Smart contracts are computer programs designed to automatically execute, control or document events and actions in accordance with the terms of a contract. The underlying protocol is called the blockchain, which provides a decentralized platform to store and verify transactions.

Smart contracts can automate a variety of processes, reducing or eliminating the need for intermediaries and lowering transaction costs. They can be applied to several industries, including art, music, real estate, finance, manufacturing, retail, supply chain and telecom.

They can also simplify legal transactions. For example, insurance companies could use smart contracts to automate calculating payment amounts for different types of policies. The user would simply sign the policy and upload required documents proving their need for insurance coverage.

This process would be faster and more reliable than a traditional process that requires contacting insurance groups and individuals. It would also reduce the number of fees involved and save time.

These types of contracts can be used to store and share patient health data. They can track patients’ progress and release funds to a specific medical facility upon prior authorization.

The technology can also be used to register property ownership more efficiently, with all parties having to only submit a single piece of information. This eliminates the need to rely on manual registration procedures, which can be prone to errors and fraud.

In a similar vein, a smart contract can record a person’s academic qualifications and certificates in order to prevent fraud and enable them to apply for jobs more quickly and easily. This is a particularly relevant use case in a world where companies often struggle to find suitable candidates with the right skills.

Another area where smart contracts are likely to be useful is transferring payments from one wallet to another. This can be achieved through a variety of mechanisms, including a “virtual wallet” that records a corresponding payment and the associated proof of transfer. But the smart contract could encounter a problem if it attempted to initiate a transfer when the party that owes money does not have sufficient funds in its wallet to complete the transaction.

As the code of a smart contract is immutable, it cannot be changed or amended unless a new block is verified on the blockchain. This creates a major challenge for the developers who are developing smart contracts that must be able to anticipate any potential change in the circumstances that trigger the execution of the transaction.

For this reason, a number of projects are currently underway to develop smart contracts that can be terminated at any time and more easily amended. These changes will help to address some of the existing challenges that have limited the widespread adoption of smart contracts.

Until these changes are made, however, it is important to recognize that smart contracts remain a relatively immature technology and that they will not be able to replace or substitute traditional contract forms until the industry is ready for them. For now, text-based agreements are still the most practical choice for most businesses.