Anyone working with AI agents in fintech should really grasp this: if you've never deployed a distributed ledger tech POC inside an actual bank, you're missing the whole picture. There's a massive chasm between what works on paper and what survives in production—and then an even bigger one between production systems and the operational realities on the ground. The gap between "we built it" and "it actually runs" is brutal. Most people underestimate how long institutional blockchain adoption really takes. We're probably looking at a full decade before DLT truly integrates into mainstream banking ops. Follow the folks who've actually been in the trenches with this stuff. The hype cycle moves fast, but banking infrastructure moves differently.