2019: The Year Blockchain Begins Finance's Great Unbundling

As the unbundling picks up in 2019, I expect it create opportunities for smart blockchain companies that can find their niche and be successful.

Blockchain has already started to level the playing field by disrupting correspondent banking and democratizing payments.

In 2019, blockchain will start to move beyond payments and will begin to unbundle securities, loans and other derivative financial products.

Dharma, Dydx, Compound Finance and The Ocean are all interesting companies working on the next phase of Decentralized Finance.

Regulators in Asia are providing clearer guidelines on blockchain and crypto projects, partially because they consider blockchain a catalyst for economic growth.

If Grab, Gojek, and Paytm can control distribution to a newly banked set of consumers, they'll then start to look towards blockchain to source a better experience for payments, loans and other derivative financial products.

Similar to the internet boom and bust, nearly every imaginable use case from tracking flower freshness to Kodakcoin used blockchain as a buzzword to gain influence and attract eyeballs.

In the last few years, it's become clear that payments are the one use case where blockchain works today.

In 2019, blockchain will build on this momentum and branch into decentralized finance applications such as loans and insurance products that leverage blockchain-based smart contract platforms.

As long as builders can stay focused on solving very specific use cases, we will see more competition, innovation and a much-needed unbundling.