ROADMAP FOR

BLOCKCHAIN
STANDARDS
Report March 2017
 Acknowledgements
This Standards Australia report, Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March
2017, was prepared by Varant Meguerditchian, General Manager Stakeholder
Engagement, Standards Australia.
Useful comments and suggestions on various aspects of the Roadmap were provided
by Mr Rob Hanson (Data61), Mr Scott Farrell (King & Wood Malleson), Mr Craig Dunn
(Stone & Chalk), Mr Nick Addison (Fintech Australia), Mr Gilbert Verdian (Remitt), Mr
Adrian McCullagh (Griffith University), Ms Jo-Ellen Cortney (Standards Australia) and Mr
Damian Fisher (Standards Australia).
The cover, other graphics, and type setting were done by Mr Mark Schafer, Standards
Australia.
Financial and co-resourcing support for the Roadmap for Blockchain Standards from the
Commonwealth of Australia is gratefully acknowledged.
The report does not reflect the views of Standards Australia.

Contents
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................... 2
Foreword..................................................................................................................... 3
Executive Summary...................................................................................................... 4
Background................................................................................................................. 5
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 6
Methodology................................................................................................................ 7
Developing the Roadmap............................................................................................. 8
Steering Group, November 2016.............................................................................. 8
Survey, December 2016........................................................................................... 8
Workshop February 2017....................................................................................... 13
The Roadmap............................................................................................................ 19
Priority Issues......................................................................................................... 19
Priority Use Cases.................................................................................................. 20
Standards and Law................................................................................................ 20
Structure of ISO/TC 307......................................................................................... 21
Conclusion................................................................................................................. 22
Forward Planning....................................................................................................... 22
More Information........................................................................................................ 23
About Standards Australia.......................................................................................... 23
Appendix A Workshop Participants.......................................................................... 24

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Foreword
Dr Bronwyn Evans, Chief Executive Officer,
StandardsAustralia
The emergence of new and exciting applications
of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies
(DLTs) present far-reaching opportunities for
Australia and its international partners. Having
first developed as a core component of the
decentralised digital currency bitcoin, blockchain
is now considered a transformational technology
with broader applications.
Blockchain has the potential to support efficient
and secure real time transactions across a large
number of sectors. From enabling efficient and
accurate financial services to providing visibility
along the supply chain, and from streamlining
government services to delivering confidence in identity accuracy to consumers,
blockchain and DLTs have the capacity to revolutionise the way we do business.
For many Australians and global stakeholders the key to utilising blockchain
technologies is contingent upon the performance of the systems. While economic
efficiencies, improvements in standards of living and increased access are just some
of the benefits of applying blockchain technologies, there is a broad community
expectation that an appropriate legal and standards framework will be developed in
order to establish market confidence.
This report explains the methodology and process used by Standards Australia to
develop a Roadmap for Blockchain Standards. It highlights the critical role Australia will
have in leading international efforts to develop blockchain standards under ISO/TC 307
Blockchain and electronic distributed ledger technologies.
The work undertaken by Standards Australia supports the Australian economy by
enabling the spread of technology and creating new sustainable industries for the future.
This report also demonstrates Standards Australias ability as an independent facilitator
to deliver policy and standards related solutions to contemporary matters of public
priority in Australia. Standards Australia is proud to have facilitated the development of
the Roadmap for Blockchain Standards.

