Ten years after this blog was first published, blockchain has moved beyond the initial excitement and become a more specialised business technology.
Many early experiments never progressed beyond prototypes, and blockchain has not replaced conventional databases. However, it continues to offer value when several organisations need to share and verify information without placing complete control in the hands of one participant.
Today, its strongest applications include digital assets, trade finance, supply chain traceability, and trusted records. Hyperledger Fabric remains active, although IBM’s original Blockchain Platform has been replaced by its support offering for Hyperledger Fabric. Gemalto, another organisation featured in the original blog, was acquired by Thales in 2019.
The most important lesson from the past decade is simple: blockchain works best when it solves a genuine problem of trust, ownership or coordination. The question is no longer “Can we use blockchain?” but “Does blockchain provide a meaningful advantage over a conventional shared database?”
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