The Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (WSBA), a non-profit advocacy group for blockchain technology, has set up a new working group that will focus on native assets riding upon public blockchains, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Zcash, and more.

Blockchain assets provide the global population access to decentralized digital resources. Riding upon blockchain protocols, these resources can include digital currencies, commodities like compute power and digital storage, and more novel forms of value, like prediction markets or attention economies. The blockchain asset markets can be utilized by traders and investors for augmenting their existing strategies and portfolios.

The Blockchain Assets Working Group will explore a number of facets of this emerging asset class, including underlying technologies, development teams, economics, and market behavior.

Chris Burniske, ARK Investment Management’s Blockchain Products Lead, has been appointed as the chair of the group.

“Chris Burniske has been a member of the WSBA almost since inception and is no stranger to providing thought leadership to our members as well as the wider marketplace. We look forward to our global membership benefiting from his expertise and leadership in this increasingly important aspect of blockchain platforms”, Ron Quaranta, Chairman of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, said.

Burniske first joined ARK Investment Management as a Next Generation Internet analyst in 2014, covering big data, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and cryptocurrency. After ARK became the first public fund manager to invest in bitcoin, he transitioned to Blockchain Products Lead. He now collaborates with the ARK business development team and performs deep dive research on the blockchain space.  In this respect, Chris regularly speaks at conferences and has been featured on CNBC and Bloomberg, as well as in Forbes, USA Today and the Guardian, among other media outlets.

“Instead of focusing on how blockchain technology can be employed within existing financial architectures, this working group will return to the genesis of the blockchain movement that saw the need for native assets to keep decentralized and open systems in economic balance. The working group will emphasize that the assets are just as important as the technology, providing participants the environment they need to stay on top of the latest developments in public blockchain networks”, Burniske added.

The first Blockchain Assets Roundtable is scheduled for February 23rd and the agenda will be announced shortly, according to the official release. The roundtable is open to WSBA members and select guests, with members receiving a substantial discount.