Blockchain technology, the cornerstone of digital currencies such as Bitcoin, has risen from the obscurity of the digital underground to mainstream relevance. It has rapidly transformed not only financial markets, but a wide range of industries by introducing profound enhancements to process efficiency, security, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and data integrity. Its key value proposition, however, lies in disintermediation—the elimination of middlemen—which has the potential to revolutionize global trade and shift control from institutions to consumers.

