Traditional and decentralised finance: the era of convergence?

Written by Helen Disney and Olaf Ransome from The Realization Group

A few years ago, the idea that virtual worlds could exist in which we might conduct relationships, enter into financial transactions, create, buy and sell works of art and otherwise engage as we do in the ‘real world’, was unthinkable. But here we are. There is no question that today’s financial markets are undergoing a seismic shift in new technologies and processes. And it’s not just a single technological shift;  slews of new ‘frontier’ technologies are evolving concurrently, driving immense change and heralding a new era in global finance.

Blockchains, distributed ledger technology and digital assets including tokens and cryptocurrencies are key components of a digital technology revolution that is bringing together technological innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) and other technology-led trends, such as the creation of the metaverse, to drive fundamental change in the ways we i…