Infrastructure maintenance is inherently complex, especially for widely dispersed transport systems like roads and railroads. Maintaining this infrastructure involves multiple partners working together to ensure safe, efficient upkeep that meets technical and safety standards, with timely materials and budget adherence. Traditionally, these requirements are managed on paper, with each contract step checked manually. Smart contracts, based on blockchain distributed ledger technology, offer a new approach. Distributed ledgers facilitate secure, transparent transactions, enabling decentralized agreements where contract terms automatically execute when conditions are met. Beyond financial transactions, blockchains can track complex agreements, recording each stage of contract fulfillment between multiple parties. A smart contract is a set of coded rules stored on the blockchain that automatically executes each term upon meeting specified conditions. In infrastructure maintenance, this enables end-to-end automation-from contractor assignment to maintenance completion. Using an immutable, decentralized record, contract terms and statuses are transparent to all parties, enhancing trust and efficiency. Creating smart contracts for infrastructure requires a comprehensive understanding of procedural workflows to foresee all requirements and liabilities. This workflow includes continuous infrastructure monitoring through a dynamic, data-driven maintenance model that triggers necessary actions. Modern process mining can develop a resilient Maintenance Process Model, helping Operations Management to define contract terms, including asset allocation, logistics, materials, and skill requirements. Automation and reliable data quality across the procedural chain are essential, supported by IoT sensors, big data analytics, predictive maintenance, intelligent logistics, and asset management.
Sustav za kupnju karata i njihovo spremanje u blockchain koristeći pametne ugovore je projekt koji prikazuje kupovanje i rezerviranje karte za kino pomoću pametnih ugovora, blockchaina i kriptovaluta. Uz pisani dio diplomskog rada, napravljena je i web aplikacija koja pruža korisnicima rezerviranje sjedala za odabranu projekciju, spremanje na blockchain u pametni ugovor na Sepolia Testnet mreži, te pregled svih korisnikovih kupljenih karata. U pisanom dijelu diplomskog rada objašnjene su korištene tehnologije, izrada svakog dijela aplikacije i korištena logika za ostvarivanje funkcionalnosti, popraćeno slikama i dodatnim objašnjenjima na mjestima gdje je to potrebno. Priložen je i cijeli kod aplikacije kako bi se mogao vidjeti način izrade web aplikacije.
Letter of Credit has been used in international transfer of money by exporters and importers for a long time. Thus, it is a very niche and important area in the international trade and banking. Within the scope of this study, 220 publications in the Web of Science database has been reached by using “letter of credit” keywords. There is only one bibliometric analysis on Islamic L/C in the literature but a wider overview is required to gain general perspective about L/C. This is where the originality of this research lies. Bibliometric analysis with VOSviewer and Tableau for these publications covering 1980-2024 has been conducted about citations, organizations, keywords, publication years, sources, fields and countries. As a result; almost half of the publications produced in USA, “Byrne James e” is the most productive author, “Journal of International Economics” is the most cited journal, USA is also leading country in terms of citation, and “Natl. Chung Hsing Univ.” is the leading organization in terms of citation. Moreover, co-occurrence analysis on keywords show that digitalization has huge effect on L/C literature. Keywords like “blockchain”, “smart contracts”, “ethereum”, “BPO” etc. emerged as new trend in the last decade.
Gilda Cecilia Herrera Herrera, Marcia Alexandra Requelme Lojan, Samuel Morales Castro
El presente estudio se centra en la relevancia de la seguridad jurídica y la protección de datos en el contexto específico de los Smart Contract en Ecuador. El objetivo de la investigación es Analizar la validez legal de los Smart Contract tomando como referente la regulación de la seguridad jurídica y la protección de datos personales, como una garantía de los derechos de las partes negociadoras y de terceros interesados. El método utilizado es el exegético, asi como una revisión documental y normativa con los datos obtenidos. Los resultados reflejan que, aun existiendo normas legales en seguridad jurídica y protección de datos, los Smart Contract no tienen una base sólida en el marco legal del Ecuador. Se concluye que los Smart Contract son una evolución en base a tecnología de los contratos tradicionales, existiendo la necesidad de implementar una legislación de rigor al respecto
The smart shipping and maritime technology encompass blockchain and smart contracts technology, information perception technology, intelligent decision-making technology, intelligent routing technology, marine communication network security technology, route planning technology, autonomous navigation technology, state monitoring and fault diagnosis technology and so on. Nevertheless, these advancements bring practical and legal challenges, as well as a new threat in the digital age: cybercrime. This paper deals with the key challenges and opportunities associated with the integration of digital technologies in shipping and transport such as smart contracts and unmanned ships, and how do cyber issues impact the safety, security, and efficiency of maritime operations. The first part examines the technological background into which smart contracts are integrated and operate, i.e. the terms blockchain and technology distributed ledger technology. The concept, the mechanism and the types of smart contracts in the maritime industry are further analysed. Also, the aspects of new technologies such as Autonomous Vessels and the challenges they raise are examined. The second part focuses on the legal potential of smart contracts examining their issues and the cyber challenges in the maritime industry. The critical remarks and conclusions drawn are listed at the end of the paper.
