Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Blockchain, decentralized consensus and trust -- Chapter 3. The basic mining game. -- Chapter 4. Higher level models -- Chapter 5. The future monetary system -- Chapter 6. Regulation -- Chapter 7. Conclusions.

How well can a cryptocurrency serve as a means of payment? We study the optimal design of cryptocurrencies and assess quantitatively how well such currencies can support bilateral trade. The challenge for cryptocurrencies is to overcome double-spending by relying on competition to update the...