As we look at 2018 and predict changes on the way, they coalesce under a singular point of view: this year is all about bringing intelligence to our data-science processes. Last year we created dashboards and started asking how to turn data into real insights that we could act on; this year we'll see changes that enable us to build and deploy intelligent applications. The hottest topic in financial news this year--and most of last year--is Bitcoin. With the CBOE and CME launching Bitcoin futures in December 2017, the currency has sparked many academic conversations, but we'll see practical repercussions beyond rampant cryptocurrency speculation. The year 2018 will be when blockchain goes mainstream.