Opinion by Siddharth Menon, COO WazirX: India’s opportunity with blockchain

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As part of the broader Indian crypto neighborhood, all of us have our eyes on the Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Forex Invoice slated to go on flooring very quickly, isn’t it? At present, regulatory uncertainty in India is proving to be a significant roadblock to blockchain adoption. The general industrial participation is actually missing by way of the Blockchain tasks after we see that India accounts for lower than 2% of the blockchain startups globally as per a 2019 NASSCOM report on Blockchain. Of this 2%, the vast majority of the medium and enormous service suppliers don’t maintain greater than 5% of the whole blockchain tasks in India, which is relatively low compared to different international locations in North America and Europe.

Regardless of all of the chinks in armour, the blockchain future in India appears fairly vibrant as per a PwC report. With a projected contribution of $62.2 billion in 2030, blockchain know-how will influence main sectors equivalent to provide chain administration($41 billion), securitisation and funds($13.2 billion), and identification safety functions($5 billion), within the descending order of their influence.

Blockchain relevance within the Indian case situation isn’t any vainglorious presumption. We have to perceive that Blockchain, as a know-how, wouldn’t simply influence the tech or digital trade. It’s being seen as a know-how that may reinvent enterprise fashions and synergise processes. Karan Bajwa, MD at IBM India states, “(The) Cloud platform, fused with disruptive applied sciences equivalent to AI, blockchain, cognitive (intelligence), web of issues (IoT), knowledge analytics, and safety will grow to be the spine of companies trying to scale up and keep related sooner or later.”

However are we speaking in the suitable path?We proceed to exhibit fairly a knack for dialogue in the case of the sectoral potentialities for blockchain integration, the attainable use-cases and the worth they might add to the present methods. As is the case with any foundational know-how, Blockchain’s worth may be realised solely when it is going to be made commercially viable and scalable.

Little question, India faces some main structural and institutional challenges in Blockchain adoption, we do see some amendments and initiatives already underway that reiterateMcKinsey’s proposition about the public sector being best positioned to soak in blockchain utilities. But there are some foremost questions we need to find answers to before we can evaluate the opportunity blockchain holds in the Indian context:

What opportunities does the Indian blockchain developer community have?
Do we have the required skill-set and necessary infrastructure to cash in on the blockchain opportunity knocking on our doors?
Do the micro, small and medium scale enterprises have the much-needed government support for upcoming decentralization? What do they gain?

Career as a blockchain developerAGartner study studies that by 2025, the enterprise worth added by blockchain will cross $176 billion, and hit $3.1 trillion by 2030. As the brand new tech seeps in, standard companies will grow to be out of date and people who have already administered blockchain options to their processes would quickly require to go below a significant overhaul to stay aggressive and safe. As such, blockchain is at present the fastest-growing ability set demanded on job websites, with portals witnessing 2,000-6000% job progress within the sector.

World Tech Giants equivalent to JP Morgan, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, are already recruiting blockchain builders in enormous numbers. Indian high names together with Reliance Infocomm, Bajaj Electricals, Mahindra Group, Sure Financial institution have built-in blockchain employment of their processes. A PwC report, no surprise, asserts that56% of the Indian businesses are inclined to make blockchain part of their core enterprise course of in close to future. Owing to the multiplicity of its advantages and makes use of, blockchain is predicted to step by step grow to be part of all the most important sectors such because the Fintech trade, provide chain administration, healthcare, land registry and so forth. Consequently, these sectors will quickly be looking out for builders that may design blockchain platforms and functions for them. In India, the demand for Blockchain-related jobs is larger in Southern states, with Bengaluru, the IT hub,leading the demand at 36%, as per Indeed’s data.

Skill India initiatives for BlockchainThe government is realizing the significance blockchain holds as a transformative force in businesses across sectors including cryptocurrencies and probably, a centrally administered CBCD is in the pipeline too. Ravi Shankar Prasad, former Minister of Electronics and IT, and Communication posits the same, “In the digital world, a trained workforce will become India’s biggest competitive advantage. The government is committed to working with the IT industry and Nasscom to create India Digital Talent Stack, which will propel India into a leadership position in the digital world.”

The Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India has initiated training programs in collaboration with NASSCOM to train professionals in Blockchain and other emerging technologies. A budget of INR 436 crore was approved by the Union government for a skill development program for the same, the funds for which will be released gradually over 3 years time. The program has been entitled the acronym PRIME which stands for Programme for Reskilling / Upskilling of IT Manpower for Employability. The government intends to train 4 lakh professionals in the latest technologies including IoT, Blockchain and AI.

Micro, Small and Media EnterprisesThe modern SMEs and MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy with over6.3 crore enterprises providing employment opportunities to more than 110 million people. Another notable point is that most of our technology startups operate on a medium to small scale. Their work on the blockchain can prove to be a game-changer. Contrary to the popular notion that the blockchain can be integrated only in big corporations, the blockchain can open new avenues of growth for SMEs by helping them optimize their business processes and develop their business models. Blockchain use cases include areas such as trade finance, supply chain finance, smart contracts, funding among others.

The global trade finance gap is expected to grow to$2.4 trillion by 2025 as per the ADB (Asian Development Bank). Studies show that Blockchain solutions, once implemented across enterprises whether big or small, can help bridge this gap by $1 trillion. In India, too, tech startups can enable MSME expansion when backed by blockchain in processes such as tracking of goods, automation of order handling invoicing, expanding customer base, crowdfunding, etc. the biggest opportunity for SMEs can come through smart contact implementation in digital records. A smart contract, such as a digital invoice, can be used as collateral to take credit which can help in lowering fees and mitigating credit risks.

Via peer-to-peer lending, blockchain could help SMEs to overcome the hurdle of lack of access to credit. As businesses go online, the demand for online identity verification and security increases. By moving processes over to the blockchain, SMEs can enjoy the benefits of transparency and security that blockchain offers to their platforms. As more use cases are embraced, blockchain-powered SMEs can scale their operations for exponential gains.

Blockchain technology, being still in its nascence, augurs well in the unsaturated Indian markets readying themselves for the big embrace. India, with the largest concentration of startups globally, breathes in a robust digital ecosystem. If initiated in the right direction, India can become a leading hub of blockchain innovations tapping global funds via the ICO route. Given its existing demographic dividend, India can register a period of sustained growth in the long term, as has been seen across many countries like Japan, China, Korea, etc in the past. A young nation led by equally young technology can open up an unprecedented magnum of opportunities in the long run. We, at WazirX, are eager for this much-anticipated collab!

Disclaimer: The above content is non-editorial, and TIL hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the same. TIL does not guarantee, vouch for or necessarily endorse any of the above content, nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. The article does not constitute investment advice. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated and verified.

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