This article analyses the impact of the IOTA distributed ledger technology (DLT) on smart cities. The world population is rapidly increasing while at the same time trends such as urbanization shape future demographics. Thus, fast-growing cities face the challenge of increasing demands in resources such as energy, water, transportation, while at the same time aiming to increase life quality by reducing burdens such as pollution and waste. The concept of a “Smart City” emerged with the ambition to solve a city’s issues by creating social and economic advantages while providing efficient resource allocation processes. Nevertheless, current information communication technologies tend to underperform a smartcities systems requirement since the quantity of connected devices increases which slows down the transition of a city becoming smart. The distributed ledger technology IOTA promises to enable automated, feeless transactions and processes with a high level of integrity, which may impact the development of smart cities. In this research the IOTA technology is introduced and investigated. The advantages of IOTA compared to conventional information communication technologies and the blockchain technology are highlighted. Thereafter, the current state of IOTA in smart cities is reviewed by analysing current research and use cases. To investigate the concept of a smart city the smart city initiative framework, including its subcategories is introduced. Additionally, different experts working on IOTA integrations related to smart city initiatives were interviewed giving insights into their field ofexpertise. Finally, an analysis and discussion of the IOTA technology use cases are put into relation with the multi-level perspective framework (Geels, 2006) highlighting the positive impact of IOTA on the development of smart cities. / I den här artikeln analyseras effekterna av IOTA:s teknik för distribuerade huvudböcker (DLT) på smarta städer. Världens befolkning ökar snabbt samtidigt som trender som urbanisering formar framtidens demografi. Snabbt växande städer står därför inför utmaningen att öka kraven på resurser som energi, vatten och transporter, samtidigt som de strävar efter att öka livskvaliteten genom att minska belastningar som föroreningar och avfall. Begreppet smart stad uppstod med ambitionen att lösa stadensproblem genom att skapa sociala och ekonomiska fördelar och samtidigt tillhandahålla effektiva processer för resursfördelning. Den nuvarande informations- och kommunikationstekniken tenderar dock att inte uppfylla kraven på system för smarta städer, eftersom mängden anslutna enheter ökar, vilket gör att övergången till en smart stad blir långsammare. Den distribuerade huvudbokstekniken IOTA lovar att möjliggöra automatiserade, felfria transaktioner och processer med en hög grad av integritet, vilket kan påverka utvecklingen av smarta städer. I den här forskningen introduceras och undersöks IOTA-tekniken. Fördelarna med IOTA jämfört med konventionell informationskommunikationsteknik och blockkedjetekniken lyfts fram. Därefter granskas det nuvarande läget för IOTA i smarta städer genom att analysera aktuell forskning och användningsfall. För att undersöka begreppet smart stad introduceras ramverket för initiativet för smarta städer, inklusive dess underkategorier. Dessutom intervjuades olika experter som arbetar med IOTA-integrationer isamband med initiativ för smarta städer för att ge en inblick i deras expertisområde. Slutligen analyseras och diskuteras IOTA-teknikens användningsområden i förhållande till ramverket för flernivåperspektivet (Geels, 2006), där IOTA:s positiva inverkan på utvecklingen av smarta städer lyfts fram.

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) stands to benefit industries such as financial services with transparency and censorship resistance. DLT systems need to be scalable to handle mass user adoption. Mass user adoption is required to demonstrate the true value of DLT. This dissertation first analyses scalability in ethereum and EOS. Currently, ethereum 1.0 uses proof of work (PoW) and handles only 14 transactions per second (tps) compared to Visa's peak 47 000 tps. Ethereum 2.0, known as Serenity, introduces sharding, proof of stake (Casper), plasma and state channels in and effort to scale the system. EOS uses a delegated proof of stake (DPoS) protocol, where 21 super-nodes, termed ‘block producers' (BPs), facilitate consensus, bringing about significant scalability improvements (4000 tps). The trade-off is decentralisation. EOS is not sufficiently decentralised because the BPs yield significant power, but are not diverse. This dissertation conducts an empirical analysis using unsupervised machine learning to show that there is a high probability collusion is occurring between certain BPs. It then suggests possible protocol alterations such as inverse vote weighting that could curb adverse voting behaviour in DPoS. It further analyses whether universities are suitable BP's before mapping out required steps for universities to become block producers (leading to improved decentralisation in EOS)

