Blockchain as an Enabler for the Real Estate Ecosystem in Switzerland

Abstract

The hype around blockchain technology in recent years, mainly caused by the media attention to Bitcoin and high-volume initial coin offerings (ICOs), started many initiatives to disrupt current business models with this technology. After most of the initial projects passed their first phase, it became increasingly clear that there are still many obstacles to overcome until their solutions find real market adoption. After some first disillusion, the technology has clearly evolved from a cryptocurrency payment platform to something larger, game-changing, and truly disruptive. At the same time the way businesses are designing their value streams has changed as well. The so-called business ecosystems are redefining the way businesses interact within their industries and adapt to the changing needs of today’s customers. Customers are no longer looking for standalone products but rather for a seamless experience that solves their problems as conveniently as possible. This will have a huge impact on how value is created for all the involved stakeholders. The more intermediaries an industry has today, the greater the impact will be when transforming from silos to an ecosystem. Since today’s real estate industry wastes a great deal of value with the tremendous number of intermediaries involved, change in the industry will be inevitable. Since blockchain technology can enable this change with its decentralized characteristics. This master’s thesis focuses on how blockchain technology can be an enabler for the Swiss real estate ecosystem by removing intermediaries and speeding up the process....