Blockchain is gaining steady traction in the enterprise as banking and financial firms look to leverage the technology, but obstacles such as interoperability and the disruption it causes to business practices continue to get in the way.

That’s according to a new survey from Juniper Research of almost 400 executives at organizations with greater than 20,000 employees. Juniper found that 57 percent of firms have either deployed or are testing blockchain technology to facilitate financial transactions. Of those currently testing blockchain, around two-thirds said they’ll move into production by the end of 2018.

Blockchain is the technology that underpins the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. It serves as a distributed ledger framework that records transaction in real time through cryptographically unique “blocks,” which are visible to users to ensure transparency. These blocks cannot be altered or reversed, as new transactions are always posted at the top of the register above past transactions.

The survey suggests that blockchain could be moving beyond the early-adopter phase as financial firms look to replace their legacy systems in favor of a technology that’s more transparent and secure. Others also say blockchain adoption is likely to grow, with one recent prediction by the World Economic Forum saying that the technology would be used to store about 10 percent of the world’s gross domestic product within the next decade.

Still, Juniper Research does advise caution, saying that some early adopters might underestimate Blockchain’s potential for disrupting their internal business practices.

“In many cases, systemic change, rather than technological, might be a better and cheaper solution than blockchain, which could potentially cause significant internal and external disruption,” said Juniper researcher Dr. Windsor Holden.

Another potential problem has to do with interoperability with existing systems as companies move toward deployment. Client resistance to the technology is a concern too.

Juniper also looked at the most suitable business applications for blockchain, saying it could support much wider use of digital fiat currency, which refers to payment instruments issued by banks that have the same value as bank notes. Land registry and settlements look to be useful applications for blockchain, Juniper said.

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