Posted by Anne Lafarre (Tilburg University) and Christoph Van der Elst (Tilburg University and Ghent University), on Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Editor's Note: Anne Lafarre is Assistant Professor at Tilburg Law School; Christoph Van der Elst is Professor of Business Law and Economics at Tilburg Law School and Ghent University. This post is based on their recent paper.
Although the hype around the buzzword “blockchain” is currently still largely focused on speculation with virtual currencies like bitcoins, blockchain is a state-of-the-art technology that can offer smart solutions for classical inefficiencies in the corporate governance field. In our recent paper, Blockchain Technology for Corporate Governance and Shareholder Activism, we look into the applications of blockchain technology in the field of corporate governance, paying special attention to the restructuring of the old-fashioned and rigid Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the AGM). We explore the AGM’s (lack of) performance and make a strong plea for blockchain-based AGM.