Blockchain and shareholder voting rights: Corporate governance challenges and regulatory responses

This paper discusses the criminal law regulation protecting blockchain-powered e-voting as an essential means of corporate governance, paying specific attention to shareholders’ involvement. Using qualitative comparative research methods, this study examines the legal regulations of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as relevant international documents, such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. E-voting became increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its contribution to improved transparency, effectiveness, and accessibility in general meetings. Blockchain ensures greater security, integrity, and authentication, but it is not risk-free; it poses criminal threats to voting, including voter coercion, unauthorized access, data manipulation, and breaches of confidentiality. This paper evaluates the current state of the law addressing these new types of cyber risks and threats in corporate governance. Finally, it differentiates between common corporate crimes and blockchain-related crimes.