For supply chain management, the blockchain technology offers the benefits of traceability and cost-effectiveness. Put simply, a blockchain can be used to track the movement of goods, their origin, quantity and so forth. This brings about a new level of transparency to B2B ecosystems -- simplifying processes such as ownership transfer, production process assurance and payments.
If an irregularity is detected somewhere along the supply chain, a blockchain system can lead you all the way to its point of origin. This makes it easier for businesses to carry out investigations and execute the necessary actions.
A use-case for this is in the food sector, where tracking the origination, batch information and other important details is crucial for quality assurance and safety.
Recording transactions through blockchain virtually eliminates human error and protects the data from possible tampering. Keep in mind that records are verified every single time they are passed on from one blockchain node to the next. In addition to the guaranteed accuracy of your records, such a process will also leave a highly traceable audit trail.
Of course, the entire accounting process also becomes more efficient on a foundational level. Rather than maintaining separate records, businesses can only keep a single, joint register. The integrity of a company’s financial information is also guaranteed.
Time-consuming contractual transactions can bottleneck the growth of a business, especially for enterprises that process a torrent of communications on a consistent basis. With smart contracts, agreements can be automatically validated, signed and enforced through a blockchain construct. This eliminates the need for mediators and therefore saves the company time and money.
Just like in supply chain management, the promise of blockchains in the aspect of voting all boils down to trust. Currently, opportunities that pertain to government elections are being pursued. One example is the initiative of the government of Moscow to test the effectiveness of blockchains in local elections. Doing so will significantly diminish the likelihood of electoral fraud, which is a huge issue despite the prevalence of electronic voting systems.
Finally, the meteoric rise of Bitcoin and every other cryptocurrency in the market isn’t without merit. For one, it enabled the fast, secure and cheap transfer of funds across the globe.
While there’s already a slew of services like PayPal that process international payments, they usually require sizable fees per transaction. Other P2P payment services also have specific limitations, such as location restrictions and minimum transfer amounts. That’s why more businesses, as well as regular users, are beginning to prefer cryptocurrency for international transfers. Not only are they generally more secure, users are also granted more freedom when it comes to the movement of their funds. It’s clear that the blockchain is making strides into different industries outside of cryptocurrency. One could argue that most people aren’t ready yet for decentralized digital ledgers, but looking at blockchain’s progress thus far, it probably won’t be long before non-adopters follow suit.
