While your host, Matt Hooper, has only been passionate about all things decentralization for 5 years, his guest today, Dr. Sean Stein Smith, was an early champion of our blockchain future. Dr. Smith is a Professor at Lehman College, a member of Wall Street Blockchain Alliance’s Advisory Board, a member of Gilded Finance’s Advisory Board, an author at IBM Blockchain, and an award winner of the NJCPA ‘19 Ovation Award. He is a widely quoted expert at the intersection of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and accounting; has worked with dozens of print publications; and has appeared on numerous live TV broadcasts to discuss said topics.

In this episode, Matt and Dr. Smith have a blast talking all things regulation, the future of traditional accounting roles, and the ways in which blockchain can upend the crowdfunding industry! They also talk about how the implementation of blockchain in the field of sustainability accounting could open up new revenue streams, some of the current mainstream use cases of blockchain, and how blockchain intersects with GDPR.

Key Takeaways:

[:25] About today’s episode.

[1:55] Matt Hooper welcomes Dr. Sean Stein Smith to the podcast!

[2:06] Dr. Sean Stein Smith speaks about his work and how he originally got introduced to blockchain.

[3:34] What drew Dr. Smith to a leadership/teaching position in the space of blockchain and tech?

[6:50] Dr. Smith defines General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

[8:00] How does blockchain intersect with GDPR?

[8:54] Dr. Smith explains the importance of regulation and the need for regulators in the industry.

[11:01] Last year on the IBM Blockchain Pulse Blog, Dr. Smith asked the question, ‘Do the core functionalities of blockchain technology create situations where many of the opportunities ultimately become constrained as regulators catch up?’ Have regulators responded to this question? And if so, how?

[12:21] Dr. Smith highlights some of the mainstream use cases of blockchain.

[12:48] What is sustainability accounting? And how can the implementation of blockchain in this field open up new revenue streams?

[15:00] About Blockchain for Dummies!

[15:43] Dr. Smith paints a positive picture of the automation of traditional accounting roles.

[19:14] Dr. Smith explains some of the ways that blockchain could upend the crowdfunding industry.

[22:52] What is the most convincing pitch or framing Dr. Smith hears for adopting and integrating blockchain solutions into a business?

[25:15] Where to follow-up with Dr. Sean Stein Smith!

Sources Mentioned:

IBM Blockchain Pulse Blog

IBM.co/PodcastforDummies — Visit for a free download of Blockchain for Dummies!

Follow-up with Our Guest:

Dr. Sean Stein Smith’s LinkedIn

Dr. Sean Stein Smith’s Twitter

Looking for More Episodes?

Visit ibm.com/blockchain — and for news and updates, follow @IBMBlockchain on Twitter!