Paolo Tasca

Dr. Paolo Tasca is a renowned digital economist and expert in distributed systems, with a specialisation in the blockchain field. He founded and chairs the DLT Science Foundation, a global initiative dedicated to advancing education, research, and innovation in the blockchain space.

In addition, Paolo is a Professor of Emerging Digital Technologies and Business Strategy at University College London, where he founded and directs the world's largest research center on blockchain technologies, UCL CBT.

Paolo's expertise has earned him global recognition, and he has served as a special advisor on blockchain technologies for esteemed organisations such as the EU Parliament, the United Nations, and various Central Banks. He has made significant contributions to the field of blockchain through his research, entrepreneurial ventures, and leadership roles in various organisations.

Prior to his current roles, he was the Lead Economist on digital currencies and P2P financial systems at Deutsche Bundesbank (Frankfurt).

Paolo is the co-editor of three best-seller books in the field of blockchain, Fintech, DEFI and Web3: "Enabling the Internet of Value”, by Springer 2022, “Blockchain Economics: Implications of Distributed Ledger Technology”, by World Scientific 2019, and "Banking Beyond Banks and Money”, by Springer 2016.

He also contributed with the New York Times sharing his view on the pitfalls of blockchain governance models. He has been Associate Editor of the "Journal of Risk Finance" since 2016 and Guest Editor (2017) and then Editorial Board Member (2018) of the "Journal of Digital Banking". In 2018 he joined "Frontiers in Blockchain" as Specialty Chief Editor for Fourth Industrial Revolution and now he is Specialty Chief Editor for Blockchain Economics. 

In addition, he is the author of numerous scientific papers about systemic risk, P2P systems and distributed ledger technologies, which have been published by prestigious international scientific journals.

Paolo Tasca's career began with his academic pursuits, as he completed his M.A. in Politics and Economics from the Università degli Studi di Padova in 2005, graduating with the highest honors (Summa cum laude). He further expanded his knowledge by obtaining an MSc in Economics and Finance from Università Ca' Foscari Venezia in 2007.

Tasca pursued a Ph.D. in Business, participating in a five-year program split between Ca' Foscari University and ETH Zurich. He successfully completed his Ph.D. in 2012, focusing his dissertation on the subject of "Diversification, Leverage, and Systemic Risk."

Tasca joined ETH Zurich as a Visiting Scholar from January 2009 to March 2012, where he worked closely with the Chair of Systems Design. Following his time at ETH Zurich, Tasca continued his research journey as a Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich from April 2012 to September 2013. 

In February 2014, Tasca joined the Deutsche Bundesbank as a Lead Economist, specialising in P2P finance. His expertise in this field led him to be appointed as a Visiting Scholar at the Bundesbank from April 2016 to December 2016. 

In parallel with his research roles, Tasca joined the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as a Research Officer in October 2013. He continued his association with LSE as a Research Associate from February 2014, contributing his knowledge and expertise to various research projects.

Recognising the immense potential of blockchain technology, Tasca co-founded and became the Chairman of P2P Financial Systems International Workshop in January 2015. This position allowed him to actively engage with experts and enthusiasts in the field, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.

In April 2016, Tasca extended his impact by founding the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies (CBT) at the University College London. As the Executive Director of CBT, he played a pivotal role in developing and promoting research initiatives, academic programs, and partnerships in the blockchain domain.

Tasca became a Committee Member at ISO TC307 Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies in April 2017. In this role, he actively participated in the standardisation efforts for blockchain technologies, helping shape the future of the industry.

Tasca served as an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town's Financial Innovation Lab since March 2017 and as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Zurich since September 2018. Additionally, he assumed the position of Honorary Research Professor at Sogang University's Blockchain Research Center in October 2017.

He became an Executive Board Member at DEC Institute in May 2021, overseeing the development of online certifications for blockchain and digital asset professionals.

Tasca's involvement in various blockchain projects continued with his roles at Hedera as the Co-Chair of the Treasury Management and Token Economics Committee, at the DLT Science Foundation as the Co-Founder and Chairman, and at Quant Network as a Co-Founder and Advisor.

Published Work

Paolo Tasca is co-editor of the book Banking Beyond Banks and Money: A Guide to Banking Services in the Twenty-First Century, Enabling the Internet of Value: How Blockchain Connects Global Businesses, and Blockchain Economics: Implications Of Distributed Ledgers - Markets, Communications Networks, And Algorithmic Reality, as well as co-author of the Fintech Book.

He has also published research on the interplay between emerging technologies and financial inclusion, notably Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Some of his notable publications include: A Taxonomy of Blockchain Technologies: Principles of Identification and Classification (Ledger Journal, 2019), Risks and challenges of initial coin offerings (Ingenta Connect, 2018), Dynamic Interaction Between Asset Prices and Bank Behavior: A Systemic Risk Perspective (Springer Link, 2019), Blockchain Technologies: The Foreseeable Impact on Society and Industry (IEEE Xplore), and The Evolution of the Bitcoin Economy: Extracting and Analyzing the Network of Payment Relationships (SSRN Papers, 2016), to name a few.

Paolo Tasca, a visionary in the field of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, is driven by a vision of revolutionising the way we perceive and interact with financial systems. 

Paolo is committed to innovation and research and envisions a future where blockchain technology is seamlessly integrated into various sectors, unlocking new possibilities for efficiency, transparency, and trust.

He aims to create a world where blockchain serves as a catalyst for social and economic transformation. By leveraging the transparency and immutability offered by blockchain, he strives to combat financial inequality, streamline supply chains, and create new avenues for economic growth.