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In light of the financial crisis in 2008, Bitcoin came into existence and gained a lot of prominences gradually. While the mainstream viability of cryptocurrency is still speculative, Blockchain has emerged to be one of the prime technologies and is expected to do big things, solve problems and open a plethora of opportunities across industries. As people realize its wide applications day by day, Blockchain continues to grow in popularity.
Looking at the year 2018/2019, here are some key observations on how Blockchain fared and what it is expected to change for organizations.
1. Traditional Companies Looking into Blockchain Technology
We see more and more companies using this cutting-edge technology or are in the process of implementing it given its myriad applications. Organizations are now building capabilities that are needed to push blockchain into mainstream adoption. Industries that are seeing increased adoption of Blockchain are Banking, Financial services, insurance, supply chain management, healthcare, e-commerce, gaming, and academics.
Cost reduction and process simplification are strategic values that blockchain brings to the table. We’ve seen the adoption of blockchain in payments, remittances, provenance, and traceability in the early days which is consistent with the expected returns. While there are applications of blockchain that promise to deliver topline advantage to firms, in 2018 and 2019 leaders are expected to continue the adoption of cases with clear bottom-line benefits.
2. Real-World Use Cases of Blockchain Technology Beyond Financial Transactions
We are also now seeing some real use cases or proof of concepts being rolled out in other industries. To name a few topline benefits, Blockchain helps prevent perjury in supply chain management as it allows the record of transactions to be maintained in the form of an immutable ledger.
Healthcare is seeing rising traction of blockchain adoption as it enables creating records of patients’ treatments and provides doctors with relevant information by bringing the entire information online in a much-secured manner.
Blockchain has found inroads in talent management as well. Just to cite an example, SP Jain School of Global Management, India’s top ten business school has issued 1,189 blockchain-based certificates to graduates who recently obtained degrees and professional certifications. The certificates which are now live on the Ethereum blockchain will allow prospective employers and other parties to verify the authenticity of a job seeker’s educational qualifications without having to contact the business school.
Blockchain enables secured transactions as it is encrypted and hence it is a great alternative in areas such as identity management. With its array of benefits, it is safe to say that it will be instrumental in trade, fraud detection, policy management in insurance, Government and public sector as well as food safety and provenance in agriculture.
3. Innovative Startups will Disrupt the Industry with Blockchain Tech
Fast-growing startups have found themselves in the position to be able to disrupt other businesses in their sector. They are headed by executives who are experienced and well-connected in their industries. These are the businesses that are often able to apply blockchain technologies in ways that are truly a part of their business model, as opposed to supplementing it.
The emerging disruptors, on the other hand, have business models inspired by blockchain. They are experimenting and building without the constraints of legacy business processes. They focus energy on what is possible and then deal with any challenges as they arise.
4. Government Bodies Have Started Implementing Blockchain
Every technological innovation has to be backed by the Government in some form or another and Blockchain is no exception! In order to bring blockchain to a wider audience, it has to be legalized by the Government, more so because its potential applicants such as banking, insurance, pharma etc. operate within the boundaries of the current regulatory norms.
A number of initiatives have been taken across jurisdictions both at federal and state/provincial levels to implement blockchain to improvise on services and transform inter-governmental and citizen transactions. Areas like titles transfer and identification have gained maximum traction for blockchain in the Government sector.
In geographies like Switzerland, Thailand, Canada, the government has successfully deployed blockchain to improvise processes.
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