A Realistic Turning Point in the Blockchain Ecosystem: New Growth Drivers from Corporate Adoption and Regulatory Stabilization by 2025
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Practical Acceleration of Corporate Blockchain Adoption
As of November 2025, blockchain technology is no longer perceived as an experimental technology synonymous with cryptocurrencies. According to Deloitte’s recent global blockchain survey, 73% of companies worldwide have integrated blockchain into their business operations or plan to do so. This represents a 27 percentage point increase from 2022, driven by demonstrated business value, particularly in supply chain management and digital identity management.
In South Korea, **Samsung SDS (Headquarters: Seoul)** announced that its blockchain-related revenue in the third quarter of this year increased by 156% year-on-year, reaching 32.4 billion KRW. The company is currently implementing blockchain solutions with 12 major domestic manufacturers to ensure supply chain transparency, achieving an average logistics cost reduction of 32%. **LG CNS (Headquarters: Seoul)** also secured 27.8 billion KRW in orders for its blockchain division this year, marking an 89% growth compared to the previous year.
In the U.S. market, **IBM (Headquarters: Armonk, New York)** is leading the corporate market with its Hyperledger Fabric-based solutions. The number of companies using IBM’s blockchain platform has increased by 34% since early 2024, reaching 2,847. Notably, the ‘IBM Food Trust’ network for food safety tracking includes global retailers like Walmart, Carrefour, and Nestlé, reducing the time to trace the cause of food safety incidents from an average of 6.1 days to 2.2 seconds.
**Microsoft (Headquarters: Redmond, Washington)**’s Azure Blockchain Service is utilized by 1,234 companies across 67 countries, with related revenue surpassing $1.2 billion in the third quarter of this year, a 67% increase year-on-year. The company is particularly strong in digital identity management, reporting that its ‘Verified ID’ solution enables companies to save an average of 73% in time and 41% in costs during customer identity verification processes.
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and National Blockchain Strategies
The year 2025 marks a turning point with the practical introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). According to a recent report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 114 countries are currently engaged in CBDC research and development, with 26 countries in the pilot testing phase. China’s digital yuan has surpassed a cumulative transaction value of 175 billion yuan (approximately 35 trillion KRW), demonstrating stable performance in the commercialization phase.
In South Korea, **SK Telecom (Headquarters: Seoul)**, Kakao Pay, and Naver Pay are participating in the Bank of Korea’s digital won pilot program, with the second phase of the pilot experiment exceeding 240,000 daily transactions. The Bank of Korea aims for full-scale CBDC adoption by the first half of 2026, announcing plans to invest a total of 84.7 billion KRW in building blockchain-based payment infrastructure.
In Europe, the European Central Bank (ECB)’s digital euro project is gaining attention. Pilot tests in eight countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, have achieved a transaction processing capacity of 400,000 transactions per second, with an average payment speed 0.8 seconds faster than traditional card payments. The ECB aims to officially launch the digital euro by the end of 2026, allocating a budget of 2.3 billion euros for this purpose.
In the United States, the Federal Reserve is verifying the technical feasibility of a digital dollar through the ‘Hamilton Project,’ a collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and MIT. Test results so far indicate a processing capacity of 1.7 million transactions per second, significantly exceeding the average processing capacity of 65,000 transactions on the existing Visa network.
The introduction of blockchain-based CBDCs is providing new opportunities for existing financial infrastructure companies. **Oracle (Headquarters: Austin, Texas)** announced its participation in building CBDC infrastructure for central banks in 12 countries through its blockchain platform services, with related revenue expected to exceed $800 million this year. The company’s blockchain cloud service maintains a 99.97% uptime, meeting the mission-critical requirements of financial institutions.
Examining real-world use cases, Nigeria’s eNaira has secured 2.7 million users since its launch in 2021, with an average daily transaction value of 1.5 billion naira (approximately 3.7 billion KRW). It has shown significant results in improving financial service accessibility in rural areas, with digital payment usage in rural areas increasing by 234% since the introduction of eNaira. The Bahamas’ Sand Dollar also functions as a stable payment method during natural disasters such as hurricanes, significantly enhancing disaster response efficiency.
