uINC Experts Review Gartner’s Blockchain Hype Cycle – Part 2

In part 1 of this publication Untitled INC members provided their ‘2 cents’ on the latest release of Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Blockchain Business. The hype cycle is always a good basis for discussion and its yearly publication a good occasion to reflect what was going in the last months in the blockchain space. Part … Read more

Never Walk Alone – Blockchain Alliances & Partnerships in Telecoms

No, we are not Liverpool fans. We are even not following the premier league regularly. Although, considering how Juergen Klopp made doubters to believers is potentially a reason to change our minds. And this piece is neither about a song nor about football, it’s essentially about entering new territory and how to best approach this … Read more

Blockchain, Telecoms, Smartphones: Do they match on tinder?

If it comes to Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology, you might first think of Bitcoin, crypto-currencies and the banking industry, but most probably not about telecommunications. So, no match on tinder? By no means. We illustrate this first by having a closer look on devices for telecommunications, i.e. blockchain enabled or ‘crypto’ smartphones. In further … Read more

Blockchain, Telekommunikation, Handys: Da tindert was …

Wenn man an Blockchain und Distributed Ledger Technologie denkt, dann wahrscheinlich nicht als erstes an Telekommunikation, sondern eher an Kryptowährungen und die Finanzbranche. Tote Hose in der Telekommunikation? Mitnichten. Das wollen wir in diesem und weiteren Beitrag beleuchten, wobei der Fokus zunächst einmal auf Telekommunikationsendgeräten, d.h. Smartphones mit Blockchain Funktionalität liegen wird. Telekommunikationsdienste, Anwendungen zur … Read more

The Automotive fuelled by Blockchain?

Intro The tremendous hype surrounding Distributed-Ledger-Technologies (DLT) such as blockchain tends to thinly veil that they are still immature within a market that is just emerging. The majority of executives are still looking for clear concepts for success and a detailed understanding of the relevance and value of applications. Despite many uncertainties, blockchain is bound … Read more

The Token Classification Framework: A multi-dimensional tool for understanding and classifying crypto tokens.

The development of the framework presented in here was a collaborative effort between me and several of my Untitled INC fellows. Peter Trapp was heavily involved in all aspects of the creation, including lending his surprising design prowess to it. Prof. Dr. Andranik Tumasjan of the University of Mainz (and formerly Technical University Munich) provided very valuable feedback and ideas, as did Dr. Oliver Krause, Dr. Karl-Michael Henneking and Daniel Pichler.

Blockchain, ICOs and bitcoin’s wild ride have been some of the hottest tech topics in 2017. Yet, while people spent billions of dollars on cryptographic tokens, the understanding of the different token types out there is still limited. Even among regular investors and long-standing members of the blockchain community.

One reason for it — a quite common one in emerging domains — is the lack of clear, generally agreed upon terminology and definitions. For instance, I regularly come across people who refer to all tokens as “cryptocurrencies”. Which, as we are going to see in a minute, isn’t precise. Which is somewhat problematic because precision in language and terminology is the basis for an informed, nuanced dialogue and good analysis.

Whether you want to develop a token or evaluate one, it’s critical to understand the nuances of the subject. Moreover, the blockchain community is growing and maturing. As a result, it is increasingly getting in touch with “the real world” (aka people who are new to the subject). Investors, regulators, politicians and decision-makers in businesses are all taking the space increasingly serious. Many are in the process of formulating their positions and strategies for dealing with the subject. Clarity and accessibility of relevant knowledge are key to allowing those actors to make good, informed decisions.

This is why we, the Untitled INC team, set out to develop a framework that a) reflects the various existing token types, b) allows to classify and analyze tokens in various relevant dimensions, and c) fosters a better, nuanced understanding of crypto tokens. Today, we are presenting the first iteration of the Token Classification Framework, the result of our effort. In this post, I’m going to walk you through the framework and explain the work and thinking that went into it.

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