We provide two novel block congestion attacks onEthereum that are applicable even in the presence of the EIP-1559 base fee mechanism, which aimed to make such attacksimpossible or highly costly. Unlike traditional block congestionmethods, our approaches allow the attacker to avoid paying largetransaction fees in case the attack is unsuccessful. Moreover, oursecond attack avoids an explosion in the block base fee and canthus be used for prolonged congestion of an interval of blocks.Finally, we provide real-world examples of contracts currentlydeployed on the Ethereum blockchain which are vulnerableto such attacks. Thus, block congestion is both possible andprofitable, even after EIP-1559.
The Ethereum blockchain has confronted challenges related to unconfirmed transactions and high costs for adding transactions to blocks since its inception when it adopted the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus. On the 15th of September 2022, a notable transition occurred within the Ethereum network as it formally embraced a new consensus mechanism known as proof-of-stake (PoS). Numerous studies have investigated the issue of unconfirmed transactions and high fees when Ethereum operated under the PoW consensus. In contrast to other studies, this research examines unconfirmed transactions and the costs associated with mining under the new PoS consensus. In this study, data was gathered over a three-week period, from December 1st to December 21st, 2023. The analysis of this dataset reveals that despite the transition to the new PoS system, both the costs and the number of unconfirmed transactions remain significantly higher than the expectations that were set regarding the adoption of PoS.
Abstract This article examines the innovative combination of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the field of electronic letters of credit and international trade finance. It explores how the combined effect of this convergence may greatly improve the security, effectiveness, and clarity of trade finance procedures. The article presents a suggested framework for combining various technologies, focusing on important design considerations including security, trust, interoperability, and adherence to international trade norms. The technological design blends blockchain’s decentralized ledger with AI’s analytical capabilities, highlighting the need of smart contracts, data management, and application programming interfaces for smooth interoperability. The implementation plan and stages are meticulously detailed, emphasizing the systematic approach necessary for effective integration. The article also discusses the problems and dangers related to this technology integration, such as technical obstacles, regulatory compliance, security threats, stakeholder acceptance, and cost factors. The conclusion outlines the impact of blockchain and AI on trade finance, discusses their larger implications for international commerce, and advocates for the adoption of these advanced technologies by collective action. This article seeks to provide significant insights to financial institutions, policy-makers, technologists, and stakeholders in the trade finance sector, promoting the modernization of trade finance via new technology.
As the global economy continues to grow, more companies are outsourcing their logistics activities to third-party logistics (3PL) providers. This is because consumers have a high demand for various types of goods delivery, \nincluding for small and large packages, light and heavy items, and so on. As a result, package delivery services have become more competitive, offering a range of services to meet these diverse needs. However, this increase in competition has also made it more important for consumers to carefully consider their options and choose a delivery service that is efficient,cost-effective, and reliable. The solution is to use a logistics recommendation system and smart contracts that allow consumers to easily determine and order logistics services according to their needs. Therefore, in this study the author want to state that this paper as proposed paper.
