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- All HBS Web (88)
- Faculty Publications (56)
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- All HBS Web (88)
- Faculty Publications (56)
- June 2024 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Wemade: (Re)Establishing Trust in Blockchain Games (A)
By: Jung Koo Kang, Charles C.Y. Wang, David Allen and Kwangmoon So
This case explores the fundamental challenges and accounting issues arising from the integration of blockchain technology into traditional business models. It features Wemade, a South Korean online gaming company that has staked its future on blockchain-based games.... View Details
Keywords: Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Video Games; Accounting; Financial Reporting; Revenue Recognition; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Corporate Disclosure; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Accounting Industry; Information Technology Industry; Video Game Industry; South Korea
Kang, Jung Koo, Charles C.Y. Wang, David Allen, and Kwangmoon So. "Wemade: (Re)Establishing Trust in Blockchain Games (A)." Harvard Business School Case 124-025, June 2024. (Revised March 2025.)
- 2025
- Working Paper
Tax Planning, Illiquidity, and Credit Risks: Evidence from DeFi Lending
By: Lisa De Simone, Peiyi Jin and Daniel Rabetti
This study establishes a plausible causal link between tax-planning-induced illiquidity and credit risks in lending markets. Exploiting an exogenous tax shock imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on cryptocurrency gains, along with millions of transactions in... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Taxation; Financial Liquidity; Credit; Financing and Loans; Financial Markets
De Simone, Lisa, Peiyi Jin, and Daniel Rabetti. "Tax Planning, Illiquidity, and Credit Risks: Evidence from DeFi Lending." Working Paper, February 2025.
- August 2023
- Case
Ripple 2023
By: David B. Yoffie, Andy Wu and Sarah von Bargen
This case covers Ripple’s events from 2020–2023. The focus of this case is Ripple’s 2023 victory over the SEC, which sued Ripple in 2020 claiming that they did not register their XRP coins as securities. After Ripple’s victory, CEO Garlinghouse faced numerous... View Details
Yoffie, David B., Andy Wu, and Sarah von Bargen. "Ripple 2023." Harvard Business School Case 724-372, August 2023.
- March 2021
- Supplement
Facebook's Libra (B): The Privatization of Money?
By: Marco Di Maggio, Ethan Rouen, George Serafeim and Amy Klopfenstein
This case addresses the events that took place following the conclusion of the case “Facebook’s Libra (A): The Privatization of Money?” In October 2019, several months after the conclusion of the A case, multiple members of the Libra Association announced that they... View Details
Keywords: Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Accounting; Economics; Money; Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Policy; Governance Controls; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Disruptive Innovation; Information Technology; Digital Platforms; Information Infrastructure; Technology Industry; Europe; Switzerland; United States; California
Di Maggio, Marco, Ethan Rouen, George Serafeim, and Amy Klopfenstein. "Facebook's Libra (B): The Privatization of Money?" Harvard Business School Supplement 121-055, March 2021.
- 2023
- Working Paper
Who Invests in Crypto? Wealth, Financial Constraints, and Risk Attitudes
By: Darren Aiello, Scott R. Baker, Tetyana Balyuk, Marco Di Maggio, Mark J. Johnson and Jason Kotter
We provide a first look into the drivers of household cryptocurrency investing. Analyzing
consumer transaction data for millions of U.S. households, we find that, except for high income
early adopters, cryptocurrency investors resemble the general population. These... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Finance; Cryptocurrency; Fintech; Inflation; Portfolio Choice; Stimulus; Consumer Behavior; Risk and Uncertainty; Investment
Aiello, Darren, Scott R. Baker, Tetyana Balyuk, Marco Di Maggio, Mark J. Johnson, and Jason Kotter. "Who Invests in Crypto? Wealth, Financial Constraints, and Risk Attitudes." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-073, May 2023. (Revised November 2023. NBER Working Paper Series, No. 31856, November 2023)
- April 2019 (Revised February 2020)
- Case
Ripple: The Business of Crypto
By: David B. Yoffie and George Gonzalez
The case explores Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s mission to disrupt the global payments industry by leveraging the cryptocurrency XRP. Students will learn about Bitcoin and the blockchain industry, as well as Ripple’s unique crypto business model. The case provides an... View Details
Keywords: Payment Systems; Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Blockchain; Fintech; Business Startups; Business Model; Disruption; Strategy; Banking Industry; Technology Industry
Yoffie, David B., and George Gonzalez. "Ripple: The Business of Crypto." Harvard Business School Case 719-506, April 2019. (Revised February 2020.)
