Blockchain Papers

Anupam Chattopadhyay, Shivam Bhasin, Stjepan Picek, Chester Rebeiro

No abstract is available for this record.

Muhammad Muneem Shabir, Kaiwen Zhang

Blockchain wallets use two primary key generation schemes: non-deterministic (ND) and hierarchical deterministic (HD). ND key generation scheme provides better fund distribution but have issues with backup complexity and memory utilization. HD key generation scheme simplifies the backup process but is vulnerable to privilege escalation and brute-force attacks. In addition, deterministic pseudo-random algorithms used in these key generation schemes are predictable, which makes Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) a promising alternative. This paper proposes Qwallet: a hybrid wallet based on the user's behavior that utilizes both HD and ND key generation architecture while leveraging QRNG to generate the keys. The wallet is optimized through deep learning, which trains on user behavior to select the optimal key generation scheme for maximum efficiency in blockchain wallet usage. We implemented and evaluated our proposed solution to support Ethereum transactions. Our results show that Qwallet reduces risk by up to 98% compared to traditional HD wallets, while consuming similar memory resources.

Bayu Adi Nugroho

Purpose — This study aims to examine Islamic cryptocurrencies and their dependency on foreign exchange markets in vine copula architecture (CD-Vine) and provide a framework for detecting complex dependence structures, risk management implications, and hedging effectiveness. Design/Methodology/Approach — This study used gold-backed cryptocurrencies and three fiat currencies. The vine copula approach was preferred because it applies several distributions and estimates complex dependencies. Hedging effectiveness was measured by constructing simulation-based portfolios optimised with DCC-t-Copula. Benford’s law and realized variance were used to determine the stability of Islamic cryptocurrencies. Findings — According to C-Vine and D-Vine copula models, paper money has a weak tail dependence with gold-backed cryptocurrencies. Only OneGram coin, whose volatility matched the risk of Bitcoin, showed zero irregularities in volume trading. The findings were robust to different estimations based on Minimum Spanning Tree and Dendrogram. Originality/Value — This is the first study to examine Islamic cryptocurrencies’ stability and the significance of hedging effectiveness on gold-backed cryptocurrencies under a copula-based approach. Research Limitations — The study did not apply time-varying vine copula. Practical Implications — The risk management perspective shows insignificant hedge effectiveness in the portfolio of fiat and gold-backed cryptocurrencies.

John Bostanci, Yuval Efron, Tony Metger, Alexander Poremba · 6 authors

State transformation problems such as compressing quantum information or breaking quantum commitments are fundamental quantum tasks. However, their computational difficulty cannot easily be characterized using traditional complexity theory, which focuses on tasks with classical inputs and outputs. To study the complexity of such state transformation tasks, we introduce a framework for unitary synthesis problems, including notions of reductions and unitary complexity classes. We use this framework to study the complexity of transforming one entangled state into another via local operations. We formalize this as the Uhlmann Transformation Problem, an algorithmic version of Uhlmann's theorem. Then, we prove structural results relating the complexity of the Uhlmann Transformation Problem, polynomial space quantum computation, and zero knowledge protocols. The Uhlmann Transformation Problem allows us to characterize the complexity of a variety of tasks in quantum information processing, including decoding noisy quantum channels, breaking falsifiable quantum cryptographic assumptions, implementing optimal prover strategies in quantum interactive proofs, and decoding the Hawking radiation of black holes. Our framework for unitary complexity thus provides new avenues for studying the computational complexity of many natural quantum information processing tasks.

Abha Satyavan Naik, Esra Yeniaras, Gerhard Hellstern, Grishma Prasad · 5 authors

Abstract The rapid advancement of quantum computing has sparked a considerable increase in research attention to quantum technologies. These advances span fundamental theoretical inquiries into quantum information and the exploration of diverse applications arising from this evolving quantum computing paradigm. The scope of the related research is notably diverse. This paper consolidates and presents quantum computing research related to the financial sector. The finance applications considered in this study include portfolio optimization, fraud detection, and Monte Carlo methods for derivative pricing and risk calculation. In addition, we provide a comprehensive analysis of quantum computing’s applications and effects on blockchain technologies, particularly in relation to cryptocurrencies, which are central to financial technology research. As discussed in this study, quantum computing applications in finance are based on fundamental quantum physics principles and key quantum algorithms. This review aims to bridge the research gap between quantum computing and finance. We adopt a two-fold methodology, involving an analysis of quantum algorithms , followed by a discussion of their applications in specific financial contexts. Our study is based on an extensive review of online academic databases, search tools, online journal repositories, and whitepapers from 1952 to 2023, including CiteSeerX, DBLP, ResearchGate, Semantic Scholar, and scientific conference publications. We present state-of-the-art findings at the intersection of finance and quantum technology and highlight open research questions that will be valuable for industry practitioners and academicians as they shape future research agendas.

