Quick Thoughts: Blockchain Innovates and Disrupts

by Stephen H. Dover, CFA, Chief Market Strategist and Head of Franklin Templeton Investment Institute,Ā Franklin Templeton Investments

The Medici accounting ledger developed during the 1500s advanced Europeā€™s economic growthā€”now blockchain has the potential to launch a new, global digital renaissance, transforming financial services, supply chains, healthcare, backend offices, and more.1 In 2018, we identified conditions that could make blockchain a potential disruptor for several industries. As active investors, we continue to evaluate its risks and opportunities:

  • Blockchainā€™s biggest breakthroughs are democratisation and decentralised recordkeeping, to establish trust between two internet strangers without a trusted intermediary.
  • Blockchainā€™s innovations of tokenisation and fractionalised ownership of assets could unlock access to illiquid assets, and provide broader access to non-public investments.2
  • Blockchain could completely change how the financial services industry operates their back offices. Blockchain could also facilitate the consumer data-mining essential for marketing financial and other services.
  • There are obstacles to blockchain-based money. Current blockchain technology can manage about five transactions per second, whereas credit cards can handle over 1,500 transactions per second. Many experts believe that transaction-processing gaps will evolve and widen, the flip side of blockchainā€™s appealing, more secure platform.
  • China is rapidly moving its currency, the renminbi, towards a central bank digital currency (CBDC). CBDCs allow for greater prevention of fraud or crime, enable instantaneous international transactions, reduce transaction costs, permit greater financial inclusion and aid the provision of direct fiscal stimulus to individuals. Chinaā€™s CBDC could accelerate the decline of the US dollar as the worldā€™s leading reserve currency.
  • The US lags behind China in blockchain infrastructure and security. President Joe Bidenā€™s infrastructure proposals include securing US blockchain infrastructure.

Blockchainā€™s story may sound familiar as its evolution and cycles parallel the internet. Each were dismissed by critics, yet both have potential to unlock seemingly limitless innovation. Our research continues, and I invite you to revisit ā€œTaken On Trust: Disrupting Moneyā€ by Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity. And, read Chief Investment Officer of Templeton Global Macro, Michael Hasenstabā€™s recent op-ed in the Financial Times ā€œChinaā€™s Digital Currency is a Threat to Dollar Dominance,ā€ where he examines Chinaā€™s digitalisation of the renminbi and its potential impacts.

 

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This material is intended to be of general interest only and should not be construed as individual investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. It does not constitute legal or tax advice.
The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as at publication date and may change without notice. The information provided in this material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region or market. All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal.
Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and Franklin Templeton (ā€œFTā€) has not independently verified, validated or audited such data. FT accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss arising from use of this information and reliance upon the comments opinions and analyses in the material is at the sole discretion of the user. ā€‹
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What Are the Risks?
All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested.Ā Stock prices fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and dramatically, due to factors affecting individual companies, particular industries or sectors, or general market conditions. The technology industry can be significantly affected by obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants as well as general economic conditions. Buying and using blockchain-enabled digital currency carries risks, including the loss of principal. Speculative trading in bitcoins and other forms of cryptocurrencies, many of which have exhibited extreme price volatility, carries significant risk. Among other risks, interactions with companies claiming to offer cryptocurrency payment platforms or other cryptocurrency-related products and services may expose users to fraud. Blockchain technology is a new and relatively untested technology and may never be implemented to a scale that provides identifiable benefits.Ā Investing in cryptocurrencies and ICOs is highly speculative and an investor can lose the entire amount of their investment. If a cryptocurrency is deemed a security, it may be deemed to violate federal securities laws. There may be a limited or no secondary market for cryptocurrencies. Past performance does not guarantee future results.Ā 

1. Source: National Institutes of Health, Applications of blockchain in ensuring the security and privacy of electronic health record systems: A survey, July 15, 2020.

2. Source: Seeking Alpha, Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) CEO Jenny Johnson on Q2 2021 Resultsā€”Earnings Call Transcript, May 4, 2021.

The post Quick Thoughts: Blockchain Innovates and Disrupts appeared first on Beyond Bulls & Bears.

This post was first published at the official blog of Franklin Templeton Investments.

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