Organised by
Information and Communications Technology Special Interest Group, IEM


SYNOPSIS

Blockchain is one of the technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Sometimes called Web 3.0, Blockchain is in a different class altogether from the other technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the planning for it needs to be approached differently at the national level.

The key difference is that Blockchain is recognized as a technology that will have world impact and significant cross border usage. This is evident from papers, reports and plans produced by world organisations like the World Trade Organisation, World Customs Organisation, the World Bank and the United Nations. The UN Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) released a white paper on World Trade Facilitation with Blockchain for public feedback. The European Parliament (comprising 750 Members of Parliament from 28 countries) has produced two resolutions on Blockchain to date.

While there are Blockchain projects and implementation in specific areas or sectors, countries must take a holistic approach to address Blockchain policy, strategy and implementation at the national level. No one agency or Ministry can address Blockchain in isolation and it is imperative that higher level direction and governance is needed.

The talk will address world views about Blockchain impacting all countries, progress in the development of standards for Blockchain at the ISO/TC 307 Committee on Blockchain and Distributed Level Technologies. Relevant actions are proposed for the government to immediately act to be relevant in world trade and other world programs like the UN’s 2030 Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) of which Blockchain has been recognized as a key enabler.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Mr. Abdul Fattah Yatim, with more than 40 years experience, is the Chairman of the National Standards Committee on Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (codenamed TC/G/15) under the Department of Standards Malaysia. The Committee comprises representatives from Government agencies, Regulators, Industry, R&D organisations, NGOs and Academia. The Committee works closely at the ISO level with over 40 countries to develop standards on Blockchain.

Mr Fattah is also the Institution of Engineers Malaysia representative to the Industry Standards Committee on IT, Communications and Multimedia (codenamed ISC/G) which is the higher level committee to TC/G/15. He also holds the positon of Deputy Chairman of ISC/G, appointed by the Malaysian National Standards Committees (MyNSC), the higher level committee to ISC/G. Mr. Fattah is a Professional Member of the OIC-CERT (Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation, Computer Emergency Response Team, www.oic-cert.org) which presently comprises CERT organisations from more than 20 countries, industry members and professional members. He was a Council Member of the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia. Mr Fattah blogs about blockchain at http://fattahyatim.wordpress.com .