C-Suite Briefing 5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 - Deloitte
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5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Contents Contents A glance back… 2 The Hype is Over 3 Evolving platforms 4 Adoption Rates across Industries 6 Governance is Critical 9 The Rise of Tokens 13 1
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | A glance back… A glance back… Now that we’ve settled into 2020 and the beginning of a new decade, we have the opportunity to look back at how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go. Moving forward in 2020 of industry players into conversation “This is the beginning of Now eleven years on from the mining on blockchain, moving away from the of the genesis block on the bitcoin FSI focus that we had years ago the decade of network, Blockchain technology’s predicted. Blockchain and I think popularity has seen a historic rise and a significant fall. 2020 brings True, the adoption of the technology in 2020, we’ll start to with it an opportunity for the has not occurred with the ferocity technology to move further away which the crypto hype of 2017 see the global from experimental PoCs and pursue indicated to many. Rather, we have recognition of crypto more significant investment for real seen the slow and challenging growth business-ready solutions. of ecosystem consortia highlighting assets in the FS that companies are waking up to the industry.” Where did 2019 leave us? idea that to go far, they ought to go Like a small child, the early years of together. 1 Antonio Senatore, EMEA Blockchain a nascent technology bring dramatic Lead growth spurts coupled with a Blockchain is here to stay. And 2020 changing personality and growing is the start of her decade. pains. This rings especially true for young adolescent Blockchain, who Top 5 Trends turned 11 only weeks ago. Despite her youth, her tenth year was full of moments which will define the The Hype is Over coming years. Evolving Platforms 2019 saw the proposition of Facebook’s Libra and the People’s Bank of China’s announcement that Adoption rates across they would soon launch a sovereign industries digital yuan. These bold reveals, which bring the potential of a global Governance is critical digital currency ever closer, caused ripples across the global financial services sector. The Rise of Tokens Across the board, we saw greater participation from government and central banks in discussions regarding the regulatory environment that this disruptive technology should exist in. And in the growing blockchain community, we observed a move away from ‘get-rich-schemes’ grabbing the headlines in the Blockchain space and more viable solutions and consortia taking their place. 2019 brought a broader range 1 World Economic Forum 2
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | The Hype is Over The Hype is Over The Deloitte 2019 Blockchain Survey showed that blockchain adoption has shifted. As the technology matures, we have seen a move away from experiments toward the development of robust enterprise ready solutions. The corporate blockchain hype this trend and a greater focus Additional signs of blockchain’s cycle is slowing developing on utilising the maturation could be seen in the In recent years, Blockchain has been technology to solve real business diverse—and sometimes discordant heralded as a major disrupter on issues and deliver value. responses of surveyed `CEOs; the track to rattle almost every industry barriers to entry that they faced from agriculture and manufacturing 2019 revealed the emerging shared varied, as did the perceived to FS and insurance. While in many belief that blockchain is real and that advantages of blockchain which they cases, the technology’s promise can it can serve as a pragmatic solution identified. Such diversity of thought be clearly seen, faith in Blockchain to business problems. Even leaders, can be viewed as a mark of has fallen victim to “the massive initially wary of tech-based solutions, maturation because it reflects an hype and irrational exuberance in theappeared to see potential in the enhanced sense of seriousness in past, driven largely over a Bitcoin- technology. Specific supporting consideration of the technology’s buying frenzy.” 2 indications from our 2019 Global possibilities and limitations. Blockchain Survey include the In the wake of the hype, a tendency increasing perception of blockchain Now, in 2020, we can see that the toward Blockchain tourism developed as a top-five strategic priority, the prevailing question among executives – where we would see intrigued sustained levels of blockchain is no longer, “Will the technology companies come to gawk at the investment, and the improved work?” but rather, “How can we technology, kick it around for a few sentiments measured across an array make technology work for us?” weeks before deciding they were of attitude statements, including the more comfortable where they share of respondents who agree that currently were. But as we moved blockchain offers compelling use through 2019, we saw a fall away in cases. Learnings for the year ahead 2 Forbes 3
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Evolving platforms Evolving platforms The leading platforms at the end of 2020 will be those that can offer a unique combination of features to players and consortia building enterprise level solutions. 2018 saw a much needed clean up of The Blockchain Trilemma The balance of these three the Blockchain ecosystem as characteristics is thus a major overhyped projects failed and shady consideration for any blockchain How do the different networks get-rich-quick schemes were weeded network provider, as well as for their measure up? out; 2019 brought the rise of customers who choose to build their Blockchain’s viable platforms and Corda Ethereum VeChain solutions on the network more pragmatic developers such as VeChain, Corda, Hyperledger, and Decentralisation In 2019, we saw a diversification in Ethereum; Now in 2020, the leaders the industries investing in blockchain will emerge based on the unique with a particular rise in players from combination of features that they supply chain, life sciences and TMT. offer to companies and consortia Their needs differ from the needs of building production level solutions. the initial forerunner, FSI, and thus the network that appeals the most, also differs. Decentralisation Security Scalability What has often been coined as ‘the blockchain trilemma’, refers to the trade off in any network between scalability, decentralization and security. Any two will succeed at the expense of the third. Scalability Security /Futile 4
