Blockchain Consortia: A legal roadmap to a dynamically changing regulatory landscape in the US and the EU

Many have predicted that blockchain technology will disrupt traditional commerce across the globe. From global financial and supply chain systems to national healthcare and insurance industries and on to selling renewable energy from one’s roof to their neighbors, this new technology creates a digital, reliable source of truth.

Various distinctions and categorizations of blockchains are used depending on the purpose of the technology. Generally, blockchains are divided into private (permissioned) and public (permission-less) networks. Probably the most known example of a public blockchain is bitcoin, a digital currency that over the last few years has drawn as much excitement as it has disappointment. While the public-at-large continues to seek to profit from trading bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, companies around the world are attempting to utilize the technology itself to streamline their operations, cut costs, and attract new partners and reach new markets.