(But Not the Way Most People Think)
Intro
For years, we’ve heard about blockchain as the key technology of the next digital revolution. First with Bitcoin, then with NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) and their potential connection to the metaverse, and more recently with digital certifications and digital passports: every time, it seems blockchain is ready to change everything.
Yet today, we can start saying something counterintuitive—but realistic: blockchain is meant to disappear. I’m not saying it won’t be used anymore, but it will undergo a significant downsizing in public discourse, even among enthusiasts, and it will vanish from headlines.
A B2B Tool, Not B2C
Blockchain is a technology with a deeply B2B (business-to-business) nature. It can play various roles—some more suitable than others—such as acting as a certifier, a transparency guarantor, and a disintermediation tool. Most of all, it enables communication between different systems.
It’s already a reality in the financial sector, where stablecoins are among the most successful use cases. It also continues to gain traction in industries such as:
- Supply chain and logistics
- Digital passports and decentralized identity
- Copyright management, especially for digital content and media
- Healthcare (to securely and interoperably store clinical data)
These are all sectors where the end user never interacts directly with the blockchain. As a result, the average person may not even realize they’re using it. What truly matters is the outcome—not the medium.
Fame Built on Speculation (and the Enthusiasts)
The paradox is that blockchain became famous for the “wrong” reasons. A big role in this information asymmetry was played by Bitcoin, seen in Italy and much of Europe as a purely speculative asset. But how many people really know that behind Bitcoin lies a decentralized technology called blockchain?
Even though it received less media attention, NFTs probably did more damage to the reputation of blockchain. Between 2021 and 2022, NFTs seemed to hold the future of art, music, gaming, and fashion. But now, most of those projects are either on pause or forgotten.
For many, “NFT” has become an empty buzzword, and the enthusiasts’ dream of a B2C revolution has collided with reality: the technology was there, but often the value was not. Like Bitcoin, NFTs have been used as short-term investment tools, increasing skepticism in the market.
The End of the Utopia and the Maturing Process
Those who dreamed of democratizing access, talked about “digital ownership,” or envisioned crypto wallets in every smartphone, now face another truth: users don’t care—and are even averse to interacting directly with blockchain.
And that’s okay.
True innovation isn’t about making everyone understand what a wallet or private key is. It’s about hiding complexity and providing a seamless, intuitive user experience.
A key step in this direction is the full integration of crypto wallets into applications: users should never have to deal with technical tools. Everything should happen in the background, just like with any other digital payment system.
Only then will we achieve mass adoption.
From Trend to Infrastructure
Blockchain won’t disappear—but non-experts will stop talking about it. It will become invisible, silent, and infrastructural.
Those who work to integrate blockchain into existing systems—without selling it as a religion or a fad—will gain a strategic advantage.
Those still chasing “mass adoption” in the short term risk disappointment.
This isn’t the end of blockchain—just the end of the hype, and the beginning of its true impact across sectors.
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