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 Executive Summary
This report provides a summary of the Roadmap for Blockchain Standards (Roadmap). The
Roadmap is designed to: identify the various technical issues associated with developing,
governing and utilising blockchains and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT); identify
blockchain and DLT use-cases relevant to Australia; and prioritise the order of standards
development activities that could be undertaken in the development of blockchain
standards by ISO/TC 307 Blockchain and electronic distributed ledger technologies.
Standards Australia facilitated the development of a Roadmap for Blockchain Standards
between November 2016 and February 2017. The work represents a key component of
Standards Australias role in supporting the development of a collective Australian position
on blockchain standards priorities and contributing to the establishment of industry,
consumer and market confidence in the use and application of blockchain technologies.
Over the course of a number of years there has been growing use and application
of blockchain technologies across a number of sectors of the Australian economy
and globally. This includes in the financial services sector, government services and
supply chain management. Whilst this technological developments and use-rates have
increased, confidence in the technology is also gradually growing. The development of
International Standards to support privacy, security, identity, smart contract, governance
and other matters related to blockchain technology may contribute to further
establishing market confidence in the use and application of the technology.
The report was produced as a result of a series of consultations held in 2016 and 2017
which enabled industry, consumer, academic and government stakeholders to identify
and priorities the relevant international standards that may be required to support the
broad use and application of blockchain and DLT.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Background
Blockchain is a digital platform that records and verifies transactions in a public and
secure manner. This decentralised, cryptography based solution has the potential to
redefine transactions by removing the need for middlemen. Whilst the technology is still
an emerging one, its applications can be foreseen across a wide spectrum of sectors:
financial services; consumer products and services; health; government; minerals and
precious stones; real estate; internet of things; and business.
As with any emerging technology, the freedom for blockchain developers to be
innovative and for vendors to be competitive is critical. Alongside regulation, standards
have a role to play in establishing market confidence to support the roll out of blockchain
technology.
In April 2016 Standards Australia submitted a New Field of Technical Activity (NFTA)
proposal on behalf of Australia for the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) to consider developing standards to support blockchain technology. The proposal
for an NFTA to the ISO was intended to establish a new ISO technical committee
for blockchain. The new committee would be responsible for supporting innovation
and competition by covering blockchain standards topics including interoperability,
terminology, privacy, security and auditing.
In September 2016, ISO announced that Australia will manage the Secretariat of
ISO/TC 307 after the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved
Standards Australias proposal for new International Standards on blockchain. As a
requisite, Australia will host the first international blockchain standards meeting for
ISO/TC 307 in April 2017. There are currently 33 member nations of ISO/TC 307
including: Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, France, Singapore, China, USA
and many others.
Ahead of the April 2017 meeting, Standards Australia will be facilitating a number of
key consultation activities including the development of a Roadmap for Blockchain
Standards. The Roadmap report will inform IT-041 Blockchain and electronic distributed
ledger technologies (IT-041) which serves as the Standards Australia technical
committee for blockchain. The Roadmap report will support the development of a
collective Australian position on the development of blockchain standards in preparation
for the inaugural meeting of ISO/TC 307.
Further background on Standards Australias Blockchain Standards Initiative can be
found on the Standards Australia website: www.standards.org.au

5
 Introduction
Standards Australia embarked upon the development of a Roadmap for Blockchain
Standards in order to support Australias leadership role in the development of
International Standards for blockchain and DLT under ISO/TC 307.
The aim of the road mapping activity was to provide strategic insight:
Identify the various technical issues associated with developing, governing and
utilising blockchains and DLTs;
Identify blockchain and DLT use-cases relevant to Australian stakeholders and
assess the need for standards to support the specific use-cases;
Prioritise the order of standards development activities that could be undertaken in
the development of International Standards for blockchain by ISO/TC 307;
Consider the role of standards in supporting potential future regulation on
blockchain and the relationship between the law and standards; and
Consider the pathways and structures that can be utilised under ISO/TC 307
to undertake the development of International Standards for blockchain by
ISO/TC 307.
The Roadmap report will provide recommendations and insights by aggregating the
views of Australian stakeholders who participated in consultations.
These recommendations and insights will inform the collective Australian position on
the development of blockchain standards in preparation for the inaugural meeting of
ISO/TC 307.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Methodology
The development of the Roadmap involved of a series of consultations held in 2016 and
2017 to identify and prioritise the relevant international standards that may be required
to support the broad use and application of blockchain and DLT.
The development of the Roadmap was an inclusive process allowing industry, consumer,
academic and government stakeholders to participate in consultations moderated and
hosted by an independent facilitator, Standards Australia.
Stakeholder consultations commenced formally in November 2016 and the Roadmap
was released in March 2017.

