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Adopting blockchain during a pandemic: Why it is the innovation we need during this time

In today’s show, Matt Hooper is joined by IBM Blockchain Pulse’s second return guest, the incredible Rachel Wolfson! Rachel is a blockchain podcast host, a public speaker, and a journalist. She regularly contributes to a multitude of publications and has been writing about the tech industry for nearly 10 years, with an explicit focus on blockchain and cryptocurrency for the past two. As a journalist, Rachel interviews some of the most influential people in the enterprise blockchain space and frequently travels the world for conferences.

In their conversation today, Matt and Rachel discuss why right now (during the pandemic) is as good of a time as any for enterprises to adopt blockchain. In fact, it may be the best time to! On IBM Blockchain Pulse, Matt often speaks with business leaders hungry to embrace this innovation that is blockchain; to implement the efficiencies blockchain brings to the supply chain. While we’re experiencing so much change around us due to the current pandemic, it is actually an ideal time to embrace just that much more; to seriously consider a more transparent business future, enabled by this podcast’s namesake technology.

Learn how industries are revolutionizing business with IBM Blockchain

Don’t miss out on Matt and Rachel’s conversation all about the future of blockchain and why widely adopting it now is the push we all need for a better future.

Key takeaways

[:00] An excerpt from today’s episode.
[:57] About today’s episode with Rachel Wolfson.
[2:35] Matt welcomes Rachel to the podcast.
[3:52] Has COVID-19 expedited a digital future?
[4:50] How has blockchain improved inefficiencies along the supply chain during the pandemic?
[7:22] Is blockchain a solution for this current moment in time? Does Rachel predict that we will be seeing widespread adoption during this pandemic?
[9:37] Rachel shares some use cases about how blockchain, combined with other technologies, can help improve the tourism and travel industry.
[11:11] Does Rachel have any concerns that we may not be able to adopt the innovations that we want to adopt with blockchain?
[13:31] What the U.S. is more hesitant on adopting blockchain than other parts of the world.
[14:38] Rachel recently wrote an article on how blockchain can be used to track the blood supply chain. She shares what she learned as she was researching this article and explains what it means to “tokenize blood.”
[17:27] About the Blockchain Pulse newsletter.
[18:27] Putting their post-COVID hats on, Matt and Rachel discuss what the future role of decentralized financial institutions (AKA ‘DeFi’) and their tens of thousands of employees might be.
[21:12] Rachel speaks about where the current excitement is around with regard to building a more trust-based future.
[25:11] Rachel speaks about the DeFi boom and how it resembles the 2017 ICO boom.
[26:49] Discussing the future of blockchain and why Rachel believes it will continue to advance.
[29:13] Matt thanks Rachel for joining the podcast!

Sources mentioned

IBM Blockchain Pulse Ep. 12: “Blockchain Journalist Talks Top Trends”
Blockchain Pulse newsletter — Subscribe to the monthly newsletter!

Follow-up with our guest

Rachel Wolfson’s Website
Rachel Wolfson’s Twitter
The Crypto Chick Podcast with Rachel Wolfson
Rachel Wolfson Articles on Bitcoin Magazine
Rachel Wolfson Articles on Forbes

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Tweetables

“I do think that blockchain is extremely relevant, especially now, with COVID.” — Rachel Wolfson

“Blockchain, as a technology, can be used in ways that extend far beyond cryptocurrency use cases. That’s where the enterprise comes in, and that’s what we’re seeing a lot of these use cases done.” — Rachel Wolfson

“Blockchain is here to stay.” — Rachel Wolfson

“I don’t see [blockchain] going away; I only see it advancing and becoming so advanced to the point that, in five years from now, we aren’t going to say, ‘Oh, it runs on a blockchain-based network.’ It’s just there; it’s just something that’s baked in naturally..” — Rachel Wolfson

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