Automated Force Majeure Verification

The opacity and delay in traditional claims processing make parametric insurance and supply chain finance products risky and expensive. With trusted, automated verification on-chain, insurers can offer instant, event-triggered payouts, and lenders can provide working capital based on verified disruptions rather than credit history.

• Example: A shipping consortium uses smart contracts to offer parametric delay insurance. If a port closure is verified by three independent data oracles, compensation is automatically released to the policyholder within an hour.

Replaces slow, dispute-prone manual claims with immutable, timestamped proof of external events. Smart contracts automatically verify weather data, port closures, or geopolitical incidents against trusted oracles, triggering clauses instantly.

• Key Benefit: Reduces claim settlement time from months to minutes, freeing up legal and operational resources.
• ROI Driver: Cuts dispute resolution costs by up to 80% and minimizes working capital trapped in contested shipments.
• Real Example: A consortium of agricultural shippers uses a blockchain oracle network to verify typhoon data, automating insurance payouts and preventing costly delays.

Creates a tamper-proof audit trail from raw material to retail shelf. Each handoff, condition check, and location update is recorded on-chain, providing unparalleled visibility.

• Key Benefit: Enables real-time tracking, reduces counterfeit goods, and simplifies compliance with regulations like the U.S. FDA FSMA Rule 204.
• ROI Driver: Lowers inventory shrinkage by 15-20% and accelerates recall processes by 90%, protecting brand value and revenue.
• Real Example: Walmart's Food Traceability Initiative uses IBM Food Trust to trace mango origins in seconds vs. days, dramatically improving food safety response.

Digitizes and automates the paper-intensive letter of credit (LC) process. All parties—exporter, importer, banks, logistics—share a single, synchronized source of truth for documents and payment conditions.

• Key Benefit: Eliminates document fraud, reduces processing errors, and accelerates transaction settlement from 5-10 days to under 24 hours.
• ROI Driver: Cuts administrative costs by 50-80% and reduces capital requirements by enabling faster turnover of trade assets.
• Real Example: The Marco Polo Network, powered by R3's Corda, is used by banks like BNP Paribas to provide real-time, risk-mitigated trade and working capital finance.

Provides verifiable, real-time data for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics and regulatory compliance. Sensor data (e.g., carbon emissions, temperature) is logged directly on-chain.

• Key Benefit: Creates an irrefutable audit trail for regulators and stakeholders, simplifying reporting and reducing audit fees.
• ROI Driver: Mitigates risk of fines for non-compliance and enhances brand premium with proven sustainability claims.
• Real Example: Mining companies use blockchain to track conflict-free minerals, automating compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act and EU regulations, saving millions in manual verification.

Unlocks liquidity by converting physical assets (inventory, receivables) into digital tokens on a blockchain. These tokens can be fractionally owned, traded, or used as collateral for financing.

• Key Benefit: Provides SMEs with access to new capital pools and improves liquidity management for large enterprises.
• ROI Driver: Lowers cost of capital by connecting directly to investors and reduces days sales outstanding (DSO) significantly.
• Real Example: Platforms like Komgo tokenize commodity trade assets, allowing banks to finance specific shipments with greater transparency and speed, reducing risk and cost for all parties.

Automates payments upon pre-defined, verifiable milestones (e.g., "goods loaded," "customs cleared"). Payment is released instantly by smart contract when IoT sensors or documents confirm the event.

• Key Benefit: Eliminates payment delays and disputes, creating trust between shippers and carriers.
• ROI Driver: Improves cash flow predictability and reduces accounts receivable overhead. Carriers get paid faster, shippers benefit from optimized terms.
• Real Example: Maersk and IBM's TradeLens platform explored smart contract payments that trigger upon bill of lading issuance, streamlining the entire shipment-to-payment cycle.