Safa Hoş

Karar bilimi karar verme işini kolaylaştırmak ve geliştirmek için eldeki sınırlı bilgiyi kullanarak pek çok teknikten faydalanır. Bu nedenle ekonomi, istatistik, üretim yönetimi ve kontrolü ve psikoloji gibi bilim dallarını da içeren disiplinler arası bir alandır. Sürekli olarak karşı karşıya kalınan karar verme durumu neticesinde verilen kararlar ve sonrasında atılan adımlar ise geleceği şekillendirmektedir. Bu nedenle karar biliminin günümüzdeki yeri oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmada 2012-2021 yılları içerisinde karar bilimi alanında üretilen bilimsel çıktıların değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Bu amaçla Scopus/SciVal veri tabanı üzerinden ulaşılan 508.220 bilimsel çıktı incelenmiş, yıllara göre bilimsel çıktı sayısı, atıf sayısı, görüntülenme sayısı bilgileri paylaşılmıştır. Dünya genelinde üretilen bilimsel çıktıları kapsayan bu çalışmada karar bilimi alanında en fazla bilimsel çıktının 2021 yılında (95.109) üretildiği ve en fazla bilimsel çıktıya sahip ülkenin Çin (106.752) olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca en fazla bilimsel çıktıya sahip enstitü/üniversitenin CNRS (10.411) ve en fazla bilimsel çıktıya yer veren derginin “IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology” (10.084) olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bilimsel çıktı sayısı dikkate alındığında yapılan çalışmalarda daha çok kurumsal işbirliklerinin tercih edildiği (201.933) ve karar bilimi alanı içerisinde en fazla çalışılan konuların “Bitcoin; Ethereum; Nesnelerin İnterneti” (16473) olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Genel olarak yapılan bu çalışma karar bilimi alanında çalışan araştırmacılar için bilgilendirme, değerlendirme ve yönlendirme özelliklerini taşımaktadır.

Kseniia Alikova

No abstract is available for this record.

Mikhail Krasnoselskii, Yash Madhwal, Yury Yanovich

People trade thousands of non-fungible tokens (NFT) daily. The NFT prices are expressed in cryptocurrency, and it is volatile. As the interest in the NFTs changes, their prices vary with time too. Is there an immanent meter to order NFTs by their value? Within a single collection, a vector of features–traits–characterizes NFT. People construct rarity meters based on the assumed value of the trait vector rarity. But this process lacks formalism. In this paper, we formulate the optimal rarity meter problem and provide a pipeline for optimal rarity meter design. A proposed tournament score function is an essential part of the construction. We demonstrate the approach for the Kanaria NFT collection.

Thomas Conlon, Shaen Corbet, Yang Hou

This paper investigates the price discovery relationships between FTT Token, issued by the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and a set of assets and liabilities held by FTX amid a period of catastrophic financial decline by applying novel information flow measurement techniques. Results indicate that during key phases associated with the collapse of FTX, FTT Token had an informational lead over multiple assets, including cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum. Furthermore, we identify significant interactions between the FTT Token and both Robinhood shares and the token Serum, raising concerns about the direct influence of permissionless, technically valueless tokens on other assets and the potential challenges to market stability and investor protection. Our findings underscore the need for stronger policy-making, regulatory, and ethical considerations in cryptocurrency markets.