No matter your educational or professional background, every single job in Web3 requires very unique knowledge that you can only obtain from working in this industry for some time. Even if you pass the first interview with flying colors, you will still be confronted with some new barriers prior to securing your new, respective role, such as acronyms, industry jargon, Blockchain and crypto knowledge, tokenomics, and more. As we’ve seen, seldom is there just one simple, straightforward interview, just like any traditional company would have. Here, you may have a series of two, three, or even four interviews that can be in clusters with other candidates. During these interviews, you may even be asked to pass a live initial exam, utterly out of the blue! For those of you who excel in an academic environment, this can be quite a challenge, as no time for studying the particular subject beforehand will be granted. Concerning the more introverts of us, having to introduce yourself in front of ten complete strangers can be quite challenging, but on top of that, you may have to speak out in front of all participants to provide your answers. Regardless of your personality type or learning capacity, there’s always some preparation you can do beforehand to help provide you with a big head’s start compared to the other candidates!
Článek má za cíl analyzovat právní povahu Non-Fungible Tokens neboli NFT a související otázky ochrany spotřebitele. Pro úplné pochopení technologie NFT je nutné nejdříve osvětlit vztah NFT k podkladovému aktivu, použitému k jeho vytvoření. Diferenciace NFT od podkladového aktiva a jejich vzájemný vztah umožní pochopení funkcionalit a následných právních dopadů jednotlivých kategorií NFT a zjištění, jaká práva se vztahují k vlastnictví konkrétního NFT. Vzhledem k faktu, že NFT je virtuálním statkem s určitou hodnotou, je na místě zkoumat aplikaci spotřebitelského práva, které je při prodeji těchto aktiv stále hojně přehlíženo. Článek proto uvádí jednotlivé prvky informační povinnosti podnikatele prodávajícího NFT a blíže se věnuje otázce odstoupení od smlouvy o koupi NFT. Se spotřebitelským právem úzce souvisí ochrana uživatelů digitálního obsahu, je proto poskytnuto teoretické posouzení uplatnění tohoto právního institutu na fenomén NFT.
This chapter discusses the nature of the lag between contract law and the real world developments and looks as consumer contract law as an example. It then discusses the longstanding idea of the difference between law in the books (formal or blackletter law) and law in action (law as applied or operative rules). It also discusses the role of contract law in society and examines law as a “shadow” and the escaping from contract law. Examples of escaping are private legal systems and smart contracts. It further examines convergence of contract law across legal systems and the development of international sales law. The final topics explored include the role of contract scholarship, essence of contracts, and relational contracts.
This chapter examines Japanese Private International Law (PIL) on crypto-assets. After making a general observation on the use of blockchain and PIL, this chapter examines the jurisdiction of Japanese courts in civil cases, the extraterritorial application of Japanese criminal and regulatory laws, and applicable law in contracts, torts, and property.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are often regarded as the cryptocurrency of the future. The ownership and value of an original digital asset like a picture, video, or audio file may be established with the use of a digital asset called a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). Blockchain technology and smart contracts are used to issue them on these assets, creating one-of-a-kind digital signatures and guaranteeing their safety. As a result of their speculative nature, sudden price drops or rises, and susceptibility to cyber security attacks, they are very risky investments. NFTs aim to alleviate the burden of proof-of-ownership verification.
A smart contract is a computerized protocol running on the blockchain, which provides a reliable environment for transactions among trustless participants. The business of maritime transportation is usually with multifarious participants and burdensome paperwork. Blockchain-based smart contract systems are promising to improve the efficiency and transparency of the transactions. However, due to the gap between domain experts and programmers, and the diversity of maritime business scenarios, it is challenging to efficiently develop reliable smart contracts for this domain. In this paper, we propose MariSmart, a novel development framework for maritime transportation smart contracts, which consists of a business logic model and a set of Solidity templates. The templates are designed based on the business logic model extracted from the domain knowledge. We carry out case studies on three real-world maritime transportation systems to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the framework.
The article is devoted to the study of the current legal regulation of virtual assets in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The author analyses the advantages and disadvantages of the relevant legal framework, as well as the possibility and feasibility of implementing the most successful solutions into Ukrainian legislation.
 Due to the lack of in-depth studies that would combine the main regulatory norms and definitions and provide a general overview of this regulatory system, it became necessary to study in detail the current legal system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, which is characterised by high autonomy from the rest of the PRC, and to identify the institutions that perform the functions of a regulator of virtual assets.
 Next, the author provide a legislative definition of virtual assets and their classification. Unlike other jurisdictions, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC focuses on the key features inherent in this particular object of civil rights, and excludes from the definition other objects that have similar features but are already regulated separately.
