It's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.
Variously attributed to Mark Twain, Niels Bohr and Yogi Berra - used with permission
Blockchain may be best known as the information technology upon which cryptocurrencies are built. While this is a prominent application of blockchain, it isn't the only one.
So, what other uses exist for blockchain? It appears to this writer that the potential uses are too numerous to list here. Examples include, but are definitely not limited to, the following: A digital wiki encyclopedia which rewards contributors via public EOS blockchain technology. A blockchain-based system to enhance the protection of intellectual property for artists. There may even be the beginnings of a blockchain based system for consumers to verify that producers' claims as to the safety and nutritional value of the food they grow is legitimate.
So this raises the question, what do these widely disparate applications have in common? Good question. The common thread that seems to be addressed by blockchain applications is the need to securely identify all parties to any transaction. This is also a strong factor in the utility of blockchain in the kaleidoscope of cryptocurrencies that are currently available, as well as (potentially) a seemingly inexhaustible number yet to be "coined". This capability of blockchain to verify identity of individuals or groups in transactions is at the heart of smart contracts.
Although news about cryptocurrencies, both old and new, may dominate the media that mentions blockchain, I will make the bold prediction that, going forward, other uses based on the identity verification feature, which is the essence of blockchain, will become at least as ubiquitous. Hold me to that.
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