For a world-changing technology, 'non-fungible tokens' is not the most promising name - particularly not when it’s famous mostly for the exchange of ludicrously valuable (or overpriced) digital images of cartoon apes and cats. But NFTs will, in due course, be a part of our everyday lives.

The froth around digital art obscures the real potential of the technology. When you combine a secure public ledger (the blockchain) with a method for identifying and claiming ownership of unique assets (tokens), you have a powerful tool for rethinking and rewiring much of the global economy.