How Can Blockchain Be Used in the Real World?
In reality, blockchain technology could be used in practically every industry or sector. By replacing centralized servers with that of a decentralized blockchain, individuals, companies and even governments could benefit from all of the advantages that the blockchain offers, such as security, transparency, and speed!
I am afraid I can’t go through every single industry that the blockchain could be used for, so I will list five of my favorites!
Cross-Border Payments
The cross-border payments industry is a multi-trillion dollar business, with banks needing to send international payments on a daily basis. The majority of this is handled by a third party called SWIFT, who are based in Belgium. SWIFT were set up in the early 1970s to make international payments easier, however the system is slow, expensive and inefficient.
This is because banks are not able to transact with each other directly. Instead, they have to use SWIFT and in some cases, additional correspondent banks. However, by using blockchain technology, banks would be able to do business on a peer-to-peer basis.
This means that there is no third-party intermediary sitting in between the two organizations. Transactions would no longer take days, nor would they cost lots of money! The Ripple blockchain was designed exactly for this purpose and they already have more than 100 different banks testing out their protocol!
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Elections
How many times do we hear about election fraud? Whether it is the centralized network of the U.S. election being hacked (allegedly!) or governments who threaten their citizens with violence if they don’t vote for them? Unfortunately, this happens all the time, but blockchain technology could solve the problem!
Firstly, as every single transaction that has ever occurred is available to view on the public ledger, it would be impossible for a political party to change or remove votes. Remember, the blockchain is not only for financial transactions, as it can process anything that is considered data!
The blockchain would also be perfect for elections as transactions are pseudonymous, meaning that nobody would know the real-world identity of the voter. Instead, a citizen’s identity could be linked to a private key that only the individual user has access to. This would ensure that the citizen can only vote once!
Supply Chain
A supply chain is how goods move from their point of origin to their final destination. An example of this is an orange juice drink. The supply chain starts at the location where the orange was grown, it might travel to a factory to be turned into juice, then it might travel to the warehouse, and finally, to the supermarket.
At the moment, it is very difficult to trace each individual stage of the journey, as each part of the supply chain uses its own centralized systems. However, by using blockchain technology, the entire supply chain process could be available for all to see.
This would be a lot more efficient, transparent and secure than using centralized servers, as everything could be put on to the same network. Furthermore, the network would never go down and it is fraudproof!
Gambling
The online gambling industry is worth billions of dollars each and every year. Traditional casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and slot machines are all available to play in the comfort of your own home, which is really convenient for the player.
However, as online casinos normally keep their gameplay data behind closed doors on their centralized server, there is never any guarantee that the casino is truly playing fair.
By using blockchain technology, gaming outcomes can be independently verified on the public ledger, meaning that the system and data would be completely transparent. This could also be used for national lotteries, too!
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Insurance
The insurance industry covers practically everything on Planet Earth. Whether it’s your home, car, pet, health, holiday or phone — if it has value, it can be insured!
The problem is that the industry is dominated by third-party intermediaries, which means that taking out a policy is expensive and when it comes to making a claim, it’s a very slow process. However, the blockchain protocol would allow somebody to get insured without needing a third party.
For example, if somebody wanted to ensure their flight, as soon as the plane actually takes off, the outcome could be settled automatically. Either the plane takes off on time and you lose your insurance payment, or the plane is late and you receive a payout!
This could all be done in a transparent, fast and secure eco-system, such as the blockchain!
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What is Blockchain? - Conclusion
That’s the end of my “What is Blockchain” guide! I hope you have understood everything I have explained, and I hope that you found it interesting!
I know the concept sounds really complex at first, but I am hoping that the real-world examples I have made things simple for you!
So, if you read my blockchain tutorial from start to finish, you should now know what the blockchain is and how it works. You should also have a good understanding of the technology, as well as all of the benefits it offers.
What is your favorite thing about the blockchain? I think it’s amazing how nobody controls it and that instead, control is distributed across the online community!
I have also spoken about five key industries that would benefit from blockchain technology. Do you agree with me, or can you think of some better ones? Whatever your opinion is, let me know in the comments section below! I just hope you aren’t still wondering what is blockchain!
Value (8/21/18)