I am are very happy to have taken part in the 12th Financial Cryptography and Data Security Conference (FC 2008). Due to the recent growth in the number of security and cryptography venues, the competition for high-quality submissions has been on the rise. Despite that, the continued success of FC is attested by the research community’s enthusiastic support reflected in the number and the quality of submitted research papers.

FC 2008 received a total of 86 submissions. They were reviewed by a highly competent Program Committee and a set of qualified external reviewers. Each submission was reviewed by at least three reviewers. Following a rigorous selection, ranking and discussion process, 26 submissions were accepted, corresponding to 16 full and 9 short papers. In addition, the conference included two invited talks, two panels, a poster session and a rump session. All these components resulted in a very eclectic, engaging and interesting program.

A number of people contributed a great deal to FC 2008. First and foremost, I would like to thank the authors of all submissions. They are the key factor in making the conference successful and their confidence and support are hightly appreciated. I am also grateful to the dedicated, knowledgeable and hard-working Program Committee members who – despite tight deadlines and a less-thanperfect reviewing system – delivered excellent reviews on time and took part in lengthy deliberations. Their selfless dedication and community service spirit are highly appreciated! I am very much indebted to Radu Sion (General Chair), who oversaw a myriad of organizational aspects and made the conference run very smoothly (with valuable assistance by Peter Williams). A special word of thanks goes to Paul van Oorschot and Moti Yung for delivering two excellent invited talks, to Mary Ellen Zurko and Yvo Desmedt – for organizing two very exciting panels – and to Bogdan Carbunar for putting together a successful poster session. Last but not least, I thank Ray Hirschfeld and the IFCA directors for their guidance during the conference planning stages.