Blockchain cross-border transactions space set for unprecedented growth

The number of cross-border transactions recorded on the blockchain will hit 1.3 billion by 2023, a CAGR of 82% over the next four years, according to Juniper Research. The value of these transactions will reach an unprecedented $3.4 trillion, a CAGR of 87% over the next five years.

Juniper’s new research, Blockchain for Financial Services: Opportunities, Challenges & Forecasts 2019-2030, argues that blockchain will become critical for financial institutions aiming to improve their bottomline. It anticipates that banks stand to save close to $27 billion a year by 2030 through blockchain implementation.

Leading FS vendors

Juniper assessed 19 blockchain vendors, scoring their level of agility, presence and innovation, the complexity of their blockchain solutions and prospects in the field. It ranked the five leading vendors in the space as follows:

• IBM
• Infosys Finacle
• Interbit
• Deloitte
• Digital Asset

IBM remains the indisputable leader in the space, having attracted dozens of clients in financial institutions and developed mature blockchain products, including a trade finance platform and bespoke work on areas ranging from securities digitisation to derivatives. Meanwhile, Infosys Finacle continues to develop its blockchain-agnostic solutions through its Blockchain Framework and Finacle Trade Connect, gaining a strong customer base among banks.

Smart contracts

Smart contracts will be key for financial institutions, particularly in the context of increasing accuracy and transparency. This is exemplified by JP Morgan Chase’s use of smart contracts to reduce compliance costs via the Quorum platform, a distributed ledger transaction network built on Ethereum.

Juniper Research cites continually rising compliance costs, particularly in North American and West European markets, as critical drivers behind bank spend on the likes of smart contracts.