区块链在比特币之外的银行业应用

Over the last decade, a lot of attentionhas been given to blockchain technology— awareness reaching far beyondthe niche of Bitcoin. In fact, the topichas found its way into mainstreamconversations, where investors andbanking experts discuss blockchainand its role in finance. Much of thediscourse surrounding blockchaininvolves a debate over whetherdistributed ledger technology (DLT)and blockchain have the potential torevolutionize or replace some long-standing elements in the banking sector. Blockchain technology disruptedhow transactions are made inprivate markets by making financialservices more accessible andtransparent. However, there remainsuncertainty whether traditional bankswill embrace blockchain technologyor if, instead, the technology willgrow to the point of replacingestablished financial institutions. The public criticism many financial institutions have inveighedagainst cryptocurrencies begs the question, “What arethey so afraid of?” Simply put, the answer is, “A lot.” Many of the services made possible byblockchain reduce the need to workwith traditional financial institutions.Cryptocurrency, in turn, poses a threatto the role of custodianship banks playfor the money currently in circulation. Manual financial transactions andprocesses such as claims, complianceprocessing, and the distribution ofestates are automated with blockchainusing “smart contracts.” Once certainconditions are met, smart contracttools allow the self-execution of acontract on a blockchain without anyfurther confirmation by a third party. Blockchain technology eliminatesthe need for a verified middle partywhen untrusted business partnersmake a transaction. Since blockchaintechnology utilizes a ledger with noadministrator, it is possible to offerfinancial services such as securitizationand payments without needing a bankto act as a trusted intermediary. DLT is useful for financial purposesthat do not require a significant degreeof decentralization. The distributedledger enhances coordination andenables institutions to acquirebetter governance standards incollaboration and data sharing. Blockchain and DLT represent significant changes to the bankingsector which potentially impact trillions of dollars. Critical services inthe banking sector that blockchain technology disrupts include: 2. Digital Assets and Capital Markets:Blockchain technology creates moreinteroperable and efficient capitalmarkets by tokenizing traditionalsecurities such as stocks and bonds.Tokenization is also used for alternativeassets like private securities. 1. Payments:Blockchain provides fast payment processing at a lower fee — especiallyin cross-border transactions — usinga decentralized payments ledger. 4. Clearance and Settlement:Blockchain uses distributed ledgers,which reduce operation costsand decrease the time taken tocomplete real-time transactions. 3. Credit and Lending: Blockchain technology eliminatesgatekeepers in the credit industry,making it more secure to borrow low-interest loans. Innovations such astokenized identity and zero-knowledgeproofs automate the process forborrowers to access capital. 5. Trade Finance: Read on for an in-depthdiscussion of how blockchainenables new business models toemerge in the financial sector,including current use cases thatincorporate the technology. Blockchain technology facilitatestransparent, secure, and trusted tradedeals globally. This allows untrustedparties to trade in real time from anylocation while mitigating the risksof errors and inaccurate logging. 1. PAYMENTS Blockchain technology provides a cheap andsecure platform to send payments. The technologyreduces the need to verify information fromthird parties and requires less processing timefor payments is less than traditional banks. Among SoftServe clients inthe banking and fintech sectors across North America and Europe, 90% ofstakeholders believe blockchain will shift the financial sector by 2025. Currently, trillions of dollars are circulating the globe. As the money moves, it windsthrough an outdated system characterized by slow transfers and accumulatingcharges. For instance, when using a bank as an intermediary, a person working inNew York must pay an extra flat fee and additional charges of up to 5-7% to sendpart of their paycheck to a counterparty in London. The banks of both the sender andthe recipient each receive a cut and an exchange rate conversion fee. Furthermore,it could take the recipient's bank as long as a week to process the transaction. A trend shows six times growth for confirmed Bitcoin transactionsfrom 50,000 per day in 2014 to 250,00 by Feb. 2021. Governments and regulatory organizationslack control over decentralized crypto-based transactions, making it challengingto shut down. Although, there is still roomfor oversight since, because the blockchainledger is public, it allows regulators andlaw enforcement agencies to track theflow of funds from one party to another. Banks generate significant fee inc