Blockchain is an emerging technologythat offers the possibility of re-engineering economicmodels and enabling the creation of markets and productsthat were previously unavailable or unprofitable acrossemerging markets. This report is intended to introducereaders to current developments in distributed ledgertechnology, or blockchain, with the vantage point ofpossible benefits to emerging markets. The first sixchapters were written a year ago, while the last three aremore recent and bring the perspective of a year ofdevelopment in the nascent technology. Chapter 1 provides anoverview of blockchain technology, followed by a look at itsunfolding applications in emerging markets in Chapter 2.Chapter 3 examines whether blockchain can be used tomitigate de-risking by financial institutions. Chapters 4and 5 look more closely at the financial services sector,including an overview of how blockchain fits into thespectrum of financial technology (fintech) innovations andthe resulting provision of financial services (Chapter 4),and an analysis of blockchain’s contribution to reaching theunbanked and underbanked in various emerging markets,including in Latin America, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa(Chapter 5). Chapter 6 looks beyond fintech to explore howdevelopments in applied blockchain technology can impactagribusiness, drug safety, and more generally provideenforcement tools to promote the reach of sustainable andinclusive business. Chapter 7 discusses the properregulatory environment needed to stimulate competition andinvestment in blockchain technologies in emerging marketsand beyond. Chapter 8 examines the potential of blockchainto accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy solutionsin these countries. Chapter 9 offers a review of legalissues associated with the use of blockchain and how thesecan be addressed.
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