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Adoption Rates across Industries Adoption Rates across Industries 2019 brought a greater diversification to the pool of players and ecosystems investing in Blockchain technology – We anticipate that diverse adoption will continue throughout 2020. Adoption across industries is not Industries where we are seeing The possibility of utilising blockchain even rapid adoption and potential for technology in clinical trials and 2020 pharmaceutical supply chains have Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain been at the centre of much Survey revealed that blockchain is As new industries explore blockchain experimentation in the past 12 going through a path of diffusion applications they do so in ways that across industries far beyond its initial reflects their own respective months. While few have reached fintech applications. More operational and strategic needs. production, we envisage that there organizations in more sectors—such Regulatory issues emerged as a will be a wave of solutions which will as technology, media, central concern of respondents in the go live once regulatory concerns telecommunications, life sciences, 2019 survey which may shed light on have been abated. health care, and government—are why some industries, more that expanding and diversifying their others, have found it more difficult to Another area of interest, is that of blockchain initiatives. identify opportunities to implement digitising health records, a blockchain solutions in their particularly challenging With leaders across industries looking business. We have seen particular transformation that appears at potential applications, many may interest emerge from the Life Science inextricably linked to the emergence wonder; How are different industries & Healthcare sector as well as of self-sovereign identification. The adopting and leveraging blockchain Farming and Supply Chain. FSI have WEF and the World Bank have technology? Why might companies in expanded their suite of use-cases acknowledged the need for this one industry—but not others—be and also promise to be a sector in development to realise a more highly concerned about a particular which we will see further Blockchain inclusive and patient-led healthcare kind of barrier to adoption? Do growth in 2020. experience and we look forward to blockchain attitudes and investments significant developments in the vary by industry because of Life Sciences and Healthcare coming year. something inherent about the technology? Or is it something about Farming and Supply Chain different industries’ individual cultures? Figure 1, confirms that Blockchain investment across industries is varied. TMT leads with 49% of respondents confirming that their company is planning a spend of at least US$5 million in the coming year. This industry also leads the adoption charge with 32% of There may be nowhere that respondents saying that they have blockchain can have a more already implemented blockchain in immediate and meaningful impact some area of their business. than in life sciences and health Interestingly, TMT’s intention to The supply chain is at the heart of care—an industry in which data invest has increased by 4% over the every manufacturing organization; it transparency, speed of access, 2018 figure, indicating a steady is the channel through which immutability, traceability, and increase in belief in the technology. information, materials, services, and trustworthiness can provide the financial resources flow from idea to information necessary for life-altering end-use delivery in a life cycle of decisions. value-added transactions. 6
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Adoption Rates across Industries Blockchain is a technology which Financial Services Although investment in Blockchain enables scrutiny and optimisation of projects and ICOs was down in 2019 Financial services was the sector processes in a supply chain that over 2018, we can expect a steady tipped to see both the most traditionally fall outside of enterprise increase in this figure throughout disruption and most significant solutions. We anticipate that its rise 2020. Interest remains high, investment in Blockchain technology. could lead to an evolution of supply particularly with governments joining Although other sectors now look like chain management and logistics in the conversation to provide financial they may rival it, the previous the not so distant future. The IBM institutions with regulatory clarity statement remains largely true. The Foodtrust platform established itself around the technology. news in 2019 was dominated by as a meaningful provider in the Track projects like Libra, Calibra, J.P and Trace space in 2019, working Morgan’s stable coin and the with Walmart, Carrefour and Nestle. Interbank Information Network as Undoubtedly, there is room for other well as Central Bank Digital players here and we would expect to Currencies (CDBCs) from the see an increase in interest European Central Bank and The throughout 2020. People’s Bank of China. Financial sector players big and small have entered the blockchain game. 8
