Blockchain, Cryptocurrency’s Future Debated at Consensus Conference

If you are still confused about what blockchain is and what it can be used for, don’t worry. The crypto industry is still trying to figure that out, too. Here at Coindesk’s Consensus 2019 conference, fledgling software companies pitched new pieces for future incarnations of blockchain, while new advocacy groups discussed why it is important to normalize the technology for customers and regulators, and economists said they were skeptical of the whole thing. To be sure, there is a lot of development going on in blockchain, cryptocurrency, coins and security tokens and distributed ledgers, as vendors look to improve on basic plumbing of blockchain frameworks like Ethereum and Hyperledger or make their own. For instance, Polymath is building a security token blockchain in collaboration with Ethereum pioneer Charles Hoskinson. Dubbed Polymesh, the new platform will be designed specifically for companies that want to create regulation-compliant security tokens. The idea, Hoskinson said, is that now small businesses “can use templates and not have to hire armies of lawyers and bankers to do business.