 The common law system makes it possible to regulate certain aspects of the circulation of virtual assets through precedents, which helps to quickly adapt to changes in this market, where new concepts and civil law relations emerge every few years. For example, it was through precedent that it was determined that cryptocurrencies are property and can therefore be the subject of a trust.
 Currently, not all objects created on the basis of blockchain technology are subject to regulation, such as non-fungible tokens or central bank digital currencies, as the possibility of their circulation is still being investigated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
 The article also examines the new nuances of licensing service providers related to the circulation of virtual assets, which require dual licensing under two regimes regulated by separate legal acts.
 The author concludes that Hong Kong has managed to regulate the circulation of virtual assets in one way or another, but has not managed to create a clear system for all market participants, so it is possible to introduce some solutions into Ukrainian legislation, but in general, this legal regulation system has many disadvantages and sometimes creates legal uncertainty.
Rad istražuje problem scalpinga u kontekstu preprodaje ulaznica za događaje i predstavlja rješenje putem web3 aplikacije. Scalping, praksa brze preprodaje ulaznica s ciljem ostvarivanja profita, postala je široko rasprostranjena pojava koja negativno utječe na kupce i ozbiljno narušava integritet industrije događanja. Ova web3 aplikacija koristi pametne ugovore na Ethereum blockchainu i koncept nedjeljivih žetona (eng. non-fungible token) kako bi stvorila transparentno i pošteno tržište ulaznica.
Predmet ovog diplomskog rada je analitički pristup računovodstvenom vrednovanju kriptovaluta. Kriptovalute se definiraju kao virtualne valute koje se ne može proizvesti na vlastitu ruku i ne može se kopirati, između ostalog slična im je intencija poput fiat novca koji se danas najviše koristi. Kriptovalute su proizvedene u ograničenoj količini, a funkcioniraju tako da se s jedne elektroničke adrese pošalje na drugu, bez sudjelovanja posrednika. Jedna od ključnih prednosti kriptovaluta jest što su informacije, to jest podaci decentralizirani, odnosno ne čuva ih centralizirana institucija. Trenutno najveća kriptovaluta prema tržišnoj kapitulaciji jest Bitcoin. U radu se obrađuje proces inicijalne ponude kriptovalute u kojem se analiziraju glavne prednosti i nedostaci inicijalne ponude kriptovalute. Isto tako pobliže objašnjavaju se tipovi tokena kriptovaluta i životni ciklus kriptovalute. Rad detaljno razjašnjava vrednovanje kriptovaluta prema Međunarodnom standardu financijskog izvještavanja. Prema međunarodnim standardima opće prihvaćeno je mišljenje da vrednovanje i knjiženje transakcija kriptovaluta treba evidentirati kao nematerijalna imovina ili zalihe u određenim okolnostima. Treba napomenuti da su kriptovalute kompleksne, stoga nastaju različita stajališta koja se zalažu da bi se kriptovalute mogle provoditi prema drugim standardima. Istovremeno se opisuje oporezivanje kriptovaluta neizravnim ili izravnim putem. Pojašnjava se trebaju li se kriptovalute neizravno oporezivati putem poreza na dodanu vrijednost. Na kraju rada prikazano je izravno oporezivanje kriptovaluta kroz kapitalne dobitke od prodaje kriptovaluta i oporezivanje primitaka nastalog rudarenjem (mining) kriptovaluta.
One of the most important documents in shipping industry, the bill of lading (BL), remains relatively unchanged since the 15th century. The process still involves physical transfer of paper documents, accounting for roughly 40% of all container-based trades. The lack of interoperability between existing electronic BL solutions, coupled with the lack of trust in centralised membership approach, makes it challenging to adopt electronic BLs. A few blockchain-based solutions have been proposed to address these issues. However, due to the limitation of the underlying blockchain platforms, most solutions cannot offer scalability, privacy, or interoperability. In this paper, we propose a Bitcoin-based BL solution that provides data integrity, authenticity, non-repudiation, and immutability to electronic BLs. It is built on Bitcoin SV for its high throughput and low transaction fees. Despite building on a public ledger, our solution preserves privacy and offers an interoperability layer for information exchange.
According to the Merriam-Webster (2023) dictionary, a non-fungible token (NFT) is,” a unique digital identifier that cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided, that is recorded in a blockchain, ...