Establish Roadmap Steering Group November 2016

Open Blockchain Survey, December 2016

Host Blockchain Standards Workshop, February 2017

Release Roadmap Report

March 2017

7
 Developing the Roadmap
Steering Group, November 2016
Standards Australia established a Steering Group constituted of key stakeholders to
support the Blockchain Standards Roadmap. The role of the Steering Group was to
provide high level strategic advice and guidance to Standards Australia as it facilitates
the development of a Blockchain Standards Roadmap ahead of the first international
blockchain standards meeting for ISO/TC 307.
The Steering Groups input and feedback was used to refine key elements of the
Blockchain Standards Roadmap, including the survey questions, workshop program and
roadmap report.

Survey, December 2016

The blockchain standards survey was launched on 16 December 2016 and submissions
were accepted until 10 February 2017. The survey questions were designed to gather
three types of data:
Organisational and identifier information including the type, size and activity
undertaken by the respondent;
Priorities for addressing standards-related issues encountered by organisations
seeking to use or promote blockchain technologies; and
Blockchain use-cases that present growth opportunities for Australian industry
and government, and the potential need for blockchain standards to support
those use-cases.
The qualitative data and case studies gathered from the survey have informed this
roadmap report.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Organisational and identifier information

More than 100 responses to the survey were received from a balanced mixture of
Australian government, industry, academic/research and consumer organisations.
Notably, companies from across various industries provided 55% of responses and 6%
of responses were provided by NGOs.
All states and territories were represented in responses with Sydney and Melbourne
respondents equally each accounting for 35% of responses. Regional Australia provided
6% of responses.
Most respondents were male and aged between 31 and 60 years of age. Those aged
from 41 to 50 represented the single largest age demographic.
Respondents represented a mix of industry sectors including the sciences, financial
services, healthcare, education and training, professional services, supply chain
management and others. Most respondents identified as belonging to either of three
industries: financial services; technology; or government services.

Respondents by sector of economic activity

Academic
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Mining Other
Arts and Recreation Services
Education and Training
Electricity, Gas, Water and
Waste Services

Technology product/
service provider

Financial and Insurance Services

Scientist
Regulator

Government / Policy maker Professional, Scientific and

Technical Services
Health Care Information Media and Telecommunications

Source: Blockchain survey, Standards Australia analysis

The organisational and identifier information gathered from the survey is relevant for the
purposes of the road mapping exercise as it portrays the balance of stakeholder interest
which have contributed to the development of the Roadmap for Blockchain Standards.

9
 Blockchain Issues
The survey allowed participants to consider the optimal standards and regulatory
framework to support the roll out of blockchain technologies. More than 88% of
respondents suggested that either national standards, international standards or a
mixture of standards and regulation are required to support an appropriate co-regulatory
framework for blockchain-related industries. Less than 3% of respondents believed that
laws and regulation alone would be sufficient.

The optimum standards and regulatory framework to ensure we are fostering

innovation and entrepreneurism
Dont know
No new Regulations
Only Laws and Regulations

Industry guidelines
Regulatory framework which
references Standards

National Standards

Combination of Standards
and Regulations

International Standards

More than 88% of respondents indicate a role for standards in supporting the roll out of blockchain
technologies. Source: Blockchain survey, Standards Australia analysis

The respondents also highlighted a number of blockchain issues that could be

addressed through the development of appropriate standards. These include but are not
limited to privacy, security, governance, terminology, interoperability and risk.
Challenges and inconsistencies in the definition of blockchain and other terms such as
smart contracts posed the greatest concern to respondents who almost universally
recognised the need for consistent and agreed terminology was the highest priority
standards issue for blockchain.
The priority order for standards development activities relating to blockchain according
to respondents of the survey:
1. Terminology
2. Privacy
3. Governance
4. Interoperability
5. Security
6. Risk

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Respondents also identified a number of current Australian and International Standards

that could be used to support the roll out of blockchain technologies.

