Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law (LAWS90169)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2025
About this subject
Overview
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Blockchain is one of the most important technologies to impact law and business in recent years, and presents many challenges and opportunities for lawyers. Blockchain is revolutionising finance, eliminating the need for "trusted” human intermediaries and using computer code to facilitate automated transactions.
This subject is designed to introduce students to the emerging social, economic and legal issues associated with blockchain and cryptocurrencies. It will initially consider the extent to which we should allow regulation and government intervention to influence the development and adoption of blockchain technologies, including cryptocurrencies, balancing the maintenance of social and legal norms against the need to let a nascent technology innovate and disrupt. The subject will then analyse how to maintain rule of law through appropriate legal and regulatory levers. The subject is grounded in the law, but also seeks to be broad and interdisciplinary.
Principal topics will include:
• Introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchains
• Introduction to smart contracts and governance design
• Regulation of finance and securities markets in the age of blockchain
• Initial coin offerings and their regulatory framework
• Digital identity and privacy
• Intersection of blockchain technologies with existing legal frameworks
• Legal services use-cases for blockchain technologies
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the legal questions that surround blockchain technologies and the complex web of history, culture, technology, law and regulation into which blockchain has been placed;
- Have an advanced understanding of the legal implications of the use of blockchain technologies in various contexts and how to develop blockchain-based legal solutions;
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to become active participants in blockchain technologies by introducing the salient features of decentralised, distributive computing platforms;
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding blockchain technologies.
Generic skills
On completion of the subject students should have developed the following skills:
- Mastery of the principal areas of law as they relate to blockchain technology;
- expert, specialised cognitive and technical skills for critical and independent thought and reflection in the context of blockchain technology and its use cases (including crypto currencies);
- mastery of technical research skills relevant to blockchain regulation;
- expert, specialised cognitive, creative and technical skills to solve problems, including through the critical evaluation of research relevant to the area of blockchain technologies; and
- the ability to expertly communicate specialised and complex information, ideas, concepts and theories relevant to blockchain technologies.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are taught at an advanced graduate level and requires a thorough background in common law. While efforts are made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, teaching and assessment activities are designed to give an advanced and integrated understanding of the discipline of law for legal practitioners, learners and researchers.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Take-home examination
| 15 - 18 November 2024 | 100% |
| Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
Not available in 2025
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment, subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If subject coordinator approval is required prior to enrolment, or for further information about the pre-requisites for Community Access Program study, please contact us:
- prospective CAP student enquiries;
- existing CAP student enquiries (if you have a current Unimelb login).
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025