Since 2008 blockchain technology has been developed not only for the financial sector, but also for logistics, energy, supply chain, identity certification, health and medical records and other fields.

The most prominent of the many application fields is the financial sector. There, blockchain is applied not only to payments, but also to securities and derivatives, trade finance and crypto-asset finance. Among others, the most important is its effect on the financial system architecture. The innovation by FinTech transforms the financial system from "bank-centric system" to "payment-centric system." This new system will build "digital economic area" based on its own network without being restricted by borders. Even more striking is the announcement of Facebook's Libra publication plan. Libra is a "stable coin" issued by the private sector, which may become "world synthetic currency" supported by reserve assets denominated in different currencies. Libra will promote the digital currency issuance by central banks.

Remaining issues in blockchain technology may include the scalability, the enormous power consumption required for calculations, interoperability between different blockchains and networks, and privacy protection.