AS 2805 series Electronic Funds Transfers Requirements for

Interfaces
ISO 20022 series Financial Services Universal Financial Industry
Message Scheme
ISO/IEC 17788 Information Technology Cloud Computing Overview
and Vocabulary
ISO/IEC 17789 Information Technology Cloud Computing
Reference Architecture
ISO/IEC 18384 series Information Technology Reference Architecture for
Service Oriented Architecture
ISO/IEC 19086 Information Technology Cloud Computing Service
Level Agreement (SLA) Framework
ISO/IEC 27000 series Information Technology Security Techniques
ISO 31000 series Risk Management Principles and Guidelines
ISO 10962 series Securities and Related Financial Instruments
ISO 6166 series Securities and Related Financial Instruments
AS ISO/IEC 38500 Information Technology Governance of IT for the
Organization

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 Blockchain use-cases
Survey respondents identified financial services and government services as the two
sectors with the greatest potential for use of blockchain technologies.
Within the financial services sector, the application of blockchain technologies was
identified for use primarily to provide support to financial transactions, commodity
exchange and remittances.
Stakeholder indicated that an elevated level of privacy and security measures may be
required for the application of blockchain in the financial services sector.
The potential application of blockchain in the management of government services was
recognised by survey respondents. The use of blockchain technologies to support the
efficient transfer of land and to manage property title registrations was identified by more
stakeholders than any other government services as an opportunity for government to
utilise blockchain technologies.

Government services that survey respondents would like to see using blockchain
technologies to improve efficiencies and public access

Land Transfers and Property Title registrations 72.1%

Personal Identification and Passport Documentation 68.9%

Management of Health Records 65.6%

Vehicle Registrations 54.1%

Welfare Distribution and Monitoring 37.7%

Urban planning; wider pedestrian sidewalks, increased 21.3%

times for crossings

Public Transport Scheduling 16.4%

Source: Blockchain survey, Standards Australia analysis

Notably, approximately 15% of respondents described the application of blockchain in

supporting supply chain management as a priority for Australia.
Respondents that supported the use of blockchain for supply chain management noted
that using blockchain for procurement would support innovation, integration, quality and
safety in the supply chain.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Workshop February 2017

Standards Australia hosted a Blockchain Standards Workshop on Friday 17 February at
Standards Australia offices in Sydney.
Whilst participation at the workshop was open to the public, due to venue capacity
and management of workshop proceedings a limitation was placed on the number of
participants. More than 50 participants representing government, industry, academic
and consumer organisations brought their participation to the workshop (Appendix A
Workshop Participants on page 24).
A series of topics were presented at the workshop in order to provide participants with
insight into standards development processes, and forward thinking on the priorities for
blockchain standards

Explaining the Blockchain Standards Initiative & Survey Analysis

A presentation was delivered by Standards
Australia General Manager Stakeholder
Engagement, Mr Varant Meguerditchian on the
pathway toward Australia securing the roles
of Chair and Secretary for the International
Blockchain Standards Committee. The
presentation also highlighted the purpose for the
road mapping exercise and the steps that would
lead Australia to the first meeting of ISO/TC 307.
A brief presentation was also delivered on the key outcomes of the survey with
particular attention given to responses focusing on priority blockchain issues and use-
cases for Australia.

Blockchain Standards Development in Australia and Internationally

Chair of ISO/TC 307, Mr Craig Dunn provided
opening remarks and discussed the importance of
blockchain technologies in supporting the growth
of industries in Australia. He explained the critical
role of the Chair of ISO/TC 307 in achieving
consensus-based solutions to blockchain
standards-related matters.
Presenting in her capacity as Secretary for
ISO/TC 307, Standards Australia Program
Manager Jo-Ellen Courtney described the
functions of ISO/TC 307, the nature and format of
the international meeting and the possibilities for
engagement by Australia across all work streams
within TC 307.

