The retail industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by a number of factors including  regulatory reforms and the growing importance of technologies such as transaction data blockchain, smart contracts, and crypto wallets. In the last three years alone, there have been over 133,000 patents filed and granted in the retail industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Cybersecurity: Crypto wallets. Buy the report here.

Smarter leaders trust GlobalData

Report-cover

Data Insights Cybersecurity in Retail: Crypto wallets

Buy the Report

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 128,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the retail industry, there are 70+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Crypto wallets is a key innovation area in cybersecurity

A crypto wallet is a programme, device, physical medium, or service that stores the public and/or private keys for transactions in cryptocurrency. Additionally, a crypto wallet also offers the functionality of encrypting and/or signing information. Unlike a traditional wallet that holds cash, crypto wallets don’t store cryptocurrency. A customer’s digital assets live on the blockchain and can only be accessed with a private key.  

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 100+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established retail companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of crypto wallets.

Key players in crypto wallets a disruptive innovation in the retail industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to crypto wallets

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
SoftBank Group 1873 Unlock Company Profile
nChain Holdings 508 Unlock Company Profile
Headwater Research 189 Unlock Company Profile
Headwater Partners I 180 Unlock Company Profile
Visa 144 Unlock Company Profile
Capital One Financial 123 Unlock Company Profile
Cox Enterprises 121 Unlock Company Profile
Broadcom 82 Unlock Company Profile
AT&T 60 Unlock Company Profile
adidas 56 Unlock Company Profile
Toronto-Dominion Bank 47 Unlock Company Profile
Ant Group 41 Unlock Company Profile
Overstock.com 41 Unlock Company Profile
International Business Machines 40 Unlock Company Profile
Pendrell 40 Unlock Company Profile
Sony Group 35 Unlock Company Profile
Microsoft 33 Unlock Company Profile
PayPal Holdings 31 Unlock Company Profile
Walmart 31 Unlock Company Profile
Digital Asset Holdings 31 Unlock Company Profile
Technikka Conexion 31 Unlock Company Profile
Coinplug 30 Unlock Company Profile
Amazon.com 27 Unlock Company Profile
Civic Technologies 25 Unlock Company Profile
Anchor Labs 24 Unlock Company Profile
Security First 23 Unlock Company Profile
Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories 23 Unlock Company Profile
Intertrust Technologies 22 Unlock Company Profile
Authentify 22 Unlock Company Profile
Eluvio 20 Unlock Company Profile
Thales 20 Unlock Company Profile
JPMorgan Chase 18 Unlock Company Profile
Payfone 18 Unlock Company Profile
IDEMIA France 17 Unlock Company Profile
VeriFone 16 Unlock Company Profile
FMR 15 Unlock Company Profile
Early Warning Services 15 Unlock Company Profile
Samsung Group 14 Unlock Company Profile
Inveniam Capital Partners 14 Unlock Company Profile
Intel 14 Unlock Company Profile
Dover 14 Unlock Company Profile
Fiserv 13 Unlock Company Profile
Swirlds 13 Unlock Company Profile
Rokfin 12 Unlock Company Profile
NEC 12 Unlock Company Profile
Omlis 12 Unlock Company Profile
Theta Labs 11 Unlock Company Profile
Algorand 11 Unlock Company Profile
Rivetz 11 Unlock Company Profile
Accenture 10 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

The leading patent filers in the crypto wallets space are SoftBank Group, nChain Holdings, Headwater Research, Headwater Partners, Visa and Capital One Financial. Visa is enabling modern pay outs in the global marketplace using stablecoin to reshape the payment experience.

In terms of application diversity, Technikka Conexion, adidas, Cox Enterprises, ZTE, TripleBlind and AT&T are the leading players.

In terms of geographic reach, the top players include Headwater Partners, Authentify, Early Warning Services, Intertrust Technologies, Zeetta Networks and Anonos.

Crypto-related products and perceptions have been evolving, with digital currencies gaining momentum. As the crypto market matures, questions will arise about the crypto’s role in the future of commerce and finance.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the retail industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cybersecurity in Retail.

Data Insights

From

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.