Jakub Wyczik

This article addresses the lack of comprehensive studies on Web3 technologies, primarily due to lawyers' reluctance to explore technical intricacies. Understanding the underlying technological foundations is crucial to enhance the credibility of legal opinions. This article aims to illuminate these foundations, debunk myths, and concentrate on determining the legal status of crypto-assets in the context of property rights within the distributed economy. In addition, this article notes that the intangible nature of crypto-assets that derive value from distributed registries, and their resistance to deletion, makes crypto-assets more akin to the autonomy of intellectual property than physical media. The article presents illustrative examples from common law (United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand) and civil law (Germany, Austria, Poland) systems. Proposing a universal solution, it advocates a comprehensive framework safeguarding digital property - data ownership - extending beyond the confines of Web3. This article presents a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to the analysis of tokens as digital content and virtual goods. The approach, universally applicable to various of such goods, scrutinizes property on three distinct layers: first, the rights to the virtual good itself; second, the rights to the assets linked to the virtual good; and third, the rights to the intellectual property intricately associated with the token. Additionally, the paper provides concise analysis of the conflict of laws rules applicable to virtual goods. It also delves into issues concerning formal requirements for the transfer of intellectual property rights, licensing, the first sale (exhaustion) doctrine, the concept of the lawful acquirer, and other crucial aspects of intellectual property in the realm of virtual goods, particularly within the emerging metaverse.

Ann Mary Alexander, Resia Beegam. S

Cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon and its trading volume has been increasing since 2017 Aloosh and Li (2019). However, cryptocurrencies have been accused of market manipulation in the past. Benford’s law is widely used for detecting probability of frauds and manipulation in various fields. This study applied Benford’s law on trade volume of cryptocurrencies. Chi- square statistics revealed that except for Cardano and USDT all the other cryptocurrencies did not conform to the distribution and reveals the dataset could have been manipulated. This method may be used as the pre-requisite before doing fine-grain screening such as machine learning and graph-based searching.

Zvika Brakerski, Ran Canetti, Luowen Qian

In the classical model of computation, it is well established that one-way functions (OWF) are minimal for computational cryptography: They are essential for almost any cryptographic application that cannot be realized with respect to computationally unbounded adversaries. In the quantum setting, however, OWFs appear not to be essential (Kretschmer 2021; Ananth et al., Morimae and Yamakawa 2022), and the question of whether such a minimal primitive exists remains open. We consider EFI pairs - efficiently samplable, statistically far but computationally indistinguishable pairs of (mixed) quantum states. Building on the work of Yan (2022), which shows equivalence between EFI pairs and statistical commitment schemes, we show that EFI pairs are necessary for a large class of quantum-cryptographic applications. Specifically, we construct EFI pairs from minimalistic versions of commitments schemes, oblivious transfer, and general secure multiparty computation, as well as from QCZK proofs from essentially any non-trivial language. We also construct quantum computational zero knowledge (QCZK) proofs for all of QIP from any EFI pair. This suggests that, for much of quantum cryptography, EFI pairs play a similar role to that played by OWFs in the classical setting: they are simple to describe, essential, and also serve as a linchpin for demonstrating equivalence between primitives.

Arianna Trozze, Josh Kamps, Eray Arda Akartuna, Florian Hetzel · 7 authors

BACKGROUND: Cryptocurrency fraud has become a growing global concern, with various governments reporting an increase in the frequency of and losses from cryptocurrency scams. Despite increasing fraudulent activity involving cryptocurrencies, research on the potential of cryptocurrencies for fraud has not been examined in a systematic study. This review examines the current state of knowledge about what kinds of cryptocurrency fraud currently exist, or are expected to exist in the future, and provides comprehensive definitions of the frauds identified. METHODS: The study involved a scoping review of academic research and grey literature on cryptocurrency fraud and a 1.5-day expert consensus exercise. The review followed the PRISMA-ScR protocol, with eligibility criteria based on language, publication type, relevance to cryptocurrency fraud, and evidence provided. Researchers screened 391 academic records, 106 of which went on to the eligibility phase, and 63 of which were ultimately analysed. We screened 394 grey literature sources, 128 of which passed on to the eligibility phase, and 53 of which were included in our review. The expert consensus exercise was attended by high-profile participants from the private sector, government, and academia. It involved problem planning and analysis activities and discussion about the future of cryptocurrency crime. RESULTS: The academic literature identified 29 different types of cryptocurrency fraud; the grey literature discussed 32 types, 14 of which were not identified in the academic literature (i.e., 47 unique types in total). Ponzi schemes and (synonymous) high yield investment programmes were most discussed across all literature. Participants in the expert consensus exercise ranked pump-and-dump schemes and ransomware as the most profitable and feasible threats, though pump-and-dumps were, notably, perceived as the least harmful type of fraud. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this scoping review suggest cryptocurrency fraud research is rapidly developing in volume and breadth, though we remain at an early stage of thinking about future problems and scenarios involving cryptocurrencies. The findings of this work emphasise the need for better collaboration across sectors and consensus on definitions surrounding cryptocurrency fraud to address the problems identified.

