FinTech and Crypto Assets

This book explores how FinTech and crypto-asset ecosystems are transforming financial and organizational processes while creating new challenges for internal control, risk management, and reporting. The volume is structured into three parts. The first introduces digital finance and tokenized economies, examining how token design influences governance structures, control systems, and risk exposure. It also develops an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework tailored to blockchain-based organizations. The second part addresses the administrative, accounting, and compliance dimensions of crypto assets, covering regulatory classification, the MiCA framework, the roles of issuers and service providers, custody arrangements, and the crypto-asset life cycle. It further discusses recognition, measurement, valuation, and disclosure issues under IFRS, US GAAP, and emerging accounting approaches. The third part applies the proposed ERM framework to four case studies, illustrating how rapid growth and technological innovation can coexist with weaknesses in governance, controls, and reporting. The analysis highlights the importance of integrating blockchain records with legal, accounting, and organizational evidence to support sustainable value creation. Combining conceptual foundations with real-world applications, the book provides a valuable reference for academics, practitioners, and students interested in FinTech, blockchain, and crypto assets.

Giovanni Scirè is Assistant Professor in Business Management at the Department of Political Sciences and International Relations (DEMS), University of Palermo. His research focuses on organized crime, sustainability, and digital innovation. Drawing on performance management and System Dynamics approaches, he investigates sustainable business models and the implications of technological change. His recent work examines crypto assets from accounting, risk management, internal control, and regulatory perspectives.

Enzo Bivona is Associate Professor of Business Management at the Department of Political Sciences and International Relations (DEMS), University of Palermo, where he serves as Vice-Dean and Vice-Director of the University Technology Transfer Centre (UT2C). His research focuses on performance management, internal control systems, risk management, and organized crime. Integrating system dynamics with strategic management, he investigates business model innovation and sustainable value creation, with particular attention to SMEs, entrepreneurial development, and organizational resilience.