13
 The potential and emerging implications to Australia from Distributed
LedgerTechnology
Mr Rob Hanson who is leading the strategic
foresight study on blockchain and DLT at
Data61 delivered a presentation on the potential
implications of the broad use of blockchain
technologies in Australia.
The presentation provided an indication of the
near term use cases for blockchain in Australia
including use in areas such as: Digital Currencies,
Trade Finance, Provenance, Smart Contracts and
Intellectual Property.
Mr Hanson also echoed results from the survey
that indicated the three key potential future growth industries for blockchain were
financial services, government services and supply chain management.
The presentation also provided foresight into the potential risks associated with the
technology and the risk-mitigating measures that may be undertaken.

Standards in Support of the Rollout of Blockchain Technologies

Chair of the British Standards Institute technical
committee for blockchain, MrGilbert Verdian
provided background on the use of the technology
in the UK and globally, as well as insight into the
considerations of British stakeholders in relation to
blockchainstandards.
The presentation focused on the priority
applications particularly highlighting the UKs
and Europes interest in the potential use of the
technology to support financial transactions.
The presentation described the valuable role of
standards in building market confidence by addressing blockchain issues relating to
governance, privacy, interoperability and authentication.
Mr Verdian indicated that standards would in no way replace regulation but rather
support it. He suggested that blockchain represented an opportunity for government by:
reduced the cost of operations; providing greater transparency of transactions between
government agencies and citizens; and enabling broader financial inclusion of people
currently on the fringes of the financial system.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Fintech Use Cases and the Role of Standards

Addressing the workshop as the representative
for Fintech Australia, Mr Nick Addison indicated
that the role for standards in the support of
blockchain technologies needed to be clearly
defined. Having researched existing ISO
standards for databases, cloud computing and
other technologies related to blockchain, Mr
Addison indicated that in addition to terminology
and interoperability, there was an opportunity for
ISO/TC 307 to develop reference architecture
standards for blockchain, which could provide
best practice guidance to developers and users.
Mr Addison emphasised the need to ensure that blockchain standards developed
specifically for use cases should align to relevant international standards that already
exist in that sector. He indicated that blockchain standards relating to financial services
could align with existing ISO standards developed by ISO/TC 68 Financial services. He
also suggested that supply-chain-related blockchain standards could align with ISO
Standards developed by ISO/TC 292 Security and resilience.

From Vision to Reality, Developing a Blockchain Platform

Mr Mike Ward, Product Lead for Corda at R3
delivered a presentation on the work undertaken
by R3 in the development of DLTs. He provided
examples of different DLTs, comparing
Ethereum, Bitcoin and the R3s Corda. He also
demonstrated an example of how Corda could be
used to enable financial transactions.
Mr Ward highlighted that while blockchain and
DLT are emerging technologies, it is likely that
over the course of the next several years we will
see progress in the use and application of the
technology. He suggested that over the course of that period, standards are likely to
play a role in shaping the future of the technology.

15
 Blockchain Standards-in-law
Mr Scott Farrell, a Senior Partner at King & Wood
Mallesons law firm and member of the Australian
Governments FinTech Advisory Group presented
on the relationship between blockchain standards
and the law. He emphasised that this would be
particularly important to understand with respect to
smart contracts.
Mr Farrell indicated that smart contracts only
represented in code are not equivalent to law. He
explained that there is the risk that the code in smart
contracts may not include all or some aspects which
are present in a legal contract and the surrounding legal framework. He suggested that
standards can provide guidance to developers and users of blockchain technologies, but
that these standards are not able to take priority over the law or act as a substitute.
Mr Farrell acknowledged that the law (and its accompanying regulations) could at times
benefit from reference to standards and can also direct industry to use relevant standards.

