Few people understand what it is, but Wall Street banks, IT organizations, and consultants are buzzing about blockchain technology. It’s hard to remove blockchain from Bitcoin, so we’ll start with Bitcoin as we work to understand this technology’s potential.
I
What Is Blockchain
Technology?
II
Few people understand what it is, but
Wall Street banks, IT organizations,
and consultants are buzzing about
blockchain technology. It’s hard to remove
blockchain from Bitcoin, so we’ll start
with Bitcoin as we work to understand
this technology’s potential.
Bitcoin. Blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies. Initial
coin offerings.
Everyone’s talking about them, but what do these terms
really mean?
At its peak in January 2018, the total market cap of
cryptocurrencies surpassed $800B, according to Coin Market
Cap, while the price of bitcoin hit a high of $19,300 in Dec’17,
according to Coindesk. Initial coin offerings (ICOs) exploded
in popularity, surpassing $18B in the first 8 months of 2018.
Huge corporations — like Walmart and Pfizer — have completed
successful blockchain pilots, with many more partnering on
projects ranging from remittance to title transfer.
This explainer will offer simple definitions and analogies for
blockchain technology. It will also define Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash,
Ethereum, Litecoin, blockchain, and initial coin offerings.
Along the way, we’ll highlight promising use cases for
blockchain technology.
(For a deep dive into how Ethereum works specifically, you
can read our What Is Ethereum explainer.)
Lastly, this report will make clear the distinctions between
distributed ledger technology and blockchain, and highlight
where these technologies have an application – and where
they do not.
III
Table of
Contents
What is Bitcoin?
What is Blockchain?
What is Ethereum?
What is Bitcoin Cash?
What is Litecoin?
The Future of Blockchain Technology
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IV
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