Caitlin Long: What Blockchain Means

Our guest this week is Caitlin Long, president and chairman of the smart contracts platform company Symbiont. Caitlin is a twenty-year Wall Street veteran, and now she's turned her focus toward using blockchain technology to revolutionize the business world. Caitlin and Jeff discuss how blockchain technology could vastly reduce the role of middlemen in all kinds of everyday transactions, obviating the need for a lot of regulation in the process. Who needs lawyers and endless contract negotiations when the element of distrust between parties can be mitigated? Will the blockchain eliminate the need for "trust agent" intermediaries in real estate and M&A transactions? What will true peer-to-peer exchange mean for banks and stock exchanges? And will we even recognize the financial services industry in 20 or 30 years?