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Governance is Critical Governance is Critical As the technology matures, we can see that the core challenge in the path of Blockchain’s large-scale adoption is stakeholder management and bringing competitors and unlikely collaborators together to solve shared problems. 2019 made clear that technology Core Challenges in developing driving a shared objective. A working barriers are not holding blockchain blockchain consortia group does not operate as a legal back – but rather human barriers. entity – each participant owns and With our clients, we have discovered 1 Allying with competitors operates their own node. that many of the core benefits of blockchain technology are only realized through collaborating with other parties in the ecosystem or 2 Agreeing on participants indeed forging new cross-industry partnerships. In short, a solution’s value is often directly linked to the Reaching consensus on 3 Private Sector Entity value of the network it serves. shared goals A separate and autonomous legal entity is created in order to establish McKinsey has suggested that a private sector entity governance Blockchain is still three to five years 4 Defining a funding structure structure. The platform is typically away from feasibility at scale, offered as a utility for participants primarily because of the difficulty of who operate their individual nodes. resolving the “coopetition” paradox Sharing both risks and The project tends to be jointly funded to establish common standards. 5 successes by founding members as core Gartner’s senior VP for technology, stakeholders in the Steering Peter Sondergaard echoed this, Committee. ‘there are still technical things that Consortia Governance Models you need to solve and scale and there are still counter-aspects – Three major governance options are business model wise – that aren’t emerging for blockchain consortia; necessarily fully clear.’ Emerging Governance Models Hybrid Centralized governance has allowed A hybrid governance model can business leaders to experiment with typically involve a shared the technology while sidestepping Working Group infrastructure operator as a key controversial questions around As in a traditional working group, this facilitator to create an organization security, consensus, identity and governance models works on the jointly owned in the industry. anonymity, among others. Yet the basis of equal power and Members follow the organisation’s centralized model also creates new contribution. Decisions are made directives and contribute in order to risks around how the technology, through consensus and members drive a common objective. economics and governance of the contribute resources in the pursuit of blockchain are controlled. The core benefits of Blockchain technology are realized through collaborating with others parties in an ecosystem and establishing a consortia. 9
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Governance is Critical Blockchain Consortia Blockchain Consortia Strategic Considerations Goals of collaboration Which goals do the involved parties want to achieve? How will success be measured? Responsibilities of involved parties What is expected of each involved party? What are the major responsibilities and how are they divided? Contribution How high should the financial contribution be for each involved party? Should it be possible to contribute partially or fully in FTE? Intellectual Property Should the intellectual property lie with all involved parties or only with those who took part in the technical development? Technology Considerations Which Blockchain technology or platforms should be used? Will it be possible to change the technology depending on the project progress? Confidentiality Agreement In which cases will it be allowed to share information about the project? Will involved parties be restricted from independent projects? Legal Entity Is it planned to found a legal entity for the project? What are the strategic considerations and which parties would take part? 10
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Governance is Critical The human challenges that arise in the building of a blockchain solution require personal collaborations to be remedied What have we learned from Blockchain solutions so far? Adoption is the measure of success Do not underestimate the human factor The key to a successful consortium is industry wide Collaboration is hard adoption Understanding the individual and company interest for Consortium needs to be established in such a manner participation that will entice others to participate Buy-in from decision makers is needed; Participants In an industry consortia, one company should not have must be willing to commit time and resources to the position to have more power than the rest of the support the initiative participants Building a community platform in addition to the technical platform is key for stakeholder engagement Decision making should be based on level of A strong business case for all participants participation Equal participation can slow down decision making Start with an efficiency case as the business case is much easier to assess Votes should reflect investment and sub committees should reflect interests The platform needs to bring some form of value to all participants. 11
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | Governance is Critical “Coopetition” —a willingness to work with your competitors and others in your industrial ecosystem toward some common purpose. 12
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | The Rise of Tokens The Rise of Tokens From art to property, the way we invest in assets is on the verge of fundamental change. Tokens are becoming more sophisticated and aren’t as far away from mainstream adoption as we might think. Digital technologies have in recent Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have Ready to Play? years made possible a new class of seen a rise in the past 18 months, Considerations for Financial assets called “digital assets.” We carving out a niche in the Ethereum Institutions entering the token define a digital asset as “something ecosystem in which they are economy represented in a digital form that has governed. The most common non an intrinsic or acquire value.” There fungible token standard, ERC-721, is no practical limit as to what can be saw dramatic growth of 350% in Platform Integration characterized digitally and therefore 2019 largely driven by decentralised be considered a digital asset. gaming. Although this is a niche area Platform selection should be guided