Digital Assets, Real Disputes: Law at the Edge of Innovation

Presentation

What is the future of arbitration in blockchain and digital asset markets? Do smart contracts mean smarter dispute resolution? Technology is reshaping how value moves—and how disputes arise. This panel brings together leading practitioners to examine the friction points at the frontier of digital finance, from smart contracts that misfire to cross-border regulatory uncertainty and platform outages.

Speakers will consider questions of liability allocation among developers, platforms, and users; discuss arbitrability and forum selection in technology-enabled transactions (including wallets, exchanges, and tokens as examples); and outline general approaches to drafting dispute resolution clauses for digital finance contexts. The panel will also address the enforceability of arbitration agreements embedded in smart contracts and digital platform terms of service, as well as the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards across jurisdictions where digital assets, decentralized actors, and pseudonymous parties complicate traditional enforcement frameworks.

The discussion will further explore evidentiary considerations involving blockchain data and other digital records, privacy and cybersecurity in arbitration, and practical strategies for securing and enforcing awards against digital assets held across borders or on decentralized networks