Anitec-Assinform, the Italian Blockchain market still contained but + 18% in 1 year

The Blockchain is one of the enabling tools, the so-called Digital Enablers, of the digital transformation of the country together with Cloud, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and IoT that have driven the digital market during the pandemic and that will affect the evolution of society in the coming years and are the pillars on which the growth of technological investments is based. Yet the Blockchain market still records low values ​​in Italy, amounting to just over 26 million euros in 2020, albeit with year-on-year growth that continues at double-digit rates (+ 18%). A trend that will maintain its value over the next few years. According to the data released today by Anitec-Assinform, the growth forecasts of the Blockchain market stand at an average rate of 20% over the next three years (2021-2024) and are strongly conditioned by the implementation in the NRP. In this context, Anitec-Assinform also released the White Paper which “wants to help identify possible interventions for the diffusion of the Blockchain in post-pandemic Italy”. The document, starting from the first fundamental elements such as definitions, history, applications of this technology, illustrates the expected results from the application and investment in Blockchain at the country system level. The White Paper was developed through the contributions of the companies associated with Anitec-Assinform, which intend to make their contribution of experience, competence and vision available to companies, institutions and – more generally – to the public debate. The digital revolution of the Blockchain, the association notes, “started from the world of cryptocurrencies with Bitcoin and, although its affirmation has been disruptive in recent years, it is a technology that has yet to fully spread in the PA and in companies despite having very wide application potential “. Certainly, Anitec-Assinform continues, “it will be necessary to intervene on the regulatory framework, which still appears rarefied with few rules governing its uses and requirements at both European and national levels”. However, there is no lack of initiatives, such as the Digital Finance Package, a package of proposals from the European Commission aimed at regulating at least the financial applications of the Blockchain. The White Paper illustrates twelve successful cases of Blockchain, many of which in crucial sectors for the Italian economy, such as agri-food, fashion, automotive, tourism and culture, satellite services and power. The extreme variety of applications of the Blockchain demonstrates its great adaptability both to different industries and to different functions in the value chain: if, on the one hand, they are now classic applications of the Blockchain to guarantee the traceability of products in the agrifood industry, on the other hand, considerable prospects open up in relation to the quality assurance of spare parts in the automotive sector or as regards communications between satellites in the field of satellite services. In general, the immutability and inviolability of a Blockchain are the characteristics that make it more attractive for companies. “New perspectives have opened up beyond the emergency and the PNRR will have to translate into a real leap in the digitization process of the country by focusing on some priorities such as ultra-broadband for all, ‘intelligent’ industrial supply chains. , the digitization of entire sectors such as healthcare and public administration, innovative startups and digital skills “notes the president of Anitec-Assinform, Marco Gay, who clarifies how” the great investment effort envisaged by the PNRR constitutes a unique opportunity not only for the relaunch of the country but also for the relaunch of the ICT sector, thanks to the crucial role that technologies such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Cybersecurity will have “. Finally, the Anitec-Assinform document identifies and develops considerations and assessments to remove the main limits linked to the adoption of the Blockchain by the market and to the functioning of the technology. The document ends with a careful assessment of the relationship between Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence which is part of the Digital Enablers – the enabling tools of digital transformation – increasingly rapidly expanding and among the central themes of Anitec-Assinform. Blockchain and Ai “are two different technologies but united by the centrality of data” according to the experts of Anitec-Assinform and “it is therefore appropriate that they be considered together in the context of the 4.0 Transformation plan, also considering the Government’s commitment to support the ‘Gaia-X initiative in which the definition of Data Spaces provides the context for the development and application of AI as well as Blockchain “. (by Andreana d’Aquino)