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is one of the latest in a long list of digital technologies, which appear to be heading towards a new industrial revolution. DLT has become very popular with the publication of the Bitcoin Blockchain in 2008. However, when we consider its suitability for dynamic networking environments, such as the Internet of Things, issues like transaction fees, scalability, and offline accessibility have not been resolved. The IOTA Foundation has designed the IOTA protocol, which is the data and value transfer layer for the Machine Economy. IOTA protocol uses an alternative blockless Blockchain which claims to solve the previous problems: the Tangle. This thesis first inquires into the theoretical concepts of both technologies Tangleand Blockchain, to understand them and identify the reasons to be compatible or not with the Internet of Things networking environments. After the analysis, the thesis focuses on the proposed implementation as a solution to address the connectivity issue suffered by the IOTA network. The answer to the problem is the development of a Neighbor Discovery algorithm, which has been designed to fulfill the requirements demanded by the IOTA application. Dealing with IOTA network setup can be very interesting for the community that is looking for new improvements at each release. Testing the solution in a peer-to-peer specific protocol (PeerSim), with different networking scenarios, allowed us to get valuable and more realistic information. Thus, after analyzing the results, we were able to determine the appropriate IOTA network configuration to build a more reliable and long-lasting network.

Yes / • This article discusses the current situation in the market of cryptocurrencies and joins the debate about the regulation of these financial innovations. • It argues that the appearance of cryptocurrencies was a response to market demand for more affordable and more inclusive banking. • It also argues that distributed ledger technology (DLT) which supports cryptocurrencies and has different characteristics than the technology used by traditional banking could help to create with cryptocurrencies a new, lower cost, more inclusive financial ecosystem separate from the traditional one. • The two ecosystems (traditional and new one) would form a larger two-tier financial ecosystem, which, overall would be more inclusive and more affordable. Also, it would be more effective in containing contagion and major economic disruption during future financial crises. • The current reliance on a single, ever growing, and immensely complex financial ecosystem is not sustainable longer term as systemic risks grow with the system and there are no mechanisms available to fully eliminate these risks. The costs of regulating the current market architecture are also excessively high.

The original FlexiChain and its descendants are a revolutionary distributed ledger technology (DLT) for cyber-physical systems (CPS) and their embedded systems (ES). FlexiChain, a DLT implementation, uses cryptography, distributed ledgers, peer-to-peer communications, scalable networks, and consensus. FlexiChain facilitates data structure agreements. This thesis offers a Block Directed Acyclic Graph (BDAG) architecture to link blocks to their forerunners to speed up validation. These data blocks are securely linked. This dissertation introduces Proof of Rapid Authentication, a novel consensus algorithm. This innovative method uses a distributed file to safely store a unique identifier (UID) based on node attributes to verify two blocks faster. This study also addresses CPS hardware security. A system of interconnected, user-unique identifiers allows each block's history to be monitored. This maintains each transaction and the validators who checked the block to ensure trustworthiness and honesty. We constructed a digital version that stays in sync with the distributed ledger as all nodes are linked by a NodeChain. The ledger is distributed without compromising node autonomy. Moreover, FlexiChain Layer 0 distributed ledger is also introduced and can connect and validate Layer 1 blockchains. This project produced a DAG-based blockchain integration platform with hardware security. The results illustrate a practical technique for creating a system depending on diverse applications' needs. This research's design and execution showed faster authentication, less cost, less complexity, greater scalability, higher interoperability, and reduced power consumption.

