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TECHNOLOGY (HTTPS://WWW.INC.COM/TECHNOLOGY)

5 Of The Sectors Blockchain Is

Currently Disrupting
It's so much more than the bitcoin.

By Yoav Vilner  @YoavVilner (http://www.twitter.com/YoavVilner)

CREDIT: Getty Images

Blockchain (https://www.google.co.il/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&
source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&
ved=0ahUKEwiWo6zq4tHXAhWBXhoKHfheCHUQFggqMAI&url=https
%3A%2F%2Fwww.inc.com%2Fmarissa-levin%2Fwill-blockchain-be-the-
ultimate-disruptor-harvard-says-yes.html&
usg=AOvVaw0nsQ9_OLhd5lhryeltyQbM) has been everywhere lately -
and it's so much more than a few bitcoins.

It seems that everywhere you turn in the tech industry, someone is

talking about the promise of blockchain technology and how it's going to
change the world. Well, I'm here to tell you this: It's changing the world
right now.

Originally invented as a method to create and transfer value between

users without an interfering mitigator, blockchain is now proving to be
able to do so much more and change the very fabric of the tech world.

Being heralded as the biggest invention in tech since the internet, what
can blockchain actually do to change our lives?

Here are the five industries that are being disrupted by blockchain
technology, and some companies who are taking part.

Personal Finance

While we hear a lot about how blockchain is going to change the

financial world, it's sometimes hard to connect that with how it's going
to affect our daily lives.

Like most big market trends the booms, and busts are going to affect us,
but it's hard to understand how. Several companies are working on just
that, such as COTI. They aim to change the way you shop online utilizing
blockchain to create a fair and just online transactional system, and
overall - to be the currency of online shopping.

Another company looking to make a difference in how you pay is Colu

(https://www.colu.com/). Colu has been around for awhile (since 2012
in fact), and v is built on the notion that communities (workplaces,
neighborhoods, etc.) have specific financial needs, so they need a coin
that is tradable within the community. Their mobile wallet app allows for
peer-to-peer and customer-to-business transactions, so community
members can financially interact.

Social Media

Social media governs our daily lives and with Russia potentially
tampering the 2017 elections, and the spread of fake news it seems to
also somewhat govern our governments. Narrative
(http://narrative.network/) is a blockchain based content platform that
rewards those who create good and non-abusive content with
cryptocurrency and exposure. Thus, users see more positive, accurate
content, and less negative,"bad egg" content by keeping these at the
bottom of the feed.

Another social media platform utilizing blockchain is Vanywhere.

Vanywhere is a gig economy website, which utilizes the blockchain in
order to connect users with specific skills to those users in need of
these specific skillsets. The transactions on this platform are being
done via cryptocurrency, which means neither side has to pay any sort of
fee or commission for this exchange.

Travel

Currently, Expedia (https://www.expedia.com/) and Priceline control up

to 95% of the travel market, depending on the region. This gives them
almost unlimited power in what they can demand from suppliers like
airlines and hotel chains. Price fixing is a common trend in making sure
prices are tailored to them rather than the customer and the provider.
They also demand massive fees from travel providers, which are then, in
some form or another, rolled on the the consumer.

Winding Tree aims to improve that by creating a peer-to-peer travel

marketplace with no middlemen; connecting providers directly with
consumers. They have recently announced a partnership with
Lufthansa.

And trying to impact a different sector, CarFix (http://vlb.io/) creates a

decentralized marketplace for all things automotive, aiming to create
transparency and avoid price manipulation in the industry.

Investment

If you've heard about blockchain before, you know of blockchain as an

investment -basically buy some cryptocurrency and wait for its value to
go up.

What you might not know is that the decentralized technology is

creating many new ways to invest and trade, in both digital and non-
digital assets. The first is Zen Protocol
(https://www.zenprotocol.com/) which is building a bridge to
connect digital and crypto assets to real life stocks and commodities, so
people can create options, derivatives and more in a blockchain based
trading platform.

Another company taking steps to connect the investment world with the
digital one is Blackmoon Crypto which is focused on creating a
tokenized investment interface, aiming to help people manage funds
while taking care of every aspect, such as tech and legal.

Energy

This is where blockchain can impact industries but also the well being of
our planet. WePower (https://wepower.network/) is allowing green
energy consumers to make investments and profit off-of their
completed green energy products, as well as provide suppliers with
capital to further green and clean energy.

If you thought blockchain is a financial tool for geeks, you have another
thing coming. Almost every industry is seeing the potential of a
decentralized product and a peer-to-peer financial market. I myself am
turning into a blockchain addict each and every day.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: NOV 22, 2017

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