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Smart contracts

What are 10 Smart Contracts Use Cases?

Estimated read time: 7 minutes
Aran Davies

Aran Davies

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Wondering about 10 use cases of smart contracts?  You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss the same.

10 real-world examples of smart contract use cases

10 smart contract use cases in the real world include the following:

Smart Contracts Use Case #1: Trade Finance

Trade Finance stands to benefit immensely from the introduction of smart contracts. Santander Innoventures said that it believes that blockchain technology will lead to more than $20 billion worth of savings per year.

A huge amount of these savings will come from smart contracts automating approval workflows and clearing calculations that at the present time are incredibly labor-intensive. Not only will this automation help to reduce work hours but it will also dramatically reduce errors and the time taken for these calculations to take place.

Smart Contracts Use Case #2: Records

Nearly every foreseeable industry in the world will be able to use smart contracts to help improve the speed and security of its record-keeping. One industry in particular that stands to benefit enormously is the healthcare industry.

Currently, the world‘s healthcare computer systems hold hundreds of millions of patient medical records. Despite the fact that these healthcare organizations have invested huge sums of money in security, current access and storage methods are far more vulnerable to cyber-attacks than their blockchain-based equivalents are.

Blockchain technology could allow entire databases of personal health records to be securely encrypted and kept. An added bonus is that the technology also facilitates the use of a private key which means only certain individuals can gain access.

Some of the other blockchain smart contracts use cases include their use in issuing prescriptions, storing receipts, general stock management, storing test results, and so on.

Smart Contracts Use Case #3: Property ownership

Smart contracts have two huge uses when it comes to the property market. Firstly, they can be used to record property ownership. Since the use of smart contracts is faster and more cost-efficient this makes them a much better alternative to existing systems.

It also means that they can be used to record the ownership of all types of property from buildings, and land to phones and watches.

Within the housing market, smart contracts can remove the need for expensive services such as those provided by lawyers and housing brokers. This new technology also means that for the first time ever, sellers have the ability to handle the transaction completely by themselves.

Smart Contracts Use Case #4: Mortgages

The property market also stands to benefit from cheaper, faster, and more secure smart contract-based mortgage transactions. Not only will this allow buyers to get into the property quicker but it will also help make the entire process a little less of a headache.

Smart contract mortgages would allow both parties to digitally agree to the sale before processing the payment. Once this is done, the contract would update the property ownership details to reflect the change of ownership.

Since the process would require unique computer code key authorization on behalf of the original owner, it will make the whole process more secure and reduce instances of fraud.

Smart Contracts Use Case #5: Insurance

An chart illustrating different use cases of smart contracts

The insurance industry spends tens of millions of dollars each year on processing claims. Not only that, it actually loses millions of dollars to fraudulent claims too.

Aside from supporting the initial insurance policy, smart contracts provide help improve the process of claim processing in many ways. They could allow error checks and determine payout amounts based on a set of criteria that takes into account the kind of policy that was held by the individual or organization.

Once again, smart contract technology reduces processing times, reduces costs, and causes a dramatic reduction in errors as its main benefits.

In the longer term, smart contracts could be used in tandem with the Internet of Things-enabled vehicles to allow for pay-as-you-go insurance policies and the immediate activation of claims after an accident.

Information such as driver’s licenses, driving records, accident reports, and policy details could be immediately processed to facilitate speedy payouts that would benefit both parties.

Smart Contract Use Case #6: Medical Research

The medical research industry will benefit from similar advantages as the healthcare industry. First of all, highly sensitive data such as patient records could be transferred between departments/research centers after having been securely encrypted via blockchain technology.

Since many of the patients participating in medical research have sensitive medical conditions that they often wish to remain private, keeping these records secure is essential.

Likewise, medical research companies have an enormous amount of data which includes test results and new drug formulas that they need to keep safe.

These could be secured through the use of smart contracts should they need to divulge any of this information to a third party for any reason. There is but one smart contract blockchain example that could massively benefit the medical research industry.

Smart Contracts Use Case #7: Voting

Allegations of voting fraud occurred as recently as the last U.S. presidential elections. Despite using computer systems that, in some cases, cost millions of dollars, fraudsters find increasingly imaginative ways to manipulate them.

Smart contracts are a simple and cost-effective solution to this problem. They can be used to validate a voter‘s identity and record their vote.

This information could then be used to initiate an action after all voting had ceased. Since the blocks within a blockchain are impossible to alter once they have been recorded, manipulation of this record would not be possible.

Use Case #8: Peer-to-Peer transactions

Smart contracts can be used for a whole range of peer-to-peer transactions. This reasoning is what led to the creation of the Ethereum Project and other such companies.

Users of all shapes and sizes can use these platforms to create and agree on smart contracts. These contracts then remain active until a set of agreed conditions are met.

