Blockchain has taken the world by storm. The distributed ledger has proven its mettle in every sphere of activity and the Indian industries have jumped on the bandwagon, even pioneering path-breaking blockchain-based solutions that set the stage for more developments to follow. From the banking sector to production, blockchain has made its way into the Indian Fintech ecosystem and is marking its presence in more profound ways with each passing day.
Check out our free courses to get an edge over the competition.
Blockchain, as the name suggests, uses a chain of cryptographically-linked blocks that are immutably stored. This ensures transparency through the decentralization of information which is shared across the network, replicated on all participating nodes rather than being stored on a central server prone to attacks. This is, in fact, the key to the power of this technology.
Learn Software Development Programs from the World’s top Universities. Earn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
Blockchain and KYC in the Indian Banking Space
Banks have quickly realized the limitless opportunities this new technology holds in improving the efficiency of banking operations to guarantee, at the end of the day, a better customer experience.
Amongst the multiple uses of the blockchain are the KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures so critical to the banking sector. Rapid globalization has transformed regions into globally positioned local units that are connected to the intercontinental network. Transactions frequently cross boundaries and necessitate KYC checks to ensure regulatory compliance.
Check out upGrad’s Full Stack Development Bootcamp (JS/MERN)
Needless to say though, the KYC data quickly becomes huge and often unmanageable. It is here that the Indian banks, like their peers elsewhere in the world, have recognized the efficacy of blockchain to store KYC records in an unalterable, secure, and accessible manner. The State Bank of India (SBI), the largest Indian bank with a 450 million customer base, has taken the lead, becoming the first Indian bank to use KYC procedures, in addition, to automatically executing codes called smart contracts, all powered by blockchain.
HDFC Bank too plans to use blockchain in its KYC and trade finance procedures. This, however, is not where the use of DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) ends. blockchain will enable AML (Anti Money Laundering), asset inventory audits, and the validation of land records as well.
In-Demand Software Development Skills
Check out upGrad’s Java Bootcamp.
BankChain Blockchain and Indian Banks: A Step Further
SBI, taking a step further, has now become one of the first Asian banks to have rolled out the use of blockchain for facilitating remittance. The technology promises cost-effective remittances, which can quickly add up in the voluminous equation that spans both retail and corporate ecosystems.
BankChain, a “community of banks” and currently has 37 members working on as many as 22 live projects. The consortium aims to usher in an era of the “internet of value” which could facilitate the easy, cost-effective, and secure movement of value across the world. Towards the realization of this aim, BankChain has developed what it calls B2 or the BankChain Blockchain. The platform allows member banks to set up nodes on the cloud or on-premise, becoming participants in this one of a kind “permission blockchain for the world’s banks”.
7 ways Blockchain is Revolutionizing the Automotive Industry
Claims Management in The Insurance Industry
The Indian insurance industry has been rapidly keeping up with the blockchain, which promises relief from the inefficiencies inherent in the claims management process leading to losses of the order of Rs. 10,000 crore each year.
Cognizant, the IT behemoth recently partnered with Indian insurers including SBI Life Insurance, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, HDFC Life, and Kotak Life to name a few, developing a secure data-sharing solution based on the Corda blockchain platform.
Similar to the banking sector, the use of the distributed ledger will help facilitate record-keeping, due diligence, regulatory compliance, and of course, the prevention of frauds. The blockchain, as a true Six Sigma torchbearer, will ensure better customer experience through real-time data availability and transparency.
Coupled with technologies based on Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning, the blockchain will help underwriters accomplish their jobs in a much more efficient way, thanks to the power of peer-to-peer networking that forms the core of the technology.
Explore Our Software Development Free Courses
IndiaChain: Blockchain For Public Good
Announced by the NITI Aayog in 2017, IndiaChain is a mammoth project that will forever transform public administration, bringing in greater efficiency, transparency, and trust through the use of the blockchain.
IndiaChain will be a colossal blockchain project that will allow streamlined record-keeping, efficient and transparent disbursement of government subsidies, well-regulated supply chain management, and systematic tax monitoring, to name just a few applications that immediately come to mind.
Armed with the blockchain, the system would feature useful apps encouraging organizations to use the platform to make their own, similar to the UPI interface so ubiquitous today. IndiaChain would also integrate several “sidechains” which could be utilized for industry-specific functions with their own logic set but maintaining their links with the main blockchain.
IndiaChain will also help breathe new life into the education sector that struggles with fraudulent degrees and certifications. Partnering with IIT Bombay and the DU colleges, the project will develop a platform to issue digital certificates for degrees secured with the distributed ledger. The digital certification platform will help eliminate the huge costs associated with the routine degree verification procedures used by companies hiring candidates.
What’s more, IndiaChain will be integrated with the digital infrastructure developed around the Aadhar database, termed IndiaStack.
Another potential use of IndiaChain is in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry that necessitates the management of massive data. Beyond doubt, such industries need a secure and efficient system for optimal functioning; one that the blockchain so realistically promises to deliver.
Growing Demand for Software Engineers in Blockchain Technology
Looking into the Future
The world as we know it is changing. Bleeding-edge technologies such as blockchain, AI, cloud computing, machine learning, and big data have made their presence felt in India, a constitutional republic that stands to benefit tremendously with the might of decentralization, the paradigm shift that resonates so deeply with the spirit of our nation; a revolution we have known closely as the largest democracy in the world.
Blockchain brings the power back where it belongs – Into the hands of the people.
Explore our Popular Software Engineering Courses
If you are interested to create blockchain applications from scratch, check out upGrad & IIIT-B’s Executive Certification in Blockchain from IIITB.