29 Jan 2025
Blockchain has become all the rage in recent years, and for valid reasons. When you think about the word “blockchain,” you probably relate it to digital money like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but you’re selling it short of its actual capabilities and potential. Blockchain beyond cryptocurrency offers a revolutionary transformation of sectors like health, governance, logistics, and finance, among others. If its usage increases with time, people could casually use it to make an online money transfer in the near future.
However, let’s not ignore the fact that blockchain can be quite difficult to understand as a regular person with very minimal financial expertise. If the word blockchain intimidates you too but you want to learn how it could shape the future, keep reading this easy-to-understand blog see what is the blockchain real-world use.
Consider blockchain technology as a series of blocks connected by a chain. Each of these blocks stores a certain amount of data. It is a decentralized system for storing data so that records can be kept safely. Initially, this decentralized blockchain system was the foundation for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as it is sort of a digital ledger where every transaction is recorded, and it can’t tampered with. However, now its usage has reached beyond the finance sector. Let’s look at some of those major sectors to see the usage of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency.
The food, clothing, and other items we buy reach us through an intricate supply chain system. Current systems, however, face challenges in tackling fraud, inefficiencies, and lack of transparency in the supply chain. This is where a decentralized blockchain can help mitigate those issues by ensuring accountability and traceability with minimal to zero errors.
With a blockchain supply chain, you can follow a product through each stage, from its manufacturing to its final delivery to the end consumer. Imagine buying a pair of shoes and scanning a code on the shoe box to see where the product was made and how it got to the shop. The same goes for other products like coffee. This is a great way to ensure certain things, such as whether the product was ethically sourced or not.
Companies like Walmart are already using this sort of technology to track their food items from farm to shelf. This blockchain supply chain system helps them ensure their products' quality and safety are adequate.
Included in supply chain systems is a logistics system, which is crucial for a streamlined supply chain. Blockchain in logistics can be used to cut operational costs, boost efficiency and also improve shipment tracking in logistics. When you can get real-time updates on where a particular product is, everything changes. It means that you can track a product from its origin all the way to its final destination.
Decentralized blockchain introduces smart contracts that execute themselves such as the payment for the product when it is delivered. This ensures operational efficiency and avoids delays or errors. The lack of need for intermediaries in the logistics chain can significantly reduce costs like administration and transportation costs.
One example of blockchain in logistics is Maersk, the shipping giant that has partnered with IBM to develop a system called TradeLens. TradeLens is a blockchain-based platform that makes logistics operations much more smooth since it provides end-to-end visibility across supply chains.
Handling massive amounts of data in hospitals and medical care centers can be a tedious task, and it makes citizen’s personal data vulnerable to security breaches. Blockchain in healthcare can help minimize that risk by ensuring a more streamlined, smooth, and secure method to manage the medical records of every patient who walks into a hospital.
Blockchain operates with encryption on data which can protect a patient’s data from getting stolen or from unauthorized usage. The decentralized and unified database can let healthcare providers seamlessly share data with each other. Other than that, blockchain in healthcare can assist pharmaceutical companies, too. They can use blockchain to tackle the issue of counterfeit drugs and ensure the safety of consumers.
There are company startups like Medicalchain that use blockchain for a secure and efficient healthcare system.
If we look at the traditional financial system, it is already seen as obsolete by many people across the globe. More and more of them have switched towards online banking for their daily financial activities for personal finance as well as business finance management. Many expats across the world send money online as remittances rather than opting for other avenues. This calls for a need to make the finance and trade sector even more accessible and inclusive.
Blockchain financial services can address the existing inefficiency challenges faced by the traditional finance system. The technology can enable instant cross-border payments for people who regularly need to send or receive money and payments from across the border, as no intermediaries are required. The self-executing contracts and decentralized finance systems offered through the usage of blockchain can allow people to trade, lend, and borrow funds without the need for a traditional bank to intervene.
Among good examples of blockchain financial services are companies like Stellar and Ripple, which use blockchain technology to make global payments a piece of cake and subsequently ensure inclusivity.
A government has to manage an entire nation including the people and the country’s resources. Even with a giant government machinery, there are issues of corruption and inefficiencies. Blockchain in government can help reduce this burden while also ensuring transparency. For example, if the government uses blockchain-based registries for land ownership, it can prevent disputes and risk of fraud since the land-owning records are tamper-proof.
Blockchain in government ensures decentralized identities, which can help simplify the process of providing citizens access to public services like health and education while also protecting the citizens' privacy. The public can also ensure whether their government is observing transparency and fairness in its public procurement processes. This is because the records stored on a blockchain cannot be tampered with.
One great example of governance using blockchain is Estonia’s blockchain-based e-governance. Estonia has used decentralized blockchain technology to build trust with its citizens through streamlining its public services.
Blockchain technology also has the potential to secure voting systems and other democratic processes in countries. Through its usage, the entire election process can become more accessible, transparent, and secure. Here’s how blockchain in voting can enhance democratic procedures:
Among the top blockchain applications in 2025 is tamper-proof elections. When a person votes and it is recorded on the blockchain, that data cannot be changed or deleted. It is immutable data, and therefore, this ensures the integrity of elections.
When it comes to blockchain-based systems, people can vote anywhere and anytime. This blockchain in the voting system opens pathways for remote voting systems where people can actively participate and cast their votes whether they live in remote areas or on foreign land.
The transparency that will come from the use of blockchain technology for election processes is one of the best ways to build public trust in the democratic system of their country.
There are several pilot projects underway which are built to test blockchain in voting systems and they show promising results that could revolutionize how governments are elected, enhancing citizen participation and electoral credibility.
Blockchain technology is improving and gaining traction, so it is definitely here to stay. In the future, it seems people will use it not only to send money and make payments but also to vote for their favorite political candidate and incorporate conscious and ethical consumption of the products they buy.
Blockchain applications in 2025 are numerous, and they also show promise in revolutionizing other things such as verification of educational credentials, peer-to-peer energy trading, shipment tracking in logistics, etc. As its adoption grows, it is important for you to stay ahead of the game.
Blockchain is being adopted across various industries, including supply chain management, healthcare, finance, government services, logistics, and even education. Its versatility allows it to address unique challenges in each sector.
Blockchain ensures data security through encryption and decentralization. Data stored on a blockchain is immutable, meaning it cannot be altered, and it is distributed across a network, making it less vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Yes, small businesses can leverage blockchain for applications like secure payment processing, supply chain tracking, and verifying transactions. It can also help them streamline operations and reduce costs.
Specific blockchain systems, especially those using proof-of-work mechanisms, consume significant energy. However, newer technologies like proof-of-stake and green blockchain initiatives aim to reduce environmental impact.
The future of blockchain lies in its broader adoption across industries, integration with emerging technologies like AI and IoT, and its ability to drive innovations in areas such as decentralized finance, smart contracts, and digital identity verification.
