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Entrepreneurial incentives and the role of initial coin offerings

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  • Garratt, Rodney J.
  • van Oordt, Maarten R.C.

Abstract

This paper examines whether initial coin offerings (ICOs) are a beneficial form of financing with desirable economic properties. We do so by examining how financing a start-up via an ICO changes the incentives of an entrepreneur to exert effort to reduce cost. An ICO can result in a better or worse alignment of the interests of the entrepreneur and the investors compared with debt and venture capital financing. Notably, an ICO can be the only form of financing that induces optimal effort, and there are projects that should not take place unless they can be financed through an ICO.

Suggested Citation

  • Garratt, Rodney J. & van Oordt, Maarten R.C., 2022. "Entrepreneurial incentives and the role of initial coin offerings," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:142:y:2022:i:c:s0165188921001068
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2021.104171
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Cong, Lin William & Li, Ye & Wang, Neng, 2022. "Token-based platform finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(3), pages 972-991.
    2. Anton Miglo, 2022. "Choice between IEO and ICO: Speed vs. Liquidity vs. Risk," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Rodney Garratt & Maarten RC van Oordt, 2024. "Crypto Exchange Tokens," BIS Working Papers 1201, Bank for International Settlements.
    4. Anton Miglo, 2021. "STO vs. ICO: A Theory of Token Issues under Moral Hazard and Demand Uncertainty," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-35, May.
    5. Ye Li & Simon Mayer & Simon Mayer, 2021. "Money Creation in Decentralized Finance: A Dynamic Model of Stablecoin and Crypto Shadow Banking," CESifo Working Paper Series 9260, CESifo.
    6. Kirill Shakhnov & Luana Zaccaria, 2022. "(R)evolution in Entrepreneurial Finance? The Relationship between Cryptocurrency and Venture Capital Markets," EIEF Working Papers Series 2202, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF), revised Jan 2022.
    7. Richard Holden & Anup Malani, 2019. "The ICO Paradox: Transactions Costs, Token Velocity, and Token Value," NBER Working Papers 26265, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Lin William Cong & Yizhou Xiao, 2021. "Categories and Functions of Crypto-Tokens," Springer Books, in: Maurizio Pompella & Roman Matousek (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of FinTech and Blockchain, edition 1, chapter 0, pages 267-284, Springer.
    9. Anton Miglo, 2022. "Theories of Crowdfunding and Token Issues: A Review," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-28, May.
    10. Jiri Chod & Nikolaos Trichakis & S. Alex Yang, 2022. "Platform Tokenization: Financing, Governance, and Moral Hazard," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6411-6433, September.
    11. Anton Miglo, 2023. "ICO vs. Equity Financing under Imperfect, Complex and Asymmetric Information," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-23, December.
    12. Maarten R.C. van Oordt, 2024. "On Bubbles in Cryptocurrency Prices," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 24-050/IV, Tinbergen Institute.
    13. David Cimon, 2023. "Crowdfunding and Risk," Staff Working Papers 23-28, Bank of Canada.
    14. Chiu, Jonathan & Wong, Tsz-Nga, 2022. "Payments on digital platforms: Resiliency, interoperability and welfare," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    15. Routledge, Bryan & Zetlin-Jones, Ariel, 2022. "Currency stability using blockchain technology," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    16. Chitsazan, Hasti & Bagheri, Afsaneh & Tajeddin, Mahdi, 2022. "Initial coin offerings (ICOs) success: Conceptualization, theories and systematic analysis of empirical studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    17. Andrea Canidio & Vincent Danos & Stefania Marcassa & Julien Prat, 2021. "Tokens and ICOs: A Review of the Economic Literature," Post-Print hal-03678409, HAL.
    18. Farag, Hisham & Johan, Sofia, 2021. "How alternative finance informs central themes in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Valuation; Venture capital; Corporate finance; Initial coin offerings; Cryptocurrencies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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