In the supply chain management sector, blockchain adoption is driving innovative changes, particularly in manufacturing and distribution. Walmart, for instance, can identify the source of problematic products in 2.2 seconds through its blockchain-based food tracking system, achieving a 99.996% reduction in time compared to the previous average of 6.1 days. Walmart currently mandates blockchain tracking for 25 items, including lettuce, spinach, and mangoes, reporting a 34% reduction in annual food safety-related costs, amounting to $13.7 billion.
In the diamond industry, De Beers conducts blockchain-based provenance tracking for 78% of its annual diamond production through the ‘Traceability Program.’ This system addresses conflict mineral issues and enhances consumer trust, resulting in an average 12% increase in premiums for De Beers-certified diamonds. Currently, 2,847 jewelers worldwide participate in this system, achieving an 89% reduction in the distribution of counterfeit diamonds.
Stabilization of the Regulatory Environment and Institutional Framework Development
One of the key drivers of blockchain industry growth in 2025 is the stabilization of the global regulatory environment. With the full implementation of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation this year, blockchain companies can operate under a clear legal framework. Following the implementation of MiCA, investments in blockchain startups within the EU increased by 156% year-on-year, reaching 2.3 billion euros, with Germany and France receiving concentrated investments of 700 million euros and 520 million euros, respectively.
In the United States, the SEC’s clarification of blockchain-related guidelines is accelerating companies’ decisions to adopt blockchain. With regulatory uncertainties surrounding enterprise blockchain solutions resolved, 67% of Fortune 500 companies have started or plan to start blockchain pilot projects this year.
In South Korea, the enactment of the Digital Asset Basic Act has established a legal foundation for the blockchain industry. According to the Financial Services Commission, overseas expansion of domestic blockchain companies has become active following the implementation of the law, achieving a total of 124.7 billion KRW in overseas orders in the first half of this year alone, an 89% increase year-on-year.
From a technical perspective, the performance and efficiency of blockchain infrastructure have significantly improved. Blockchain networks utilizing **NVIDIA (Headquarters: Santa Clara, California)**’s H100 GPU have achieved an average 340% improvement in processing speed compared to previous levels. In the case of Ethereum, the transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake has reduced energy consumption by 99.95%, and the transaction processing capacity has dramatically increased from 15 transactions per second to 100,000.
The growth of Layer 2 solutions is also noteworthy. The Polygon network currently processes 2.8 million transactions daily, offering an average gas fee of $0.001, which is 99.9% cheaper than the mainnet. Other Layer 2 solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism are also contributing to solving the scalability issues of the blockchain ecosystem, each recording daily transaction volumes of 1.5 million and 1.2 million, respectively.
Improving the interoperability of blockchain technology also plays a crucial role in industry growth. Blockchain networks connected through the Cosmos IBC protocol currently number 89, with monthly cross-chain transaction volumes exceeding $4.7 billion. The Polkadot ecosystem also has 104 active parachains, and new business models are emerging through network interoperability.
The maturation of the decentralized finance (DeFi) market is enhancing the overall stability of the blockchain ecosystem. The total value locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols currently stands at $158 billion, a 67% increase from early 2024. The tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) is particularly noteworthy, with the RWA market, which includes real estate, government bonds, and commodities, reaching $8.9 billion, growing by 234% year-on-year.
As corporate blockchain adoption accelerates, the demand for related personnel is also surging. According to a recent LinkedIn survey, job postings for blockchain developers increased by 78% year-on-year, with average salaries rising by 31% from $120,000 to $157,000. In South Korea, the demand for blockchain professionals is increasing, leading to the establishment of related academic departments and the expansion of retraining programs.
From an investment perspective, the blockchain industry in 2025 is transitioning from speculative frenzy to a mature market focused on creating real value. Venture capital investment patterns in blockchain are also changing, with 67% of investments directed towards infrastructure and enterprise solutions, shifting the paradigm from token-focused investments to practical technology investments. The global blockchain market size is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 87.7% to reach $1.431 trillion by 2030, with enterprise solutions accounting for 76% of this growth.
The combination of practical blockchain adoption, regulatory stabilization, and technological maturity is positioning 2025 as a turning point for blockchain to become a mainstream technology. Proven business value in specific use cases such as supply chain management, digital identity management, and CBDCs is driving more companies to adopt blockchain, creating a virtuous cycle.
*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. Investment decisions should be made at one’s own discretion and responsibility.*
