Kleros

I am currently putting the final touches on "Modernizing ICC Arbitration Rules Through Blockchain & Decentralized Mechanisms", a research report for the ICC France working group on cryptoasset arbitration. In this article, co-authored with Niels Aujouannet-Kelner, we address the inherent challenges of dispute resolution in a commercial and financial world increasingly defined by real-time borderless transactions, pseudonymous counterparties, and autonomous AI agents. The paper offers a diagnosis of this shifting landscape and proposes ideas for a new arbitration framework bridging the gap between traditional legal institutions and the digital age. I am honored to contribute to this conversation and help architect the next generation of dispute resolution! ⚖️🌐

Starting a new day at Paris Arbitration Week! I'm at the AI for Justice Symposium organized by Jus Mundi Excited to see all the progress AI is bringing to the world of arbitration, a topic we have researched closely at Kleros for a long time!

Kleros was recently discussed in the British Parliament in the context of stablecoins legislation. 🇬🇧 The testimony was submitted by Arthur Wilmarth to the UK House of Lords' Financial Services Regulation Committee. https://lnkd.in/dcp_Wbgk It presents a critical view of Kleros, arguing that offers "much less protection to consumers compared to the rights and remedies under EFTA, TILA, and other federal consumer financial laws." The objection specifically cites the use of anonymous jurors, unverified expertise, and potential conflicts of interest. It is worth noting that these objections primarily apply to the early version of the protocol launched in 2019, now known as Kleros 1.0. When that version was released, blockchain mechanisms and tooling were in their infancy. There were no robust onchain identity systems (meaning no way to ensure an individual didn’t control multiple addresses) and no way to verify expertise to ensure jurors possessed the required skills. Instead, Kleros 1.0 relied on token staking to (partially) solve these issues by creating economic incentives for honest behavior. Since then, however, there have been significant developments in tools for blockchain mechanism design: • Proof-of-personhood protocols (such as @proofofhumanity) ensure that one address is controlled by one unique person. • Soulbound tokens (SBTs), a new type of non-transferable cryptoasset, can now represent specific skills, community belonging, or reputation. These tools have created a far more flexible design space for dispute resolution, allowing to accommodate a wide range of regulatory and ethical requirements. Kleros 2.0 introduces the concept of "Dispute Kits" which can integrate specific requirements into the decision-making process. With these tools, one could create a court specialized in resolving UK stablecoin disputes with highly granular logic. For example: • Only verified UK residents with expertise in cryptoasset law are eligible. • Each juror will be limited to a single vote. And much more! In the future, we plan to add a specialized "Juror Misbehavior Court" designed to detect and penalize jurors who have problematic and undisclosed conflicts of interest with the parties involved. As I often say, Kleros 1.0 was built with the limited tools available at the time. It worked, but for a narrower range of cases. It was the "Model T" of decentralized justice. Kleros 2.0 is not only significantly cheaper but also infinitely more flexible. It can address a vast variety of cases while remaining secure and responsive to the regulatory and ethical needs of different communities. It is the “Tesla” of decentralized justice. While traditional token staking remains a core feature and will continue to be relevant for many use cases, we will now also rely on our new dispute kits to handle more specialized requirements. Now Kleros is ready for mass adoption! 🚀

Kleros is in the house for the Paris Arbitration Week! 🇫🇷⚖️ As pioneers of the decentralized justice movement, we are thrilled to participate in this landmark event where traditional legal frameworks are meeting the cutting-edge of dispute resolution. For years, Paris has been a global standard for arbitration. Today, it stands as a bridge between that rich tradition and the future of a legal industry powered by new technologies. In the context of #PAW2026, I’ll be speaking in a panel on Friday reviewing the progress of the ICC France – RAID Square working group. This initiative aims to encourage the use of arbitration in the cryptoasset sector, foster a better understanding of blockchain-related legal and technological issues among practitioners, and identify the evolution of frameworks needed to address crypto-related disputes. We look forward to welcoming members of the PAW community in Paris for an engaging discussion at d&a partners office. 📅 Date: March 27th, 2026 🕙 Time: 10:30 to 12:30 🍸Cocktail: 12:30 Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gvb5CagT 📥 Send me a message if you are in Paris this week and want to meet up!

On Friday 27, I will participate as a speaker at the Arbitration for Crypto-Assets event, organized by ICC France during the Paris Arbitration Week. 🇫🇷 The morning will open with a welcome from Clément Fouchard, President of the ICC France Arbitration Commission, followed by a presentation of the working group's initial findings by Mathias Audit. We will then hold two specialized panels: • Panel 1: Challenges of Arbitral Proceedings Involving Cryptoassets Featuring Margaux Frisque, Christophe Dugué, Alix M. and Gaspard Fiévet. They will discuss jurisdiction, evidence, procedural security, and the technical realities that arbitrators and counsel must master in the crypto ecosystem. • Panel 2: Challenges in the Enforcement of Arbitral Awards I will discuss with Sébastien MARTIN the practicalities of the enforcement of awards when the counterparty is a smart contract, an anonymous wallet, or a decentralized protocol, and evaluate what the current legal framework can (and cannot) achieve. When: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM (followed by a cocktail) Where: d&a partners offices Just a few spots left. Sign up here! https://lnkd.in/gvb5CagT