by Examples of digital assets include of the market, this rise and the new regulatory requirements, service land, goods, certificates, identity, ERC1155 standard suggests that we offering, product strategy and size and scale of community. works of art and literature, rewards, will see increased numbers of and even currency, among many mainstream players in this arena by others. the end of 2020. Business Model A new token economy could make It goes without saying that obstacles Where to play is a core question to be the financial industry more continue to stand in the way of answered. The choice may vary from accessible, cheaper, faster and widespread adoption, principally in advisor to token exchange broker easier, thereby possibly unlocking the form of regulation. The bold depending on the institutions business model. trillions of euros in currently illiquid suggestion from industry in 2019 of assets, and vastly increasing the an imminent digital currency will volume of trade. push governments to provide Cybersecurity guidelines on this unchartered Tokens have been broadly sorted territory sooner than they may have Sufficient security measures need to into two categories; Fungible and envisaged paving the way for the rise be ensured to secure the entire value Non-fungible. of tokens to mainstream society. We chain when interacting with a blockchain platform. SECaaS (Security can remain confident that only Fungible Token; Fungibility refers as a Service) could be an additional institutions that engage with the revenue stream. to the ability of a good or asset to technology, plan for the future and be interchanged for another good adapt to the realities will thrive. or asset for like kind. Therefore a Jurisdiction fungible token is one which might represent currency, crude oil, Ensuring a token’s compliance across shares, bonds. Each token, or jurisdictions will bring new fraction of a token, is equivalent to complexities which require consideration. the next. Non-fungible Tokens; a non- Compliance fungible token represents an asset or commodity which is not MiFID, AML and KYC regulation still interchangeable. NFTs are designed applies to the token economy. Tax to be special or unique. Two tokens considerations should not be left representing different cars are not behind either with a move into the digital economy. interchangeable as the underlying asset is different and unlikely to be valued equally. 13
5 Blockchain Trends for 2020 | The Rise of Tokens Deloitte Blockchain at Deloitte Bibliography Our people collaborate globally with clients, regulators, https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/w and policy makers on how blockchain and digital assets hy-blockchain-hype-must-end are changing the face of business and government today. New ecosystems are developing blockchain- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/0 based infrastructure and solutions to create innovative 8/23/blockchain-still-shows-great-promise-after-the- business models and disrupt traditional ones. This is hype/#7cde540f4ecb occurring in every industry and in most jurisdictions globally. Our deep business acumen and global, https://hbr.org/2019/10/the-5-kinds-of-blockchain- industry-leading audit and assurance, consulting, tax, projects-and-which-to-watch-out-for and risk and advisory services help organizations across industries achieve their varying blockchain aspirations. https://www.mckinsey.com/business- Reach out to our leaders to discuss the evolving functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/blockchain- momentum of blockchain and digital assets, begin beyond-the-hype-what-is-the-strategic-business-value prioritizing initiatives, and understand how to manage the opportunities and pain points associated with https://www.mckinsey.com/business- blockchain adoption efforts. functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/blockchain- beyond-the-hype-what-is-the-strategic-business-value https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/blockchain- predictions-2020 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/lu/Doc uments/financial-services/lu-tokenization-of-assets- disrupting-financial-industry.pdf 14
To find out more, contact: David Dalton Partner | Head of EMEA Blockchain Lab Deloitte Ireland ddalton@deloitte.ie Antonio Senatore Director | Global Blockchain CTO & EMEA Blockchain Lab Lead Deloitte Ireland asenatore@deloitte.ie Amy Pugh Manager | EMEA Blockchain Lab Deloitte Ireland apugh@deloitte.ie Hannah Lynch Analyst | EMEA Blockchain Lab Deloitte Ireland hlynch@deloitte.ie At Deloitte, we make an impact that matters for our clients, our people, our profession, and in the wider society by delivering the solutions and insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. As the largest global professional services and consulting network, with approximately 286,000 professionals in more than 150 countries, we bring world-class capabilities and high-quality services to our clients. In Ireland, Deloitte has nearly 3,000 people providing audit, tax, consulting, and corporate finance services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Our people have the leadership capabilities, experience and insight to collaborate with clients so they can move forward with confidence. This publication has been written in general terms and we recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from action on any of the contents of this publication. Deloitte Ireland LLP accepts no liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in this publication. Deloitte Ireland LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Northern Ireland with registered number NC1499 and its registered office at 19 Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7EJ, Northern Ireland. Deloitte Ireland LLP is the Ireland affiliate of Deloitte NSE LLP, a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”). DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL and Deloitte NSE LLP do not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms. © 2020 Deloitte Ireland LLP. All rights reserved. 15
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