Blockchains 2019 - 1st Workshop on Formal Methods for Blockchains

Blockchains are decentralized transactional ledgers that rely on cryptographic hash functions for guaranteeing the integrity of the stored data. Participants on the network reach agreement on what valid transactions are through consensus algorithms.
Blockchains may also provide support for Smart Contracts. Smart Contracts are scripts of an ad-hoc programming language that are stored in the blockchain and that run on the network. They can interact with the ledger’s data and update its state. These scripts can express the logic of possibly complex contracts between users of the blockchain. Thus, Smart Contracts can facilitate the economic activity of blockchain participants.
With the emergence and increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, it is now of utmost importance to have strong guarantees of the behaviour of blockchain so ware. These guarantees can be brought by using Formal Methods. Indeed, Blockchain software encompasses many topics of computer science where using Formal Methods techniques and tools is relevant: consensus algorithms to ensure the liveness and the security of the data on the chain, programming languages specifically designed to write smart contracts, cryptographic protocols, such as zero-knowledge proofs, used to ensure privacy, etc.
Scope and Topics
With this newly proposed workshop, we want to discuss and identify possibilities and limitations of Formal Methods to provide a more rigorous approach to Blockchain. We invite authors to submit papers related to the use of FMs techniques and tools for blockchain technology. Topics include, but are not limited to:
Formal models of blockchain applications or concepts
Formal methods for consensus protocols
Formal methods for blockchain-specific cryptographic primitives or protocols
Formal languages for Smart Contracts
Verification of Smart Contracts