Breakout Sessions
Using the survey results and presentations as a platform for discussions during the
workshop, Standards Australia facilitated an open dialogue amongst stakeholders and
moderated breakout sessions on the priority areas for blockchain standards development.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

During breakout sessions participants separated into four groups and considered the
following four questions:

1. ISO/TC 307 is tasked with developing blockchain standards for interoperability,

privacy, data governance, security, identity, terminology, risk, smart contracts,
key personnel and others. How would you prioritise the topics and why?

Key outcomes from break out discussion One (1):

- Terminology and consistency in vocabulary were sighted as the most important
blockchain issue requiring immediate attention by ISO/TC 307.
- A blockchain terminology standard would provide the clarity necessary to support
the development of other blockchain standards.
- Matters relating to security, privacy and identity should be managed collectively in
standards development activities.
- Governance, risk, interoperability and smart contracts were also listed as priority
areas for blockchain standards development.

2. What use cases for blockchain technology should Australia be promoting

internationally as new work in ISO/TC 307, and what use-case-specific
standards are required for these sectors (e.g. mining, supply chain, fintech)?

Key outcomes from break out discussion Two (2):

- Privacy, security and identity issues are prevalent across most blockchain use cases.
- High priority sectors in which blockchain technologies could be applied to support
Australian industry include: financial services; agriculture supply chain; government
services.
- A standard specific to unitising stock or goods to support the application of
blockchain technologies in the supply chain may be required.
- A standard that provides guidance on the level of risk and required security for
different sectors may provide support to blockchain users across different sectors
noting specifically that some government services and financial services may require
a higher level of security.

17
 3. ISO/TC 307 brings together more than 30 countries. What are the key
challenges for Australia in driving the development of International Standards
for Blockchain and supporting the establishment of a framework to support the
technology?

Key outcomes from break out discussion Three (3):

- Creating an inclusive environment, allowing appropriate participation from relevant
leading economies and developing countries in the standards process will be important.
- Seeking the input of regulators in the process of standards development will assist
with broader acceptance of the standards published by ISO/TC 307.
- Ensuring that standards are technology neutral, and interoperability is possible, will
lead to greater usability of the standards.
- Collaborating with existing organisations already working on blockchain technologies
will lead to the development of contemporary and relevant standards for blockchain.

4. What are the outcomes that Australia should aim for in the development,
adoption and use of standards developed by ISO/TC 307? Consider aspects
such as development timelines as well as use and referencing of international
standards by regulators globally.

Key outcomes from break out discussion Four (4):

- Establish an inclusive process that would seek to ultimately develop blockchain
standards which will be widely used.
- Develop and publish a work program to inform all stakeholders about the work of
ISO/TC 307.
- Consider the timely development of a terminology standard in order to pave the way
for other blockchain standards.
- Set a schedule to develop standards to support blockchain interoperability and
create a competitive market.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

The Roadmap
The roadmap is an aggregation and summary of responses from the survey as well
as discussions and perspectives shared at the workshop. It provides a collective
Australian viewpoint on the matters of priority for ISO/TC 307 and the actions that can
be undertaken by that committee to develop blockchain standards in for the benefit of
Australian and international stakeholders.
It provides foresight for Australias leadership in the development of international
blockchain standards by ISO/TC 307.