Martin Nedved

Bitcoin is often compared to gold for its gold-like features such as a store of value, a limited supply, and a safe haven. However, due to Bitcoin's extreme price movements, investors might rather look for a safe haven against Bitcoin. In this thesis, we study such properties among traditional assets. Specifically, we analyze gold, oil, and stocks as safe havens for Bitcoin on a sample period from 2014 until March 2022. We find that gold acts as a strong safe haven suggesting gold's traditional role as a shelter during uncertainty holds also for this crypto asset. 1

Md Shahedur R. Chowdhury, Damian S. Damianov

No abstract is available for this record.

Sudheer Chava, Fred Hu, Nikhil Paradkar

Abstract We proxy retail investor attention through Google Trends and find that fungible and non-fungible crypto tokens generate greater attention from high-gambling propensity regions. Crypto attention is higher during bubble-like episodes in the crypto market and for more lottery-like tokens. Moreover, retail crypto attention decreases after sports gambling is legalized. Higher token attention is associated with more contributors and higher fundraising. However, consumer credit default rates spike after periods of high crypto attention, but solely in the subprime segment. Overall, our findings suggest that gambling preferences strongly predict retail investor interest in the crypto market.

Marco Ortu, Stefano Vacca, Giuseppe Destefanis, Claudio Conversano

We analyse, using a mixture of statistical models and natural language process techniques, what happened in social media from June 2019 onwards to understand the relationships between Cryptocurrencies’ prices and social media, focusing on the rise of the Bitcoin and Ethereum prices. In particular, we identify and model the relationship between the cryptocurrencies market price changes, and sentiment and topic discussion occurrences on social media, using Hawkes’ Model. We find that some topics occurrences and rise of sentiment in social media precedes certain types of price movements. Specifically, discussions concerning governments, trading, and Ethereum cryptocurrency as an exchange currency appear to negatively affect Bitcoin and Ethereum prices. Those concerning investments, appear to explain price rises, whilst discussions related to new decentralized realities and technological applications explain price falls. Finally, we validate our model using a real case study: the already famous case of ”Wallstreetbet and GameStop”1 that took place in January 2021.

Jernej Vičič, Aleksandar Tošić

The manuscript presents a study of the possibility of use of Benford’s law conformity test, a well proven tool in the accounting fraud discovery, on a new domain: the discovery of anomalies (possibly fraudulent behaviour) in the the cryptocurrency transactions. Blockchain-based currencies or cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon known to most people as a disruptive technology, and a new investment vehicle. However, due to their decentralized nature, regulating these markets has presented regulators with difficulties in finding a balance between nurturing innovation, and protecting consumers. The growing concerns about illicit activity have forced regulators to seek new ways of detecting, analyzing, and ultimately policing public blockchain transactions. Extensive research on machine learning, and transaction graph analysis algorithms has been done to track suspicious behaviour. However, having a macro view of a public ledger is equally important before pursuing a more fine-grained analysis. Benford’s law, the law of first digit, has been extensively used as a tool to discover accountant frauds (many other use cases exist). The basic motivation that drove our research presented in this paper was to test the applicability of the well established method to a new domain, in this case the identification of anomalous behavior using Benford’s law conformity test to the cryptocurrency domain. The research focused on transaction values in all major cryptocurrencies. A suitable time-period was identified that was long enough to present sufficiently large number of observations for Benford’s law conformity tests and was also situated long enough in the past so that the anomalies were identified and well documented. The results show that most of the cryptocurrencies that did not conform to Benford’s law had well documented anomalous incidents, the first digits of aggregated transaction values of all well known cryptocurrency projects were conforming to Benford’s law. Thus the proposed method is applicable to the new domain.

