692 research outputs found
Dissecting Ponzi schemes on Ethereum: identification, analysis, and impact
Ponzi schemes are financial frauds which lure users under the promise of high
profits. Actually, users are repaid only with the investments of new users
joining the scheme: consequently, a Ponzi scheme implodes soon after users stop
joining it. Originated in the offline world 150 years ago, Ponzi schemes have
since then migrated to the digital world, approaching first the Web, and more
recently hanging over cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Smart contract platforms
like Ethereum have provided a new opportunity for scammers, who have now the
possibility of creating "trustworthy" frauds that still make users lose money,
but at least are guaranteed to execute "correctly". We present a comprehensive
survey of Ponzi schemes on Ethereum, analysing their behaviour and their impact
from various viewpoints
Decentralized Finance (DeFi): A Survey
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is a new paradigm in the creation, distribution,
and utilization of financial services via the integration of blockchain
technology. Our research conducts a comprehensive introduction and meticulous
classification of various DeFi applications. Beyond that, we thoroughly analyze
these risks from both technical and economic perspectives, spanning multiple
layers. We point out research gaps and revenues, covering technical
advancements, innovative economics, and sociology and ecology optimization
An empirical analysis of smart contracts: platforms, applications, and design patterns
Smart contracts are computer programs that can be consistently executed by a
network of mutually distrusting nodes, without the arbitration of a trusted
authority. Because of their resilience to tampering, smart contracts are
appealing in many scenarios, especially in those which require transfers of
money to respect certain agreed rules (like in financial services and in
games). Over the last few years many platforms for smart contracts have been
proposed, and some of them have been actually implemented and used. We study
how the notion of smart contract is interpreted in some of these platforms.
Focussing on the two most widespread ones, Bitcoin and Ethereum, we quantify
the usage of smart contracts in relation to their application domain. We also
analyse the most common programming patterns in Ethereum, where the source code
of smart contracts is available.Comment: WTSC 201
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