Understanding which areas to explore on the tech horizon can be tricky – and this is where tech scouting comes in. Market intelligence informs this effort, helping businesses see beyond the buzz (or lack thereof). And fintech scouting around blockchain technology offers intel on a lucrative niche to explore. Although we don’t hear much about blockchain in the news lately, the financial services industry continues to track potential use cases powered by this technology. This is smart, as there are many. And we’ll show how businesses can use NetBase Quid to sort out:
- Applications of blockchain technology
- Companies offering and utilizing it
- Patents around nascent trends & investments signaling what is on the horizon
And here are some stats and facts to keep in mind:
- The global blockchain market is expected grow to 39b USD by 2025
- Blockchain tech can potentially save banks 20b
- AI and blockchain are perfect partners – each helping the other learn and improve as they goes
Applications of Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology is synonymous with Bitcoin, but this secure way to do business is more than just cryptocurrency. It promises safe and reliable contracts between two unacquainted parties, taking out the need for a middle man, offering 0% identity theft probability. This is thanks to its decentralized digital ledger which is like a Google spreadsheet shared among many computers in a grid. Transactional records of actual purchases or agreements are stored there, and anybody can view the data, but they can’t corrupt it. Correspondingly, the conversation around blockchain is nuanced and interconnected mix of some overarching themes, which we’ve organized by tags, including: cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, security & privacy, contracts and investments: 
This failsafe technology is a subject that attracts lots of interest. The global blockchain market is expected to see a 67.3% growth between 2020-2025 (that’s 3b to 39b USD). Market intelligence shows diverse sectors, from banking to healthcare, paying close attention – and investing. It makes sense. Blockchains can potentially save banks up to $20b USD on contracts alone, as it expertly secures client data and financial assets. And exploring specific nodes (representing individual articles), we find revealing snippets focused on how blockchain tech can help rewrite banking as we know it, helping to cut operational risks: 
And we can see who is leading the charge in financial services tech scouting by using market intelligence to explore companies investing in the technology. Let’s check it out!
Companies Offering & Utilizing Blockchain Technology
Backing blockchain technology is something savvy companies are doing, possibly becoming a part of the first movers’ crowd. And thanks to advanced AI powered market intelligence, we can see not only who is receiving investments, but how much and where. Our network map makes easy work of sorting out the different opportunities for financing below: Real Estate, Computer Networks, Mobile Payments and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to name a few. 
AI is something to watch in every sector, but particularly here, as it helps facilitate blockchain technology by managing it more efficiently than humans or conventional computers. And it’s a symbiotic relationship as blockchain helps track, understand and explain decisions made by AI. The merging of the two is being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution with good reason as:
- The global artificial intelligence market is expected to be $40.74 billion in 2020 with a CAGR of 39%
- Potential cost savings for banks from AI applications is estimated at $447 billion by 2023 – add in what they’ll save from blockchain tech, and that is a conservative estimate.
So, investing in this combo offers potential, for sure. And as we further isolate our clusters, we reveal top countries with companies that have invested in blockchain, organized by year and investment amounts: 
And we can see the top 10 companies worldwide, and their high-priced investments in the blockchain space below. Entertainment, shopping and interactivity is something LINE Corporation is deeply invested in, for example: 
Want to know a bit more about LINE Corp? A few clicks reveal lots of tech scouting market intelligence, including an expansive description, acquisition intel, top investors, IPO amount, employee count, yearly revenues, location, related companies, parent company and funding events – all vital information for those wishing to invest, or compete: 
And even intel to help businesses make informed predictions around tech scouting trends that are merely a glimmer in a tech investor’s eye. For that insight, we look to our Patents dataset.
Patents Around Nascent Trends & Investments
Exploring patents filed in the past five years, we see some of the same themes recurring from our company dataset above. And we can see which areas are gaining steam or losing favor: 
Expanding the bars to show bars as 100% stacks to decompress those results offers a clearer view of which areas are experiencing the most growth in 2019, into 2020: 
Data processing patents have experienced a sharp decline, but has it really? Or has it just shifted to a slightly different focus? We see see the cluster focused on tracing, storing, sharing – and yes, processing – financial data (tan) has grown as much as the other has declined. Isolating that conversation, we can see what each entails: 
And we can see precisely how many patents have been filed for this area, along with lots more, including related patents, lots of info around when and where they were filed – and by whom: 
And even intel on individual patents, including where they’re filed, what they’re for, and patent classification info – all in one place. Immediately available to explore and analyze in a number of ways: 
Staying on top of emerging technology in any category is no small task, but with AI-powered market intelligence on your side, it doesn’t have to be daunting. Step into your future with tech scouting used by firms in the know. Reach out for a demo and we’ll show you everything you can do with our News & Blogs, Company and Patents datasets, as this really just scratches the surface of what’s possible.