Ömer İskenderoğlu, Nazif Ayyıldız

Purpose-Bitcoin is a blockchain-based digital currency that can be generated via data mining. Several complex computational methods along with random processes have been utilized in the production of that currency. Nonetheless, it is an important research question whether this process, which have been taking place in a entirely digital platform, involves manipulation. Accordingly, the amount of Bitcoin in circulation would involve manipulation as much as the Bitcoin price and returns do. Methodology-Related tests are performed to detect compliance with Benford's Law in the analyses conducted on the issue. Distribution frequency of the digits can be determined by Benford's Law in order to determine whether the random digital database is manipulated. In order to detect any possible manipulation in Bitcoin returns, the Chi-Square test is performed Findings-With the daily Bitcoin price data obtained over the period between 02.02.2012 -10.02.2020 its found out that Btcoin prices comply with Benford's Law reference distribution. Conclusion-According to the results of the analysis, it is concluded that the Bitcoin returns comply with Benford's Law. Therefore, there is no possible manipulation on the Bitcoin returns throughout the study period.

Andrew Morin, Marie Vasek, Tyler Moore

Thousands of new cryptocurrencies have been introduced in recent years. Most are introduced with a so-called "whitepaper" containing a mix of technical documentation, legal boilerplate and marketing material. Notably, many proposed currencies reuse text from previous established cryptocurrencies. We analyze the whitepapers from 1 260 actively traded cryptocurrencies and 2 039 ICOs. We develop two measures of similarity. Moderately similar papers reuse text in a portion of the paper, often the legal disclaimers. By contrast, some highly similar whitepapers appear to copy most of the text. 4% of coin and 19% of ICO whitepapers are highly similar to those of traded coins. The fraction rises to 64% for coins and 67% for ICOs when we consider moderate text reuse.

Kiattikul Sooksomsatarn Et al.

Nowadays, Blockchain is a disruptive technology, particularly in the financial context. Moreover, Blockchain is behind the success of cryptocurrencies, e.g., Bitcoin and Ethereum. Unlike traditional currencies, cryptocurrencies are entirely virtual. There is no physical money, but it can directly make payments in digital currency from one person to another without intermediaries. Moreover, Hashing's cryptographic algorithm makes Blockchain resist tampering from any transacting participants because the submitted block cannot be altered or re-engineered. However, another big problem is how users of cryptocurrencies stop somebody from adding or editing a transaction that spends someone else's money to them. To do this, Blockchain needs another cryptosystem called Public/Private Keys, a primitive asymmetric cryptosystem, e.g., the RSA encryption, to sign the transactions for proving the authenticity of the ownership without revealing the signed secret information. The generated public key is regarded as a ledger account number or digital wallet of the sender and the recipient. Simultaneously, the paired private keys are used to identify whether the digital wallets' owners are authentic. As growing network entities and propagated Blockchain transactions, computing millions of replicated tokens in the blocks to sign and verify the digital wallet's ownership is computationally expensive. However, a certain of chosen arithmetical transformations that can simplify mathematical cost can significantly reduce computational complexity. This research's main contribution is developing a protocol that can reduce the complexity and mathematical cost in generating the digital wallet and verifying its authenticity of ownership. Finally, performance analyses of the RSA algorithm for the protocol have been measured and visualized using Python.

Chan Nam Ngo, Fabio Massacci, Florian Kerschbaum, Julian Williams

No abstract is available for this record.

Niluka Amarasinghe, Xavier Boyen, Matthew McKague

No abstract is available for this record.

Harsh Sengar

Blockchain is the vehicle on which cryptocurrencies run, and it can’t be regulated by any legal entity during its operation.The huge growth in various cryptocurrency segments in 10 years has created the controversy of an inevitable bubble. A bubble can be generated either by queer herd behaviour or logical secular movement. Traces of evident bubbles have been a certainty and they take the perceived valuation of crypto to figures far away from its true value. This sudden diversion can be lethal due to the illogical, irrational propensity of regular market participants. This study observes ten cryptos under surveillance from September 2014 to August 2019. The selected ten (Monero, Bitcoin, XRP Ripple, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Monacoin, Ethereum, Bytecoin, Digibite, Potcoin) cryptocurrencies were studied for the last five years using Right Tailed ADF Test. Prominent traces of the rational bubble in all the underlying cryptocurrencies were found and have been considered for the study.