We stand on the cusp of a digital revolution, with Web3 technologies gaining momentum and proving pivotal in shaping the future of finance, art, governance, and social interactions. This comprehensive guide is designed to navigate the intricate world of Web3. Organized in four parts, it offers insightful analysis and explanations on blockchain technology, decentralized finance (DeFi), and the burgeoning realm of the metaverse, providing readers with a holistic understanding of their current state and future potential.

Part 1 lays the groundwork by exploring the origins and fundamentals of blockchain technology. From the inception of blockchain and its mechanisms such as hash functions, encryption, and consensus algorithms, to a deep dive into Bitcoin, this section elucidates its operational mechanisms and reflects on its profound impact and the challenges it faces. Part 2 shifts focus to Ethereum and smart contracts, dissecting how Ethereum has expanded blockchain capabilities beyond mere currency. This part covers the details of smart contracts, their applications, the ERC standards that have fostered a plethora of tokens and applications, and Layer 2 solutions essential for scalability. Part 3 delves into DeFi and its applications, elucidating how traditional financial services are being revolutionized. It explores core concepts, mainstream protocols, and unpacks the inherent risks and challenges of DeFi, as well as examining tokenized real-world assets and NFTs, showing how blockchain bridges the digital and physical worlds. Part 4 explores the Web3 ecosystem, focusing on the metaverse and decentralized exchanges. You’ll learn about the metaverse’s potential to create parallel digital worlds, the mechanics of decentralized exchanges, and understand strategies crucial for investment and growth in this space.

Whether you are a tech enthusiast, investor, entrepreneur, or simply curious about the future of the internet, The Web3 Revolution provides the essential knowledge to navigate, understand, and prepare for the decentralized future.

Dr. Hui Gong is a lecturer deeply immersed in the dynamic realms of fintech, blockchain technologies, and the innovative applications of generative AI in finance. His academic journey, crowned by a Ph.D. from University College London, has been a vibrant exploration of cryptocurrencies, Web3, the metaverse, and the transformative potential they hold. He has been privileged to engage with top-tier financial institutions like Credit Suisse and Citigroup, bringing artificial intelligence into the heart of quantitative finance.

In his role as the founder of the China UK Blockchain Association and a former Special Advisor on Fintech and Blockchain for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blockchain, he’s actively contributed to the Sino-British dialogue in this sector. His time at UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies (CBT) and Westminster Business School has further enabled him to delve into the intricacies of blockchain, resulting in publications on ICOs, CBDCs, and more. Dr. Gong is now channelling this wealth of experience and knowledge into writing this book, aiming to demystify blockchain, DeFi, and the metaverse for a broader audience at a pivotal moment in technological history.