due to elements that may lead to both benefit and harm. Contribution: This study makes a significant contribution in legal, economics and social aspects. From a legal perspective, it proposes a comprehensive guideline for Bitcoin investment. Economically, it enhances understanding of Bitcoinâs potential as an alternative investment within the framework of áž„ifáș al-mÄl. Socially, it promotes awareness of syariah-compliant financial management within community.
Bello Musa Yakubu, Abdullah Alabdulatif, Pattarasinee Bhattarakosol
The rice supply chain is a complex system that demands effective management to ensure reliability and efficiency, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized and tamper-resistant nature, offers a promising solution for improving transparency, traceability, and credibility in agricultural supply chains. However, existing blockchain systems face several technological challenges, including security vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and performance limitations. To address these issues, this article presents RiceChain-Plus, an enhanced architecture that incorporates a private Ethereum blockchain, proof of authority (PoA) consensus mechanism, mutual authentication, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), a hybrid role-based access control (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC) system, and one-way hash functions. This approach enhances the rice supply chain's security, privacy, and efficiency by safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring confidentiality. Performance assessments show that RiceChain-Plus surpasses existing benchmark models, achieving the lowest average execution costs (44,634 gas), reduced energy consumption (9.38828E-05 J), higher throughput (0.071201 transactions/s), faster execution (44.5 ms), and quicker transaction times (14.045 s), while also improving scalability. A comprehensive security analysis further confirms the framework's resilience against various cyberattacks. These results highlight RiceChain-Plus as a secure, efficient, and effective solution for optimizing rice supply chain operations.
Abstract Despite its importance, there has been little research on the relationship between Bitcoinâs risk and returns. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the riskâreturn trade-off of Bitcoin. In the existing limited literature, a negative riskâreturn relationship in Bitcoin for high-frequency intraday time-series data has been reported. In this paper, we use lower timeâfrequency data and suitable models for the data frequency to examine the riskâreturn trade-off of Bitcoin. Specifically, this paper examines the time-series volatility riskâreturn trade-off of Bitcoin using standard Markov switching (MS) and MSâGARCH models with weekly Bitcoin data from 2010 to 2024. Consequently, the study reveals several new findings. Firstly, the volatility riskâreturn trade-off relationship is identified for Bitcoinâs log returns. Secondly, the riskâreturn trade-off is also found for Bitcoinâs simple returns. Thirdly, the riskâreturn trade-off is uncovered for Bitcoinâs risk premiums as well. Fourthly, the study shows that the riskâreturn trade-off relationships for Bitcoinâs log returns, simple returns, and risk premiums hold true for all business days from Monday to Friday, indicating the robustness of the results. Furthermore, the study presents significant interpretations, implications, and discussion. We emphasize that we have discovered positive weekly riskâreturn relationships for Bitcoin using Markov switching models for the first time. This demonstrates the novelty of our work.
Amid the surge of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in blockchain, this study introduces a meticulous methodology focusing on transaction behaviors to unveil rug pulls â a critical issue impacting financial security and trust in the NFT landscape. Using a Graph Isomorphism Network (GIN) model with 6 behavioral patterns obtained from transaction sequences, we create a âRug Pull Pattern Matcherâ model. We provide a comprehensive analysis by applying the model on two datasets â creatorâs transactions from 50 reputable NFT projects and 32 reported rug pulls. Our work utilizes automated labeling to categorize addresses and our analysis reveals several interconnected NFT creator activities. We present an in-depth mapping of fund flows and creator interactions exposing suspicious behaviors like artificial inflation and intricate network collaborations among creators. The results of our proposed model demonstrate the efficacy of our methodology with 75.4% accuracy and 85.9% precision on the dataset of reported rug pulls. This work provides comparative analyses of genuine and malicious creator networks to elucidate their structural differences, helping to identify genuine and potentially fraudulent NFT activities.