Trust in Blockchain

Trust. You can’t touch it or smell it, but it’s a vital ingredient in every commercial transaction. It exists between companies and their staff, suppliers, and customers. The entire worldwide monetary system is based on the principle of trust. One could argue that trust, above all else, is what binds the modern world together. However, trust is not blind: mistrust will also exist between the parties of financial transactions. Consequently, it is hard to build trust, but it can turn to dust in a matter of seconds.

Part of the attraction of cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, is that trust is placed in its consensus mechanism and not between a transaction’s counterparties. Anonymous users exchange Bitcoin without the need to measure a counterparty’s trustworthiness. Blockchain technology creates trust across the entire Bitcoin network through its distributed ledger and consensus-based transaction verification. While Bitcoin receives a great deal of media attention, blockchain technology is coming out of Bitcoin’s shadow as a potential game changer for transactions. Many industries are investigating blockchain’s potential to remove the requirement of central market functions, speed up transaction processing, and reduce overall costs. In addition, there are other use cases outside of transaction management. However, there are many issues with the technology that must be resolved before it becomes a mainstream technology.

Ironically, Trust Could Be Blockchain’s Undoing

Few technologies as immature as blockchain receive comparable media interest. Despite any current large enterprisewide deployments, blockchain evangelists have touted it as a technology panacea. It will likely be years before blockchain applications move into the mainstream. Blockchain startups have attracted billions in investment, yet these companies are exactly that: startups. In some cases, little more than a handful of enthusiasts with a good idea and some seed capital.

And therein lies the problem: blockchain could suffer from a huge trust issue. Not in the creation of trustless networks, but trust in the technology itself. The expectation of blockchain’s potential—driven by an unrelenting hype machine—far exceeds its current ability to deliver. It will likely be 4 or 5 years before we see any large-scale blockchain deployments. In the interim, some startups will run out of capital and close, others’ products will fail to deliver on their promises. What is certain is that blockchain developers will come across many issues converting blockchain from an open source software into something that is enterprise ready, scalable, and able to provide viable alternatives to existing technologies.

Expectations Could Be Set Too High

The problem is that 4 or 5 years is a long time to wait. The hype around blockchain is such that expectations can be set unrealistically high. I expect a great deal of negative press if too many startups fail or if too many projects become encumbered by too many unforeseen technology problems. The industry will lose its trust in the entire blockchain industry. A dollar value can be attributed to companies’ trust in blockchain—it’s currently the total amount pouring into trials and proofs of concept. A breakdown in trust will mean an end to project funding and the end of the road for blockchain.

Blockchain has some unique features that could benefit many organizations in the future. But it is not a panacea. It needs time to overcome its teething problems and to demonstrate its value. The hype surrounding the technology could well be its undoing.

Companies investigating blockchain should do so with the full knowledge that it is an emerging technology. It will take time, patience, and investment to adapt blockchain for enterprise-class deployments.