Corporate Governance and Blockchains
Review of Finance, Forthcoming
47 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2015 Last revised: 7 May 2017
There are 2 versions of this paper
Corporate Governance and Blockchains
Corporate Governance and Blockchains
Date Written: November 28, 2016
Abstract
Blockchains represent a novel application of cryptography and information technology to age-old problems of financial record-keeping, and they may lead to far-reaching changes in corporate governance. During 2015 many major players in the financial industry began to invest in this new technology, and stock exchanges have proposed using blockchains as a new method for trading corporate equities and tracking their ownership. This essay evaluates the potential implications of these changes for managers, institutional investors, small shareholders, auditors, and other parties involved in corporate governance. The lower cost, greater liquidity, more accurate record-keeping, and transparency of ownership offered by blockchains may significantly upend the balance of power among these cohorts.
Keywords: Blockchains, corporate governance
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation