The Value and Applications of Blockchain Technology in Business: A Systematic Review of Real Use Cases

This work provides an empirical study to identify the specific objective pursued by companies that are currently investing to develop blockchain technologies to improve their processes. Unlike other studies based on the theoretical potential application of blockchain technology in different sectors, the main objective of this paper is to analyse real projects and investment of companies in blockchain technology to identify the main value or use that managers prioritize in their technology development efforts. More than one hundred blockchain projects from different sectors have been examined with the aim of extracting the perceived value of blockchain technology by managers, customers, and partners. Identifying the business value that is most demanded in each sector and company size, as well as the relationship between the values that are jointly demanded. This article assesses the main values attributed to blockchain, highlighting those really appreciated by companies to invest in them and identifying new applications of blockchain technology in different sectors, and generating organisational change.