Opening with a hackathon on 20th January, London Blockchain Week 2017 will play host to an eclectic mix of speakers from the Blockchain community, including Bobby Lee, CEO and co-founder of China’s first bitcoin exchange BTC China (BTCC) and Tom Wilkinson, Senior Data Scientist for the UK Government Home Office; cementing London’s place as a leader in fintech innovation.

Luis Carranza, Founder of London Blockchain Week said:

“Despite political uncertainty around the UK’s position in the global economy, London continues to excel in fintech innovation and distributed ledger technology in particular. The past year has seen the UK government embrace Blockchain technology alongside other sectors that are waking up to its potential, from the diamond trade to the music industry. As the FCA adds a number of Blockchain start-ups to its regulatory sandbox, 2017 is set to be a seminal year for Blockchain/DLT as key players across the fintech ecosystem, from large corporates to innovative start-ups, drive a fundamental shift in how businesses will function over the coming decade.”

The main conference begins on 23rd January at the Grange Hotel, Tower Bridge, and will see UNICEF present ‘Donercoin’ – its Blockchain solution to digitise donations and create transparency in global aid. Bobby Lee of BTCC will outline China’s influence on Blockchain development in relation to the European markets.

On day two, Tom Wilkinson of the UK Government Home Office will discuss the potential for Blockchain technology to revolutionise the way local government interacts with citizens. In partnership with Day One VC, The Government of Papua New Guinea and the Open Bank Initiative, the first three days will consist of a hackathon at Launch22 where developers will be challenged with creating Blockchain concepts to help local, regional and national governments assist their citizens better.

The event culminates with three days of Blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) workshops at Cocoon Networks, where industry experts from RBS, Ethereum and BigChainDB will hold practical workshops for Blockchain enthusiasts.