Smart contracts are receiving significant commercial attention — and for good reason. They have the potential to transform businesses and deliver significant cost savings by automating and streamlining processes. Smart contracts are software that has the ability to perform aspects of a contract autonomously. Depending on a range of factors, they may sometimes amount to binding contracts in the legal sense or otherwise affect legal relations between parties. When used in combination with block chains or distributed ledgers, smart contracts have the ability to move value or information between parties without the need for human intervention. This session will discuss what smart contracts are, their potential impact, and the legal, regulatory and consumer protection issues relating to their use.