Share this post:

When we transfer money between countries or between banks, register a car or even buy property, we’re still pushing archaic manual procedures through a network made of wires. Blockchain has the potential to change all of that.

Blockchain is popularly known as the technological foundation behind Bitcoin, the crypto currency that has been the subject of much interest and speculation within the technical, business and law enforcement communities and society at large. The tide of interest, however, is now turning to blockchain because it has the potential to rework the old order of processing transactions by eliminating middlemen and saving costs.

Blockchain-based systems could help radically improve whole industries, beginning with banking and insurance, to be used for corporate loans and international trade finance. But its impact could be much broader. It could make a difference whenever valuable assets are transferred from one party to another and whenever you need to know for sure that a piece of digital information—anything from electronic artwork to the terms of a business agreement—is unique and unchangeable without the agreement of all parties or need for a central authority to approve transactions.

Only with openness and the contributions of developers around the world will innovation flourish and will blockchain be widely adopted. There is profound interest in this fast-moving technology and unlimited potential for developers who master it–to reinvent how transactions of all kinds are done.

If you’re a developer who is interested in learning more on how to get started with blockchain, join us for a Google Hangout on Thursday 23 June at 2PM EST. Click below to watch the Livestream at that time.

Want a head start? To start using IBM’s blockchain code on IBM Bluemix, check out GitHub for info and give it a try here.