Once the smart contract is happy that all conditions have been met, it then allows the remaining portion of the agreement to be fulfilled. Typically this is the transfer of money but this isn’t always the case.

So far, smart contracts have been used for everything from launching ICOs to selling goods on the internet. Companies are also using smart contracts to secure the services of development teams and other outsourced companies.

The possibilities of peer-to-peer smart contracts are literally endless. Theoretically, they could replace many of the existing roles that are currently fulfilled by currency.

Use Case #9: Product development

Another exciting use of smart contracts is to keep a ledger regarding the stages of development of a product. Two parties would sign the contract which would activate it.

As the agreed-upon project was developed, the stages and any other relevant information could be recorded in the smart contract. If the parties had agreed to such things as split payments, then as these milestones were reached, the contract would initiate their release.

A huge part of the appeal of smart contracts is their ability to keep information secure and to prove its origins. A company that has invested huge amounts of money into developing a project obviously doesn‘t wish for the information to be stolen.

Generally, the only route to justice when information is stolen is a lengthy court process, something which most companies don‘t have the time and money to go through.

When it comes to intellectual property such as ideas, you only need to look as far as the never-ending patent claims between Apple and Samsung to see just how important being able to prove ownership really can be.

The list of industries that could benefit from this new technology is huge. Given that smart contracts support and secure product development, the kind of industries involved could range from a small startup to a large tech company such as Microsoft or Amazon.

Use Case #10: Stocktaking

Supply chain management is another area of business that can benefit from blockchain-based smart contracts. Internet of Things devices could be used throughout the supply chain to record each step a product takes.

Smart contract supply chains could theoretically virtually eliminate in-house theft as managers would be able to trace a missing product back to the exact time and place that it went missing.

On huge supply chains such as those found in large warehouses, these smart contracts would enable managers to see real-time stock levels and the time it takes for products to move through the supply chain. Managers could use this data to adjust stock levels and develop new working practices to improve delivery times.

For supply chains that operate in several different locations or companies, an automated smart contract could do all of the above and even initiate automatic reorders and payment for orders already received.

Such information contained in these contracts could also be used to help with determining and coming busy periods and even which products to stock at different times of the year.

My Final Thought

I regard smart contracts as the most exciting thing to have come from the emerging technology of blockchain so far. I have to admit to getting really tired of listing to self-proclaimed ’bitcoin investors‘ rattle on about how bitcoin was the best thing since sliced bread because it would put the banks out of business.

For me, the majority of these people are only interested in the quick buck and are not to be taken seriously.

While these people were sitting anxiously watching the price of digital assets go up, I spent my time reading about the Ethereum project and the smart contracts they were developing.

The whole concept of smart contract applications will unquestionably revolutionize the way we live our lives and will be around long after everyone has forgotten about bitcoin.

Blockchain-enabled smart contracts really do have the power to take our lives out of the hands of institutions such as banks. A wonderful byproduct of this is that they actually have the potential to make our world more democratic too.

Since we can use them to exchange something as simple as labor, or more complex things such as loans, as they gain in popularity, the number of these services will grow exponentially.

We will be able to choose to access mortgages, which could be pooled from groups of investors, under the protection of smart contracts. No longer would be forced to pay whatever the few large banks decide to offer.

We would have the power to negotiate rates given the strength or weaknesses of our positions. Also, these investors would be less likely to want to hastily foreclose on our collateral and leave us homeless in the process.

For existing systems, as I have shown, the technological advantages of smart contracts will help to speed up transaction times, lower costs, and even make processes much easier and stress-free. The truth of the matter is that smart contracts represent the real place where the blockchain revolution is taking place.

And when smart technology is present in the real world assets like cars we drive, and things we use, and helps determine the choices we make, the world‘s going to be a lot more secure and interesting place in which to live.

If you, as a business CEO or CTO, are looking forward to engaging in smart contract development for your business process, you are making a good investment decision.

However, blockchain smart contract technology is quite new and constantly evolving. You will require experienced software developers with a special blockchain skill set to complete your smart contract development project successfully.

DevTeam.Space can help you here with its expert blockchain developers community. Write to us your initial blockchain smart contracts development project details via this form and one of our technical managers will link you with the right software developer team, and further assist you with project planning, execution, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are smart contracts?

Smart contracts are digital contracts that allow two parties to undertake some form of exchange. This could be anything from a money transfer to property transfers such as homes, supply chain goods, etc.

How do smart contracts work?

Smart contracts operate on a blockchain. They allow parties to agree on specific terms or enter into a specific agreement, which once completed, triggers the smart contracts to initiate an action such as transferring supply chain management money, etc.

What are the business use cases of smart contracts?

• Supply chain automation
• Property and money transfer
• Automation of business processes


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