On January 20, 2020 the Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab welcomed Christina Lomazzo, Ivey Alum (MSc '16) and current UNICEF Blockchain Lead, as guest speaker at a Lunch and Learn designed for academic researchers. The session was well-attended, attracting 34 Ivey faculty, PhD students and postdocs to the talk. Christina spoke on the hype and hope of blockchain and the use of cryptocurrency for social good, discussed several cases in which blockchain is used, including her own work at UNICEF, and took multiple questions from those in attendance. Of particular interest to the audience were use cases around transparency in philanthropic donations, measuring social impact in real time, and partnerships between UN agencies and national governments. Christina emphasized when developing a blockchain-based solution makes sense to create value, and when it does not. The session was equally informative for those who knew much about blockchain, and those with little prior knowledge.
Above: Attendees listen while Christina Lomazzo speaks on the Hype and Hope of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency for Social Good
Later that day, Christina spoke to 70 Ivey MBA students about how to implement blockchain across a number of concrete use cases. Students participated in an interactive workshop involving maintaining a blockchain and using decentralized (Web 3.0) applications using the Metamask browser.