The Blockchain Research Institute (BRI), founded by Don Tapscott and son Alex in 2017, has a surfeit of new members, including Salesforce and Raiffesen Bank International.
The institute’s goal, in its own words, is to ‘help organisations realise the new promise of the digital economy by researching the strategic implications of blockchain technology… and producing practical insights to guide its members in achieving success.’ Current members include Microsoft, Accenture, and IBM on the tech side, as well as Ethereum and security token provider Polymath.
The Tapscotts wrote Blockchain Revolution, widely regarded as one of the leading books on the technology’s history, in 2016. Speaking at the Cisco IoT World Forum last June, Tapscott senior told delegates blockchain was both ‘nothing less than the second era of the internet’ and ‘the biggest innovation in computer science in a generation’.
Salesforce’s admission into the research organisation can be traced to the company’s recent embracing of all things blockchain. Earlier this month, the SaaS pioneer revealed it was exploring possibilities with the technology, with results potentially to come to fruition at the company’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.
Speaking to Business Insider, CEO Marc Benioff revealed how old and new financial worlds collided, with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a cryptocurrency event running in relatively close proximity. Following a conversation with a crypto conference attendee, it was ‘serendipity’, according to Benioff.
“As with other disruptive technologies, blockchain requires deep study from a variety of perspectives to understand its broader implications,” said Peter Schwartz, Salesforce SVP strategic planning in a statement. “The Blockchain Research Institute is providing key insights that will help shape the future of blockchain applications as this revolutionary technology emerges.”
You can find out more about the BRI here.
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