The issue of food traceability is one that affects a great number of sectors and policy areas. Within the EU, there is increasing demand from consumers, businesses and institutions to have more direct access to information about how food is produced, transformed, and distributed. Currently, however, practices in the industry are very much open to human error. Databases are highly vulnerable to inaccuracies and hacking, as well as deliberate faults caused by corruption or fraudulent conduct. With food traceability being so closely related to trade and public health issues, there is arguably increasing incentive for the EU to seek alternative tools to increase transparency and accountability throughout supply chains. Consequently, this paper will examine a possible alternative to current practices by evaluating the applicability of 'blockchain' technology, namely a system of digitised, decentralised ledgers, which could allow key stakeholders to access information about the provenance of food immediately, comprehensively and securely. The analysis will focus specifically on Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), one of the most adulterated products in the food industry, identifying gaps and opportunities in current traceability systems. The research question tackled in this paper, therefore, may be formulated as follows: how and to what extent could blockchain technology constitute a sustainable solution for improving the traceability of EVOO within the EU? The paper begins with a brief overview of the issue and an explanation of the research methodology used, followed by an elaboration of key terms and concepts and a detailed explanation of the principles underlying blockchain technology. Subsequently, the key challenges and opportunities associated with blockchain-based traceability systems are examined through a case study, followed by an analysis aimed at assessing the sustainability of blockchain solutions for the EVOO sector. The conclusion, lastly, provides an overview of relevant findings and proposes a final assessment.

Creating standardized infrastructures for new technologies has become a frequent event in recent years, forcing competing firms to together collaborate in order to develop and mutually agree on a common standard. This is due to technologies such as blockchain (distributed ledger) technology that need interoperability to reach its full potential, making the collaboration aspect crucial for organizations that want to adapt to the technology. Therefore, this study’s purpose is to identify and analyze the challenges of creating such a standardized infrastructure. A case study was used to analyze these challenges, which involved experts of blockchain technology and three Nordic banks connected to the blockchain consortium R3. First, a pre-study took place with the help of blockchain experts, who helped identify potential problems regarding blockchain (distributed ledger) technology. Secondly, a main study was conducted consisting of four interviews with key persons representing the banks, in addition to collecting secondary data via news articles, and press releases. With the help of co-opetition theory and a technical description of blockchain (distributed ledger) technology, an analytical model was developed to support the analysis of the data collection. The analysis focus on aspects of co-opetition drivers, co-opetition capabilities, co-opetition dynamics and blockchain aspects, which were used to showcase the challenges of collaborating on creating a standardized infrastructure. The result of this study highlights the importance of learning and educational aspects, the size of a cooperation and threats from other competing solutions, which generates challenges. In addition to the identified challenges, this study has also contributed to an understanding of how these aspects can come to affect a collaboration.

Inspired by the digital revolution to the financial industry, the discussion around central bank digital currency also attract attention from academics and central banks. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is also researching on China’s CBDC: digital currency electronic payment (DCEP) and announced that DCEP would be issued as soon as possible.  However, the PBOC does not systematically disclose the information of DCEP. The characteristics and mechanism design are still obscured and need to be explored deeply. This thesis analysed the classification and mechanism design choices of DCEP from the perspective of two different demands: general demand and central bank demand. Based on pragmatism philosophy, we use a mixed-methods approach that is a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. Through the interview and surveys, we identified the demands from the PBOC and the general public in China and the characteristics of DCEP from official claims. Then generate the design choices via the money flower and the pyramid of CBDC models and compare the result with the demand. The analysis shows that the DCEP belongs to type B general-purpose CB digital tokens, and it would adopt a complex multi-layer hybrid architecture design, with the support from both DLT and conventional way. In conclusion, the current mechanism design choices can meet the demands from each side to a certain extent and reached a delicate balance under the trade-off between privacy and security issues. This thesis provides an insightful view on the classification and design choices of DCEP, fulfils the lack of systematic research relating to the demand and design choices of DCEP, and reveals the public’s insufficient knowledge in DCEP.