Blockchain continues to enthrall the enlightened and entice millions, including the under or uninitiated as well. Of course there are some rather big names that have been involved from the beginning and others joining almost constantly, and there are multiple ICOs planned in the near-future that are certain to draw even more consumers and investors into the blockchain space.
So today we’re going to take a look at which industries are investing the most as well as which publicly traded companies are currently a part of this rising technology.
The Not-So-Surprising Leader
While it wasn’t that long ago that many were certain that cryptocurrency and blockchain were going to spell the definitive end of fiat, the inherent ability to send and receive payments both securely and cheaply has the financial industry, including banks and credit card processors, now set as the biggest blockchain patent holders.
Bank of America is the standout leader with an astounding 43 patents while MasterCard is in a distant second place with a still-impressive 27 and the asset management company Fidelity holds 14. Other companies such as Visa, American Express, and Toronto-Dominion Bank have also filed varying numbers of blockchain patents.
To put this in perspective, IBM, the tech sector’s leading patent holder, currently has 27. Clearly showing that BoA has a seriously vested interest in the blockchain space.
A Virtual Ton of Players
Aside from the cast of expected players, blockchain has peeked more than just simple interest from some very well-known companies.
- Anheuser-Busch — Is working on a blockchain platform for simplifying freight logistics.
- Alibaba — The Chinese eCommerce giant has announced plans to invest heavily in the tech.
- Amazon — Recently partnered with Ethereum startup ConsenSys and already offers cloud integrations for a number of blockchains.
- MetLife — This heavy-hitter in the insurance sector joined a partnership to build a blockchain platform for insurance.
- Samsung Electronics — Developed a blockchain platform for tracking global supply chains.
- Pfizer — Recently partnered with Chronicled, a blockchain startup for supply chains.
- Wells Fargo — An early member of R3, a distributed ledger consortium that is working on a better way to track securitized home mortgages.
- Ford Motor Company — Co-launched a blockchain research group and was granted a patent for controlling traffic flow.
- Toyota Motor Corp. — Not only is this industry-titan a founding member of the Blockchain Mobility Consortium, they are currently exploring the use of blockchain payments for enabling self-driving cars.
- BNSF Railroad — The subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway is looking at ways to streamline their supply chain with blockchain.
- Comcast Corporation — This giant in the telecommunications industry is a major backer of Boldstart Ventures, which itself invests in enterprise blockchain startups.
- Allianz — This leader in the insurance arena built a prototype for “self-insurance” and has been reported to be investigating possibilities for a token for moving value.
- Siemens — Invested in the blockchain startup, LO3, that helps neighbors buy and sell solar power directly from each other.
- Prudential — Helped launch a blockchain-based trade platform for small businesses via a partnership with Singapore telecom firm StarHub.
- Facebook — The social media leader announced recently that they plan to explore the benefits of blockchain for their various platforms.
With the continued spread into the mainstream and branching across a wide-range of industries, the blockchain space is all but certain to see more continue to invest in the technology and explore the benefits available to their specific needs.
