FOREWORD
 EIGHT-BIT BLOCKCHAIN ASSETS ARE HERE TO STAY Digital transformation is changing more than we ever imagined
 “ Investments built on blockchain are a long way from being transient ”
 FINTECH MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY
 When 12-year-old Benjamin Ahmed , from north London , created the ‘ Weird Whales ’ eight-bit pictures and sold them online , he netted himself a neat £ 290,000 .
 Despite the recent success of NFTs , many financial experts consider them a passing trend .
 However , there are five key blockchain trends that look set to transform the investment landscape over the next two to five years . These are ; BaaS - blockchain as a service .
 The second is VC and SSI - namely Veritable Credential and Self Sovereign Identity - which provides verifiable , globally resolvable , privacypreserving credentials that can be stored and managed on mobile devices .
 The third is DeFi - decentralised finance - which is shifting the very fabric of the financial landscape by moving away from the traditional , centralised banking system .
 The fourth is CBDC - or Central Bank Digital Currency , where legal tender digital currency is based on blockchain technology and is created , recognised , and backed by governments .
 The fifth is the rise of NFTs - which brings us neatly back to Mr . Ahmed . FinTech Magazine ran a recent LinkedIn poll that revealed the majority of our readers believe NFTs to be a passing trend .
 However , investments built on blockchain are a long way from being transient . So , while Weird Whales may not be your cup of tea , be assured that our strange and new financial ecosystem is here to stay .