- December 2022
- Article
Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Success and Post-ICO Performance
By: Evgeny Lyandres, Berardino Palazzo and Daniel Rabetti
We compile a comprehensive data set of initial coin offerings (ICOs) from 19 data sources including 11 ICO aggregators. We alleviate severe limitations of available ICO data by performing the first systematic analysis of ICO data quality. We use our data set to study... View Details
Lyandres, Evgeny, Berardino Palazzo, and Daniel Rabetti. "Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Success and Post-ICO Performance." Management Science 68, no. 12 (December 2022): 8658–8679.
- April 17, 2023
- Article
Crypto-Influencers Give Poor Investment Advice—and the SEC Is Taking Notice
By: Joseph Pacelli
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Power and Influence; Investment; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Investment Return; Consumer Behavior
Pacelli, Joseph. "Crypto-Influencers Give Poor Investment Advice—and the SEC Is Taking Notice." Promarket (April 17, 2023).
- September 2023
- Case
The Rise and Fall of FTX
In November 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried's multi-billion-dollar crypto exchange, FTX, collapsed, wiping out investors and throwing the crypto industry into disarray. As FTX's founder and CEO, Bankman-Fried developed a reputation for his unerring business sense and... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Crime and Corruption; Financial Statements; Misleading and Fraudulent Advertising; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Failure; Restructuring; United States; Hong Kong; Bahamas
Dey, Aiyesha, Jonas Heese, Joseph Pacelli, and Max Hancock. "The Rise and Fall of FTX." Harvard Business School Case 124-014, September 2023.
- December 2022 (Revised August 2023)
- Case
Ribbit Capital and the Gauntlet Investment Opportunity
By: Shai Bernstein and Allison M. Ciechanover
Ten-year-old, Palo Alto-based Ribbit Capital is best-known for its global investments in fintech. The firm was also an early advocate of crypto and blockchain, having invested in more than two dozen startups in the space in the past decade. In the Spring of 2022,... View Details
Keywords: Alternative Assets; Cryptocurrency; Business Startups; Investment Portfolio; Decision Choices and Conditions; Negotiation Deal; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; California
Bernstein, Shai, and Allison M. Ciechanover. "Ribbit Capital and the Gauntlet Investment Opportunity." Harvard Business School Case 823-038, December 2022. (Revised August 2023.)
- Forthcoming
- Book
Blockchain Forensics and Crypto-Related Cybercrimes
By: Lin William Cong, Kim Grauer, Daniel Rabetti and Henry Updegrave
This handbook provides an overview of various criminal activities related to cryptocurrencies, including investment scams, Ponzi schemes, rug pulls, ransomware attacks, money laundering, and darknet markets. We discuss the need for user protection and education,... View Details
Keywords: Cyberattacks; Blockchain; Network; Cryptocurrency; Crime and Corruption; Cybersecurity; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Law Enforcement; Technology Adoption
Cong, Lin William, Kim Grauer, Daniel Rabetti, and Henry Updegrave. Blockchain Forensics and Crypto-Related Cybercrimes. World Scientific Publishing, forthcoming.
