BGIN Study Report: Taxonomy of Harms in Blockchain, Finance, and Identity

Working Group(s)
1

[IKP+FASE] New Work Item: Taxonomy of Harms & Threat Intelligence System

Following discussions at Block #13, IKP and FASE are jointly proposing a new work item to address a critical gap in blockchain governance: the lack of common language and infrastructure for identifying and coordinating on harmful activities.

The Problem

The blockchain ecosystem can’t effectively coordinate on harms because:

  • Everyone uses different terminology (regulator’s “market manipulation” = developer’s “MEV extraction” = community’s “governance attack”)

  • No clear standards distinguishing analytics from forensics from threat intelligence

  • Regulators lack technical understanding of how harms manifest in decentralized systems

  • No neutral infrastructure for privacy-preserving threat intelligence sharing

What We’re Building

Primary: BGIN Study Report

Comprehensive taxonomy of harms across financial, identity, technical, social, and governance dimensions, with:

  • Standardized classification frameworks

  • Verification standards (analytics vs forensics vs intelligence)

  • Regulatory education resources

  • Implementation guides for all stakeholders

Secondary: BGIN Threat Intelligence Sharing System

Operational infrastructure hosted by BGIN for ecosystem-wide coordination:

  • Neutral database for harm indicators (STIX/TAXII compatible)

  • Privacy-preserving contribution and query mechanisms

  • Integration with existing ISACs and security databases

  • Multi-stakeholder governance

Why BGIN?

BGIN is uniquely positioned as a neutral convener with:

  • Trust across competitors, regulators, and civil society

  • Technical credibility and global reach

  • Proven track record hosting multi-stakeholder initiatives

  • Ability to operate critical infrastructure as public good

Building On

  • IKP’s forensics vs analytics research (Bitcoin Fog case analysis)

  • FASE’s financial/social economies framework (incentive structures)

  • Cybersecurity WG’s security database work (complementary integration)

  • Existing threat intelligence standards (MITRE, STIX/TAXII, FS-ISAC)

Timeline

Iterative development over 12-18 months:

  • Initial frameworks: 6 months

  • Infrastructure pilot: 9 months

  • Full launch: 12-18 months

Call for Contributions

We need input from:

  • Analytics/forensics companies

  • Regulators and law enforcement

  • ISAC organizations

  • Protocol developers

  • Civil society advocates

  • Academic researchers

  • Infrastructure specialists

Interested in contributing? Drop a comment below or reach out directly.

Editors: Mitchell Travers (IKP Lead), Chloe White (FASE Lead)
Full proposal: BGIN Taxonomy of Harmful Activities Working Study Charter - Google Docs

This positions BGIN not just as a research body, but as infrastructure provider operating critical neutral systems for ecosystem health.

Thoughts? Questions? :backhand_index_pointing_down: