Crypto found in more and more areas of application
8/15/2022, 04:37 AM
Blockchain technology underpins crypto and has been hailed as a world-changing innovation, but does it have any use beyond creating speculative financial instruments?
Stephen Diehl, author of recently published "Popping the Crypto Bubble", doesn't think so. He believes that the claims made for blockchain technology are mostly overblown.
Diehl also points out that blockchain is not nearly as decentralized as it is often claimed to be. In most major cryptocurrencies, the majority of mining power is concentrated in just a few hands. And even in so-called decentralized systems like Bitcoin, a small number of entities control the vast majority of the currency.
Crypto for fair voting
As tension and confusion engulfed the United States after the 2020 election, Changpeng Zhao, billionaire founder of crypto firm Binance, had a suggestion. A "blockchain-based mobile voting app", he tweeted, would mean "we won't have to wait for results, or have any questions on its validity". Fellow crypto billionaire Vitalik Buterin replied that there were "significant challenges" but he thought it was "directionally 100 percent correct". So far, experiments have been very small scale.
There is no question that the 2020 election was fraught with tension and confusion. Many are looking for answers and hoping that technology can provide some solutions. Changpeng Zhao's suggestion of a blockchain-based mobile voting app is one idea that has been floated.
However, experts like Diehl believe that this could actually introduce more problems than it would solve. Diehl points out that the American voting system is decentralized, with each district running its own program. This decentralization makes it more difficult to corrupt the system. If the system were centralized on a blockchain, it would be much easier to corrupt democracy.
So far, experiments with blockchain-based voting have been small scale. It remains to be seen if this technology can provide a secure and reliable way to vote.
Payments without banks
Another area where the blockchain has been proposed as a solution is in the area of payments without banks. The idea is that by using the blockchain, payments can be made directly from one party to another without the need for a financial institution. However, Diehl has pointed out that cryptoassets are not suitable for payments because they are speculative instruments. He points out that it is not possible to pay for a cup of coffee with Apple stock. Therefore, the blockchain is not a viable solution for payments.
The implementation of blockchain technology in the supply chain has been proposed as a way to increase transparency and security. However, some experts have questioned whether blockchain is actually necessary for these purposes.
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Supply Chain managment without banks
Digital supply chain management has been in use for many years, and it is perfectly adequate for most purposes. However, some companies believe that blockchain technology can provide an extra level of security and transparency.
Blockchain is a distributed database that allows for secure, transparent and tamper-proof transactions. This makes it ideal for tracking the movement of goods through the supply chain.
Carrefour, a French retailer, has announced that it will be using blockchain to track the provenance of its products. shoppers will be able to scan a QR code to see where the product came from and how it has been handled.
Walmart is also testing a blockchain system for tracking the movement of goods through its supply chain. The hope is that blockchain will provide a higher level of security and transparency.
However, not everyone is convinced that blockchain is necessary for these purposes. Diehl, an expert on digital supply chain management, points out that blockchain is not adding any incorruptability to the system. He argues that people in the supply chain could tell lies on the blockchain as easily as on any other platform.
It remains to be seen whether blockchain will live up to its hype in the supply chain. However, it is clear that companies are increasingly interested in using this technology to increase transparency and security.
- fair voting
- automatic payment of goods and services
- certified payments out of the box
Diehl also points out that blockchain is not nearly as decentralized as it is often claimed to be. In most major cryptocurrencies, the majority of mining power is concentrated in just a few hands. And even in so-called decentralized systems like Bitcoin, a small number of entities control the vast majority of the currency.
Crypto for fair voting
As tension and confusion engulfed the United States after the 2020 election, Changpeng Zhao, billionaire founder of crypto firm Binance, had a suggestion. A "blockchain-based mobile voting app", he tweeted, would mean "we won't have to wait for results, or have any questions on its validity". Fellow crypto billionaire Vitalik Buterin replied that there were "significant challenges" but he thought it was "directionally 100 percent correct". So far, experiments have been very small scale.
There is no question that the 2020 election was fraught with tension and confusion. Many are looking for answers and hoping that technology can provide some solutions. Changpeng Zhao's suggestion of a blockchain-based mobile voting app is one idea that has been floated.
However, experts like Diehl believe that this could actually introduce more problems than it would solve. Diehl points out that the American voting system is decentralized, with each district running its own program. This decentralization makes it more difficult to corrupt the system. If the system were centralized on a blockchain, it would be much easier to corrupt democracy.
So far, experiments with blockchain-based voting have been small scale. It remains to be seen if this technology can provide a secure and reliable way to vote.
Payments without banks
Another area where the blockchain has been proposed as a solution is in the area of payments without banks. The idea is that by using the blockchain, payments can be made directly from one party to another without the need for a financial institution. However, Diehl has pointed out that cryptoassets are not suitable for payments because they are speculative instruments. He points out that it is not possible to pay for a cup of coffee with Apple stock. Therefore, the blockchain is not a viable solution for payments.
The implementation of blockchain technology in the supply chain has been proposed as a way to increase transparency and security. However, some experts have questioned whether blockchain is actually necessary for these purposes.
Find more statistics at Statista
Supply Chain managment without banks
Digital supply chain management has been in use for many years, and it is perfectly adequate for most purposes. However, some companies believe that blockchain technology can provide an extra level of security and transparency.
Blockchain is a distributed database that allows for secure, transparent and tamper-proof transactions. This makes it ideal for tracking the movement of goods through the supply chain.
Carrefour, a French retailer, has announced that it will be using blockchain to track the provenance of its products. shoppers will be able to scan a QR code to see where the product came from and how it has been handled.
Walmart is also testing a blockchain system for tracking the movement of goods through its supply chain. The hope is that blockchain will provide a higher level of security and transparency.
However, not everyone is convinced that blockchain is necessary for these purposes. Diehl, an expert on digital supply chain management, points out that blockchain is not adding any incorruptability to the system. He argues that people in the supply chain could tell lies on the blockchain as easily as on any other platform.
It remains to be seen whether blockchain will live up to its hype in the supply chain. However, it is clear that companies are increasingly interested in using this technology to increase transparency and security.