Trends Identified

In transparency we trust
Blockchain has the potential to create transparency that will clear the fog of internet ambiguity, win back lost trust, and repair relationships with the public.
2018
Fjord trends 2018
Fjord
Blockchain
Blockchain is a database that allows the transfer of value within computer networks. This technology is expected to disrupt several markets by ensuring trustworthy transactions without the necessity of a third party. The proliferation of this technology is, however, threatened by technical issues that remain to be resolved.
2016
OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2016
OECD
Blockchain
Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger, an expanding chronologically ordered list of cryptographically signed, irrevocable transactional records shared by all participants in a network. Blockchain allows companies to trace a transaction and work with untrusted parties without the need for a centralized party (i.e., a bank). This greatly reduces business friction and has applications that began in finance, but have expanded to government, healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain and others. Blockchain could potentially lower costs, reduce transaction settlement times and improve cash flow. The technology has also given way to a host of blockchain-inspired solutions that utilize some of the benefits and parts of blockchain. Pure blockchain models are immature and can bedifficult to scale.  . However, businesses should begin evaluating the technology, as blockchain will create $3.1T in business value by 2030.  Blockchain inspired approaches that do not implement all the tenets of blockchain deliver near term value but do not provide the promised highly distributed decentralized consensus models of a pure blockchain. Read more: The CIO’s Guide to Blockchain.
2018
Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2019
Gartner
Blockchain – Decentralized Trust
Blockchain is based on distributed ledger technology, which records data (transactions, files, or information) across a peer-to-peer network. Participant can see the data and verify (or reject) it using consensus algorithms. Approved data is entered into the ledger as a collection of “blocks”, stored in a chronological “chain”, and secured through cryptography. The disruptive nature of Blockchain is its ability to move control over interactions from centralized systems to distributed users. For now, legal and institutional barriers restrict a shift away from central systems but blockchain has a high disruptive potential for all trust-bound activities. Four types of blockchain are evolving: the consortium (controlled by a pre-selected group), the semi-private (a single company granting access to any user), and private and public blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Up to now the consortium model is the most accepted model for business although the technology is still unproven in a larger business context. Blockchain might make systems more transparent, potentially more democratic and help inventing new trust models. It could improve cash flow, compliance and accountability, it could lower transaction costs and reduce fraud. Furthermore, it offers a huge potential to unify flows of payments, physical goods and information in the rather chaotic relationships among untrusted parties, like in complex supply chains. Blockchain will impact organizations and businesses firstly in a first non-disruptive, incremental change, by leaving processes unchanged and realizing cost savings and process improvements. A use case will start around verifications, smart contracting, transparency and accountability, sharing and leasing models, rights, and IP and government records. The second wave of blockchain will radically restructure existing industry sectors or business ecosystems into systems of trust.
2018
Trend Report 2018 - Emerging Technology Trends
SAP
Blockchain
Blockchain is evolving from a digital currency infrastructure into a platform for digital transformation. Blockchain and other distributed-ledger technologies provide trust in untrusted environments, eliminating the need for a trusted central authority.
2017
Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2018
Gartner
Blockchain: Trust economy - Taking control of digital identity
Blockchain is outgrowing its adolescent cryptocurrency identity, with distributed consensus ledgers becoming smart contracts facilitators. Beyond creating efficiencies by removing the legal and financial intermediary in a contractual agreement, blockchain is assuming the role of trusted gatekeeper and purveyor of transparency. In the emerging “trust economy” in which a company’s assets or an individual’s online identity and reputation are becoming both increasingly valuable and vulnerable, this latest use case may be blockchain’s most potentially valuable to date.
2017
Tech trends 2017 - the kinetic enterprise
Deloitte
Blockchain Moves into the Food Chain
Blockchain provides a tamper-proof way of tracking the source of foods. The indelible nature of the blockchain record, linked to technologies like RFID for automated tracking of food pallets and items, means that foods can be tracked and linked easily from place to place. The Blockchain record is intended to provide a single electronic point of reference for the whole food supply, from farm to processing to stores. The irrevocable process, tied to automation, can provide huge cost savings for the food tracking process, as well as making the food audit trail both digital and robust. We believe that 2019 will be the year this technology begins its worldwide roll-out; tracking around $150 million worth of food by the end of the year. We have also seen several pilot projects carried out and brought to satisfactory completion by a wide range of platform providers throughout 2018. 2019 will see the first deployment of these technologies at full commercial scale and used for producers. We expect solutions from IBM and Alibaba to be used next year, as well as a ramping up of deployments from IP Australia and the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Related Research: The Future of Blockchain: Key Vertical Opportunities & Deployment Strategies 2018-2030
2019
Top Tech trends 2019
Juniper Research
Blockchain Systems
Blockchain systems use a distributed ledger technology to promote transparency, trust, and decentralized validation among members of the digital network.
2017
Beyond the Noise- The Megatrends of Tomorrow’s World
Deloitte
Blockchain to blockchains- broad adoption and integration enter the realm of the possible
Blockchain technologies are on a clear path toward broad adoption, with proofs of concept shifting toward production and leading organizations exploring multiple concurrent use cases of increasing scope, scale, and complexity. Moreover, initial coin offerings and smart contracts are finding more applications and creating more diversity throughout the blockchain ecosystem. Now is the time for organizations to begin standardizing on the technology, talent, and platforms that will drive future blockchain initiatives. Likewise, they can begin identifying business consortia to join. Beyond these immediate steps, they should also look to the horizon for the next big blockchain opportunity: coordinating, integrating, and orchestrating multiple blockchains working together across a value chain.
2017
Tech trends 2018
Deloitte
Blockchains: An invention that could change our world
Blockchain technology is a very practical solution to the problem of storing, authenticating and protecting data. Think of a blockchain as a decentralized, extremely secure database. Or, to get slightly more technical, it’s a distributed, peer-to-peer ledger of records. While nothing is ever totally ‘hack-proof’, blockchain represents a huge leap forward compared to our current data security technology as, unlike a centralized database, there’s no one single point of failure. The records in a blockchain are called ‘blocks’ and every block is connected to the previous block (hence, ‘block’ and ‘chain’). The whole chain is self-managed, which means there’s no one person or organization in charge of the entire chain. If that sounds familiar, it might be because the virtual currency Bitcoin functions on blockchain technology. Financial services, insurance and healthcare are just some of the sectors where blockchains are likely to be heavily adopted. In fact, 90 percent of major European and North American banks are exploring blockchain solutions.
2017
9 Technology Mega Trends That Will Change The World In 2018
Forbes