One of the biggest misconceptions about blockchain is that its only purpose is for creating cryptocurrencies and financial speculation. However, recent academic research highlights many transformative, real-world applications that have nothing to do with price volatility (Kou et al., 2025). These practical uses prove that blockchain is a foundational technology for the future. Let's explore two key examples.
As our cities grow, managing resources and services efficiently becomes a major challenge. Blockchain offers a new framework for building "Smart Cities" by improving how we share resources and organize urban development. Research explores using blockchain to create more effective sharing economy models, focusing on three key dimensions: human coordination, technological integration, and organizational structure (Yan, Sun, and Zhang, as cited in Kou et al., 2025). This approach helps city planners develop services that are more transparent, secure, and directly responsive to citizens' needs.
Real estate is one of the world's most valuable asset classes, but it's also highly illiquid and inaccessible to the average person. Blockchain technology is changing this through **tokenization**—the process of converting rights to a physical asset into a digital token on a blockchain.
Instead of needing millions to buy an entire building, investors can buy a small "token" that represents a fraction of the ownership. Academic studies on the tokenization of rental properties found that this model provides direct economic exposure to the housing market, allowing for easier investment and greater liquidity (Swinkels, as cited in Kou et al., 2025). This could democratize real estate investment for a new generation.
These examples—from urban planning to property investment—show that blockchain's true potential is its ability to create more secure, transparent, and efficient systems for a wide range of industries.