Understanding Blockchain: The Future of Secure, Transparent Transactions

Introduced in 2008, blockchain was designed by a person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The Mystery of Satoshi is a story in itself as “they” have virtually vanished after building the Bitcoin revolution.

The idea behind blockchain, in simplest terms, is a shared form of ledger that records digital transactions in a secure or transparent way. The database is distributed for anyone to view and verify cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, and can be used in different systems like supply chain management, voting systems and identity verification.

Peer-to-Peer System

Blockchain was first outlined in a white paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” The paper introduced the concept and has set forth a fantastic transformation in how digital currency is managed today and moving forward.

As a technology on its own, it has multiple potential applications. As of 2025, we have seen this take off in fintech, digital currency solutions, and healthcare due to the integrity capabilities that technology introduces.

While the adoption of blockchain has matured in specific industries, such as fintech, healthcare, and supply chain, its application is still evident across multiple sectors. It remains a relatively new technology being adopted into application development, where there are unlimited opportunities for service providers, application developers, and compliance teams to provide services around this technology.

Technology Meets Opportunity: PayPal’s Strategy

Recognizing where the technology is currently applied often highlights the initial opportunities. PayPal is a leading example in the FinTech sector. PayPal’s Stable Bitcoin (PYUSD) was introduced in 2025 and allows users to buy, sell, hold, and transfer PYUSD within the PayPal app and website, and also to send it to friends in the US or transfer to compatible external wallets. PayPal saw the opportunity to implement a real-world application leveraging blockchain with Bitcoin to help reduce their overall costs in delivering digital commerce and payments. This significantly saved money on infrastructure upgrades that can be used elsewhere and created a streamline for their other payment applications.

This forward-thinking quickly increased the speed and agility of PayPal services for its customers allowing ease for moving currency across borders and international transactions. Hats off to such a strategic and bold move with this underlying technology.

Supply Chain Impact via MediLedger Network

A prominent example of blockchain’s application in supply chains is through the pharmaceutical industry via the MediLedger network, which is comprised of major companies such as Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, and Pfizer. Several companies teamed up to use blockchain through the MediLedger network to tackle big industry problems, like stopping counterfeit medications from entering the market.

By giving each drug unit a unique digital ID, its entire journey—from the manufacturer to the pharmacy—is securely recorded on the blockchain. This creates a permanent, unchangeable record. Twenty years ago, this level of tracking and security seemed impossible. Now, it’s possible to instantly check where a drug is in the delivery process and confirm its authenticity. This greatly improves trust and integrity across the entire supply chain and ultimately creates an immutable Ledger complete journey of the manufacturer, all the way to the pharmacy, which is incredible.

What’s Next in the Technology Sector

A key consideration for most MSPs or compliance officers is to learn where the technology is being used, how it can be used, or where it can be promoted to facilitate transactional integrity in an organization’s processes and practices. This opens opportunities to influence the development community and software solution vendors to adopt these technologies to provide this level of integrity for a client’s business practices.

As these technologies become adopted, developed, and implemented, there will be a need to provide ongoing education, seminars, and technology training for users, companies, and business owners. The goal is to help them understand and see the value of blockchain in their businesses such as increase in ROI.

In my experience, one should never underestimate the value of trust and transparency.

When partners can see each other’s commitments in real time, it builds clarity and trust for future business. Blockchain technology can play a key role in this by creating secure, verifiable records—even supporting the integrity of emerging technologies like AI. This opens up opportunities to educate, invest, and build stronger compliance and trust frameworks for businesses today and in the future.

Using blockchain in these areas will require a smart mix of trusted infrastructure—both cloud and on-premise solutions. As AI and quantum computing become more widely available, technology providers and developers will need to evolve to fully support these advancements. Ongoing education and training, especially for businesses, governments, and the military, will be essential. This will help build the foundation for more secure, compliant environments and foster a society that can trust the technology it relies on.