Watch Neha in Action
About Neha Narula
The glue that holds society together is trust, says Neha Narula: trust in banks, governments, media and each other. And trust is transforming. Institutional trust is eroding while people depend on peer-to-peer trust more than ever. Narula leads research on cryptocurrencies and blockchains, the public ledgers that store transactions in a secure, verifiable and permanent way, and makes the case that they offer a positive path forward for the integrity of online transactions, records and commerce.
MIT Technology Review profiled Narula in 2022 as the MIT researcher who helps senators understand digital currencies. She joined the board of directors of Block in 2023. In her TED Talk "The Future of Money," she argues that digital currencies could let people and companies transact peer-to-peer and instantly, doing for value what the internet did for information.
Neha's Keynote Topics
Blockchains are empowering people and companies to bypass financial institutions to control and monitor their own money. But that’s only one application of a technology – essentially a public, verifiable and immutable accounting ledger – that promises to revolutionize the world, says Neha Narula. In general, the decline of trust in institutions – banks, governments, media and tech giants included – is pervasive, and demands we rethink the fundamentals of an economy and society built on institutional trust. Blockchain technology can play a key role in shoring up the sense of accountability that is fundamental to how institutions operate, and perhaps at a lower cost. For example, blockchains can be used to establish shared, verifiable records so that users can own their own digital data like healthcare records, digital identities, and more. Blockchains can also be used to audit major government institutions and corporations, and help ethical, sustainability-conscious businesses validate the integrity of their dealings and supply chains. In this presentation, which can be customized to audiences in various industries, Narula unveils the potential of blockchains to both restoring trust in institutions and circumventing those who have not done enough to keep public faith.
Who really controls “our” money? Personal bank accounts and information are regulated by governments and administered through financial institutions that have the power to freeze them or deny access. While banks play a valuable role in ensuring the integrity of the payments system, they have largely been insulated from new disruptive technologies that may well upend their monopoly on providing financial products and services. Neha Narula argues that digital currencies and blockchain technology have the potential to do for value what the Internet did for information: individuals and companies can transact peer-to-peer and instantly, bypassing the inflexible and onerous financial system. While these digital currencies are in their infancy and the technology, support structure and legal conventions need to be worked out, Narula pulls us out of those details to look at the big picture: how companies, policymakers and entrepreneurs will shape the future of money to make the world better and more efficient – and unleash a tide of innovation and financial freedom.
Neha in the Media
Is the Stablecoin Economy Structurally Sound?
While Digital Currency Initiatives Expand, We Ask, What’s the Future of Cash?
Block Names Neha Narula, Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT Media Lab, to Board of Directors
Axios Reception at Davos: Crypto’s Crossroads
Central Bank Digital Currency? How Money Could Be Redesigned
Women Who Made a Contribution to the Crypto Industry in 2022
Why MIT’s Crypto Expert Loves Bear Markets in Tech
CBDCs Present New Opportunities for Handling Disputes and Fraud
The Coming Digital Currency Wars
The MIT Researcher Who Helps Senators Understand Digital Currencies
MIT Experts Design and Test Technical Research for a Hypothetical Central Bank Digital Currency
Boston Fed, MIT Unveil Model for Electronic Cash as Policymakers Mull Whether to Launch It
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