"Almost all of the media coverage around Blockchain
these days is rightfully geared toward Bitcoin, Ethereum,
and other cryptocurrencies. And while this is all well and
good, FinTech is actually only one application for the
ledger technology.
In a real sense, Blockchain is simply a safe, verifiable,
de-centralized reckoning and record of not only
economic transactions – but virtually everything else.
Diamond certification? We got it here.
Healthcare, data privacy and security? Keep reading." - Lanny Cohen, Group Chief Technology Officer from Capgemini
"Many industries have already embraced the benefits of Blockchain, including the diamond industry, which historically has been
prone to fraud. With Everledger2
, a permanent Blockchain ledger for diamond certification and related transaction history,
verification for insurance companies, claimants, and law enforcement can be provided.
"Banks are also experimenting with the use of Blockchain as a means of expediting onerous back office functions and settlement
operations with the hypothesis that nearly $20 billion in middleman costs could be cut as a result.3
Unsurprisingly, banks have
been among the leaders in financial services to fund and partner with Blockchain startups.
"Healthcare firms are drawn to Blockchain as they work to meet new requirements around the security and privacy of sensitive
patient data. For education, companies are testing its use around certification and credentials. For governments, Blockchain has
been used as a critical piece of infrastructure for implementing 'responsive open data.' "
...
"Estonia, considered to be the most advanced 'Blockchain nation' in terms of government and citizen services, all medical health records are already stored online, but are not yet Blockchain-enabled. In 2016, Estonia announced its intention to secure health records on a Blockchain that would provide real-time visibility to individuals and institutions, though experts warned that enabling medical records on Blockchain could take considerable time because privacy, security, and regulatory hurdles are so high.
"The torrent of data gathered by wearable devices to track an individual’s health may hit the cloud, but rarely lands in a physician’s
hands. Much of this patient-generated health data (PGHD) is going nowhere—sometimes not even to the patient.
"Even the data generated by at-home devices and transmitted to physicians is frequently kept in the dark. Swiss-based Healthbank
is just one of several organizations working on integrating PGHD data with more traditional medical information—sleep patterns
and glucose and heart rates pulled from wearables and other devices—along with information from doctor visits, health records,
and medical equipment, all to be stored via Blockchain.
"Interpol estimates that more than one million people are killed each year by counterfeit drugs, stating that the manufacture and
sale of counterfeit drugs is becoming one the most lucrative businesses for organized crime gangs around the world.
"Blockverify in the U.K. is just one organization working on combating this problem by using Blockchain to track pharmaceuticals
throughout the supply chain and to ensure consumers receive authentic products.
"British artificial intelligence company DeepMind10 (owned by Google) is working with the NHS on a series of trial projects adopting
Blockchain technology. Working to create a digital ledger that will record how and who accesses patient’s health data, the
Blockchain technology will keep accurate logs of all activity on the account without accessing the records themselves. The
project’s overarching aim is to reduce public fear on the protection of access to patient’s records"
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