In today’s world traditional institutions are having trouble meeting their clients’ expectations, and therefore cryptocurrencies are becoming more mainstream every day. Thus, Western Union, a top financial services company based in the United States has shown interest in the use of cryptocurrencies for payments.

For example, Western Union President Odilon Almeida said during an interview with Reuters Plus that the company has thought about the adoption of cryptocurrencies for some time as an option for users who would like to exchange for fiat if cryptocurrencies become widely accepted around the world.

Almeida explained that Western Union is ready to adopt any currency. The company already uses 130 currencies. So, if one day they feel like it’s the right strategy to introduce cryptocurrencies to their platform, technology-wise it’s just one more currency.

What's more, 2018 saw many headlines surrounding blockchain from the cryptocurrency marketplace, to the technology's use in highly publicized proofs of concept and pilot programs. Although distributed ledger technology remains mostly unproven in production environments, it does have the potential to disrupt many transactional business processes.

So here are the top five predictions from venture capitalists, research labs, industry foundations, and leading analysts about the future of blockchain and how it's expected to evolve: https://asgardia.space/en/news/the-first-legitimate-national-cryptocurrency-would-be-introduced-and-it-will-be-connected-to-a-fiat-currency-from-a-G-20-nation

In other news, the first instrument from NASA's InSight lander has been deployed onto the surface of Mars, marking a significant mission milestone. New pictures from the lander portray the seismometer on the ground. It's copper-coloured covering faintly lit up in the Martian dusk.

InSight Project Manager Tom Hoffman, who is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California explained that InSight's timetable of activities on Mars has gone better than they expected. Getting the seismometer on the ground safely is a wonderful Christmas present.

What are your predictions for blockchain technology? 

Share them with us in the comments below!