Priority Issues
1. ISO/TC 307 should initially develop blockchain terminology standards as a means
to clarify definitions in the sector and set a platform for the development of other
related blockchain standards. The standards for terminology could by developed in
close coordination with the ISO/IEC committee JTC 1 SC 38 Cloud Computing and
distributed platforms.
2. Privacy, security and identity issues are commonly sighted as concerns for
most blockchain and DLT technologies. As such these issues can be addressed
collectively through the development of one or a suite of standards under
ISO/TC 307. These standards could be developed in association with ISO/IEC
committee JTC 1 SC 27 IT Security techniques.
3. Governance and risk-related issues should also be addressed by ISO/TC 307 after
the foundational standards for blockchain and DLT terminology. These standards
could be developed with reference to existing ISO and ISO/IEC documents including
ISO 31000 Risk management principles and guidelines, and ISO/IEC 38500
Governance of IT for the organization.
4. The development of standards for terminology, privacy, security, identity, risk,
governance and other key issues relating to standards paves the way for the later
development of a reference architecture standard for blockchain under ISO/TC 307.
A reference architecture standard would provide stakeholders with a framework for
developing and using blockchain and DLT. This should be considered as part of a
future work program by ISO/TC 307.
5. Establishing interoperability amongst blockchain systems should be an overarching
objective of ISO/TC 307. Standards for interoperability are more likely to be
achieved after more fundamental matters are addressed such as the development
of a consistent terminology and appropriate measures for managing privacy,
security and identity.

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 Priority Use Cases
1. ISO/TC 307 should give close consideration to key industry applications for
blockchain technologies including in the financial services sector, the government
services sector and with regard to supply chain management.
2. Within the financial services sector, there is potential for use of blockchain
technologies to support:
Digital Currencies
Trade Finance
Remittances
Commodity Exchange
Other transactions
ISO/TC 307 should give due consideration to the security and privacy expectations
specifically for such application of the technology. The development of tiered
security standards for blockchain could provide guidance to blockchain
developers and users on the security expectations for blockchain-enabled financial
transactions. ISO/TC 307 could work closely with existing ISO committees to
support the financial services sector, including ISO/TC 68 Financial services.
3. ISO/TC 307 could support the improvement of supply chain management and
provenance through the development of a standard for unitising stock or goods to
support the application of blockchain technologies. Work on this standard could
support the agricultural supply chain and other sector where the commodity unit
changes nature through the course of the supply chain. This standard could be
developed with reference to ISO 28000 Specification for security management
systems for the supply chain developed by ISO/TC 292 Security & resilience.

Standards and Law

1. ISO/TC 307 should work closely with ISO member National Standards Bodies to
ensure the relevant participation of regulators from all interested economies in the
process of standards development. This would enable congruity of standards and
the law.
2. ISO/TC 307 should exclude matters pertaining to the law in the development of
standards for smart contracts, privacy, security and identity.
3. ISO/TC 307 should develop standards that support users and developers of
blockchain and DLTs by providing guidance on technical matters only. The
standards should be robust enough to provide guidance to stakeholders and
potentially be referenced by regulators in policy and regulation. Standards
particularly for smart contracts may have a role in ensuring that a blockchain
application is compatible with the law.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

Structure of ISO/TC 307

1. The establishment of working groups and sub-committees by ISO/TC 307 could
better allow for technical experts to focus on their relevant work streams. In this
regard, ISO/TC 307 should closely consider initially establishing working groups to
manage work streams covering issues and use-cases under the following topics:
Terminology
Governance and risk
Privacy, security and identity
Smart contracts
Financial transactions
Supply chain management
2. Liaisons with ISO/TC 68, Financial services; ISO/TC 292, Security and resilience;
and JTC 1 Information Technology (SC 40 IT, Service Management and IT
Governance; SC 38, Cloud Computing and distributed platforms; and SC 27,
IT Security techniques) should be established initially in order to encourage
collaboration with committees and experts relevant to blockchain who are already
engaging with ISO processes. ISO/TC 307 may also consider establishing liaison
relationships with other relevant ISO technical committees, standards bodies,
consortia or organisations engaging in activities that could contribute to the
development of blockchain standards.
3. ISO/TC 307 may reference and use existing standards in the development of
blockchain standards, particularly but not limited to standards for privacy, security,
risk, and governance. ISO/TC 307 may also reference standards in support of
blockchain use-cases for financial transactions, supply chain management and
others.

