The entire Maker ecosystem is based on the same "smart contract" as CDP, the smart contract mentioned above. Blockchains let you work alone where a broker is needed. Like the Internet, the Internet allows you to exchange information without intermediaries.
With Blockchains you can share values without intermediaries, Bitcoin was the first network to use this concept. The most important requirement is that you can send bitcoin from point A to point B. without any collateral . Ethereum takes this concept a step further and allows users to add instructions to these transfers.