Bitcoin is the investment of the century. There is no other investment option that allows over 9999% return in less than 10 years from the comfort of your smartphone. With no doubt, it will go down in the history books. Blockchain, the technology behind the cryptocurrency is also going down in the history books, but in a slower and less aggressive way. The technology that allowed Bitcoin to thrive is now being used to power asset management, investments, startup funding, banking, and many more applications. If you’ve missed the bitcoin train a few years ago, there’s still an opportunity to invest in blockchain.

This post is not about trendy crypto-currencies that are bitcoin killers or some unknown company launching its ICO. It’s about accessible, low-risk public companies that are investing in blockchain technology. These companies are making returns on their investments or will do so soon.

IBM

IBM has about 1,5000 experts involved in over 500 projects. Based on the public information available, it’s the number one company invested in blockchain. Their projects range from the food industry to global trade and finance. They even have success stories from applying the blockchain technology. Carrefour has been using blockchain ledgers provided by IBM to track meat, fruits, and milk from farms to store and it has boosted its sales by increasing shopper trust. They have plans on extending further.

Alibaba

The Chinese version of AMAZON, Alibaba, is one of the leading providers of blockchain services. Alibaba provides a blockchain cloud service to enterprises. It doesn’t have as many success stories as IBM, but it’s slowly being integrated into Alibaba’s ecosystem. It powers many of the internal systems such as supply chains, intellectual property management, and payments. Also, China is more committed to blockchain investments than any other country in the world.  It will dedicate over 140 million USD in 2020 to outstanding blockchain projects.

ING

It’s natural for the Dutch to jump on the blockchain bandwagon. The ING Group is not so transparent about its investment and applications of blockchain, but over the past years, it has filled many patents for it. The group brought to light some of them. Bulletproof is a privacy-oriented tool that protects the privacy of the consumers. A customer can apply for a credit-line without revealing his salary data. Besides Bulletproof, ING also developed a crypto-currency called USC (Utility Settlement Coin). The goal is to use USC in collaboration with other banks for settlements.

There are many other companies investing in blockchain technology. Nvidia is also a player in this field since computational power is critical to blockchain expansion. Overstock, an online retailer is betting on the blockchain to secure its supply chain. Also, Mastercard, Visa, Oracle, Nestle, and JP Morgan are worth mentioning. With so many big names on the list, blockchain investments will become the norm and investment opportunities will be available, even if you didn’t buy Bitcoin in 2008.