- December 2019 (Revised February 2024)
- Teaching Note
Ripple: The Business of Crypto and Ripple 2023
By: David B. Yoffie
The case explores Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s mission to disrupt the global payments industry by leveraging the cryptocurrency XRP. Students will learn about Bitcoin and the blockchain industry, as well as Ripple’s unique crypto business model. The case provides an... View Details
Keywords: Payment Systems; Cryptocurrency; Bitcoin; Blockchain; Fintech; Business Startups; Business Model; Disruption; Strategy
- October 2024
- Teaching Note
El Salvador: Launching Bitcoin as Legal Tender
By: Laura Alfaro
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 322-055. In June 2021, Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, surprised the world with the announcement that the country would adopt bitcoin as legal tender, becoming the first nation to do so. Bitcoin was mostly used for trading and had... View Details
- November 2023 (Revised April 2024)
- Case
Celsius Network Inc.: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in the Brave New World of Crypto Bankruptcy
By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott
In July 2022, Celsius Network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. CEO Alex Mashinsky acknowledged that Celsius had grown its assets “faster than the Company was prepared to deploy [them]” and as a result had made “certain poor asset deployment decisions.” Two months after... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Chapter 11; Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Asset Management; Acquisition; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Services Industry; United States
Gilson, Stuart C., and Sarah L. Abbott. "Celsius Network Inc.: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in the Brave New World of Crypto Bankruptcy." Harvard Business School Case 224-044, November 2023. (Revised April 2024.)
- March 2022 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
El Salvador: Launching Bitcoin as Legal Tender
By: Laura Alfaro, Carla Larangeira and Ruth Costas
In June 2021, Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, surprised the world with the announcement that the country would adopt bitcoin as legal tender, becoming the first nation to do so. Bitcoin was mostly used for trading and had one of the most volatile track records... View Details
Keywords: Bitcoin; Cryptocurrency; Currency; Financial Strategy; Economic Growth; Governance; Macroeconomics; Assets; Latin America; El Salvador
Alfaro, Laura, Carla Larangeira, and Ruth Costas. "El Salvador: Launching Bitcoin as Legal Tender." Harvard Business School Case 322-055, March 2022. (Revised February 2024.)
- Forthcoming
- Article
Trading Volume Manipulation and Competition Among Centralized Crypto Exchanges
By: Dan Amiran, Evgeny Lyandres and Daniel Rabetti
How competition affects manipulation by firms of information about important attributes of their products and how such information manipulation impacts firms’ short-term and long-term performance are open empirical questions. We use a setting that is especially... View Details
Amiran, Dan, Evgeny Lyandres, and Daniel Rabetti. "Trading Volume Manipulation and Competition Among Centralized Crypto Exchanges." Management Science (forthcoming). (Pre-published online February 5, 2025.)
- November 2023
- Case
Will Fintechs and Central Banks Play in Emtech's Sandbox?
By: Daniel Isenberg and William R. Kerr
In February 2023, Emtech’s founder Carmelle Cadet is facing a dilemma. Rapidly running out of cash, Cadet has a term sheet from a leading VC but has a choice of how to structure the investment. The decision will have significant implications for Cadet’s own stake, as... View Details
Keywords: Cryptocurrency; Business Startups; Venture Capital; Cash Flow; Currency; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Digital Platforms
Isenberg, Daniel, and William R. Kerr. "Will Fintechs and Central Banks Play in Emtech's Sandbox?" Harvard Business School Case 824-096, November 2023.
- Article
Bitcoin and Beyond
By: Christian Catalini, Ravi Jagadeesan and Scott Duke Kominers
From the growing attention to Bitcoin and "decentralized finance" to the latest excitement spurred by non-fungible tokens, the crypto economy is here to stay. But will it develop the social consensus and institutional arrangements needed to go fully mainstream? View Details
Catalini, Christian, Ravi Jagadeesan, and Scott Duke Kominers. "Bitcoin and Beyond." Project Syndicate (April 23, 2021).
- August 2022 (Revised February 2023)
- Case
Braintrust: The Blockchain-Powered Talent Network
By: Christopher Stanton, Joseph B. Fuller and George Gonzalez
A San Francisco startup seeks to disrupt the freelancing industry through its user-owned talent network powered by the cryptocurrency, BTRST. View Details
Keywords: Freelancers; Blockchain; Cryptocurrency; Social and Collaborative Networks; Talent and Talent Management; Consulting Industry; Technology Industry; United States
Stanton, Christopher, Joseph B. Fuller, and George Gonzalez. "Braintrust: The Blockchain-Powered Talent Network." Harvard Business School Case 823-039, August 2022. (Revised February 2023.)
- 29 Mar 2022
- News