Introduction to Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

Blockchain Intro
a Step to a New World
1

Walid Driss - Co-founder and CEO of DigitUs - Curriculum Overview
2

Hichem Ben Fadhl - Co-founder and Chairman of DigitUs - Curriculum Overview
3
Advisor - Board Member and CEO of financial institutions
▪ Co-founder and Chairman of DigitUs, a fintech startup
▪ Advisor to the Minister, in charge of the new Investment Code
▪ Board Member of Banque Nationale Agricole
▪ Former CEO, International Maghreb Merchant Bank
▪ Co-founder and former COO of Banque Zitouna, Strategic and
Operational leader
▪ Co-founder and former CEO, CDC Gestion - Private Equity
▪ Led AttijariWafa Bank’s transformation of Banque du Sud in Tunisia
▪ Led Credit Agricole and Credit Lyonnais Equity Derivatives Activities
Merger
▪ Bain & Company Financial Services Practice
▪ Accenture France Capital Markets Practice
▪ Deeply involved in the Tunisian Economical, Political and Civil Society
space
▪ Key contributor to Governmental economic change

A new tech revolution is underway
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The innovation behind
Bitcoin is a powerful
breakthrough in human’s
history.

Blockchain has proven itself as a secure transaction system
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Bitcoin is now a 6bn$ monetary reserve, 20bn$
of transactions per year
6th global reserve currency by 2030
Already bigger than most of the world’s
currencies
5

What is Blockchain
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A decentralized public ledger, proving facts and
transactions
Remote transactions can suddenly happen instantly,
securely, reliably, cost-effectively, from peer to peer
It’s possible because it’s notarized by the
consensus of the Blockchain (trusted, predictable,
inalterable algorithm)

How did it start
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https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
An 8 pages concept
paper which changes
the world upside down
It solved for the
double spend problem
in the digital space

Why it matters
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It will change the world as we know it
In a same way that Internet changed the world as
we know it
But with a much higher order of magnitude
Things not yet imagined will become possible!

What can be the impact: Reducing transactions costs, increasing economic
output
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The Copenhagen Consensus: : Trade Barriers is #1
problem in the world, Removing trade barriers is over 30
times more effective than any other intervention
1. secure property rights 2. efficient trade 3. division of
labor and specialization 4. network size
2. Efficient Trade A mere 0.1% reduction in transaction
costs quadruples a country’s wealth. Low transaction
costs are the fundamental driver of economic growth.

A conceptual example: a smart contract.
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A self-executed
contract, trusted
and reliable

Explore the unlimited potential of this new paradigm
14
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Blockchain: Blueprint for a New
Economy
Jan 29, 2015
by Melanie Swan
Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital
Cryptocurrencies
Dec 10, 2014
by Andreas M. Antonopoulos

Explore the unlimited potential of this new paradigm
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The Bitcoin Big Bang: How
Alternative Currencies Are About to
Change the World
Nov 17, 2014
by Brian Kelly
Decentralized Applications: Harnessing
Bitcoin's Blockchain Technology
Mar 25, 2016
by Siraj Raval

The convergence of Multiple Technologies
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The convergence of:
● P2P
● Cloud
● Cryptography
● Smart Devices
Even more relevant with the explosion
of the Internet of Things
A Platform for a New World

A new IT paradigm
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Application
Security
Business
Rules
Data
Validation
Trust
Client
Server
User
Interface
Business
Rules
Data
Institutional
Infrastructure
Client Devices
Old New
● P2P
● Cloud
● Cryptography

"You should be taking this technology as seriously as you should have been
taking the development of the Internet in the early 1990s," - Blythe Masters
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Blythe made it to Managing Director at JP
Morgan at age 28, and left her role as Global
Head at JP Morgan in 2014 to become a CEO of
a crypto-finance start-up.

What the great minds say about this technology
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“Virgin Galactic is a company looking into the future, so is
Bitcoin. So it makes sense we would offer Bitcoin as a way to
pay for your journey to space”
– Richard Branson
“Bitcoin is a remarkable cryptographic achievement and the
ability to create something that is not duplicable in the digital
world has enormous value”
–Eric Schmidt
“ Bitcoin is a technological tour de force ”
– Bill Gates

The New Internet
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Growth
Years
1990’s 2000’s 2015
Internet
Blockchain

Investments are pouring in Blockchain applications
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Banks and financial institutions are
willing to spend around $1 billion on
projects over the next two years
Blockchain technologies could reduce
banks' infrastructural costs by $15-20bn
a year by 2022, a new report from
Santander InnoVentures claims
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13 financial services firms made their first investment in the digital currency and
blockchain space since the start of August 2015
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https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/financial-services-corporate-blockchain-investments/

It’s only the tip of the iceberg
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIVAluSL9SU

Opportunity for Tunisia
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Developing an Ecosystem of:
- Knowledge Gurus
- Developers
- Startups
- VCs, specialised funds / accelerators
- Talent Hub (to export innovation and to
attract foreign companies to set up in
Tunisia in this new space)
- Institutional ownership (leapfrogging)
- eGov (Tunix-Road)
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Building the Tunisian Community
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If you are a business leader, join Blockchainge Tunisia and shape the agenda:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blockchainge.tunisia/
(please motivate your request to join)
If you are a developer, join the gurus and develop the products of tomorrow:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blockchainge.tn.developers/
(please motivate your request to join)
3131

You want to further explore the opportunities of Blockchain technologies?
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walid.driss@digitus.tech
hichem.benfadhl@digitus.tech
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http://digitus.tech/

Introduction to Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

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