21
 Conclusion
The Roadmap for Blockchain Standards was developed through a collaborative and
inclusive process involving the participation and contributions of key stakeholders
representing government, industry, research and consumer organisations.
The stakeholders collectively assessed the priority standards-related matters for
blockchain and the use-cases that Australia should be promoting internationally
through ISO/TC 307.
This Roadmap supports the development of a collective Australian viewpoint on
matters relevant to the development of International Blockchain Standards through
ISO/TC 307. It provides a platform for discussions at the first international meeting.
The Roadmap will enable ISO/TC 307 under Australian leadership to pursue outcomes
that will ultimately establish confidence in blockchain technologies and broader use
and application of the technology globally.
In its capacity as Chair and holder of the ISO/TC 307 Secretariat, Australia must
also give due consideration to all participating member nations of ISO/TC 307. The
success of ISO/TC 307 is contingent upon the alignment between the objectives set
out by Australian stakeholders as part of this Australian Roadmap and the objectives
of all other participating members of ISO/TC 307.

Forward Planning
Standards Australia will be working with Australian and international stakeholders over
the coming years in its capacity as the Secretariat for ISO/TC 307 to shape the future
of international blockchain standards. Standards Australias close collaboration with
stakeholders and the standards development activities undertaken by ISO/TC 307 will
be informed by the Roadmap for Blockchain Standards and the recommendations
contained in this report.
Standards Australia recognises that stakeholders may ultimately not seek to develop
international blockchain standards exactly in accordance with this Roadmap.

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 Roadmap for Blockchain Standards Report March 2017

More Information
Varant Meguerditchian
General Manager Stakeholder Engagement
Standards Australia
T: +61 2 9237 6119
E: [email protected]
Mr Varant Meguerditchian is General Manager Stakeholder Engagement at Standards
Australia. In this role he is responsible for engagement with legislators, Commonwealth
and jurisdictional government departments as well as industry, business and professional
organisations to address various issues of Australian public interest. He is also
responsible for Australias international engagement with the ISO and IEC.
After joining Standards Australia in 2012, Mr Meguerditchian held roles in the
stakeholder engagement and public affairs teams, working to influence and shape key
policies across a number of sectors including: information technology; communications;
energy; e-health; and business.
Mr Meguerditchian previously served on the Board of ANC Australia as President and
Executive Director. He additionally has several years experience in the banking industry.
Mr Meguerditchian holds a Master of Management from Macquarie University and a
Master of International Relations from Griffith University. He has served as an Infantryman
in the Australian Army Reserve. Mr Meguerditchian is currently based in Sydney.

About Standards Australia

Founded in 1922, Standards Australia is an independent, not-for-profit organisation,
recognised by the Commonwealth Government as the peak non-government Standards
development body in Australia. It is charged by the Commonwealth Government to
meet Australias need for contemporary, internationally-aligned Standards and related
services. The work of Standards Australia enhances the nations economic efficiency,
international competitiveness and contributes to community demand for a safe and
sustainable environment.
www.standards.org.au

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 Appendix A Workshop Participants
ACORD
Alcheme Pty Ltd
ANZ
Australian Payments Clearing Association
ASIC
AUSTRAC
Austrade
Australian Taxation Office
Blockchain Professionals Meetup
Brave New Coin
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Consumers Federation of Australia
Data 61 (CSIRO)
DFAT
Digital Risk Innovation
Equity Post Trade Services
exSell Group
Full Profile
Fuzo Limited
Gemalto
Good Security Pty Ltd
Griffith University
GS1 Australia
IBM
Icebloq
ING Direct
IP Australia
IQPC
King and Wood Mallesons
Lockstep Consulting
Lone Alarm
Microsoft
NSW Data Analytics Centre
Oban Enterprise Solutions
Optus-Macquarie Cybersecurity Hub
PwC
R3
Remitt
Reserve Bank of Australia
Stone & Chalk
UL Transaction Security
University of Technology Sydney

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