Entering the Maturity Phase of the Blockchain Industry: A New Era Driven by Practical Applications and Institutionalization by 2026
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In 2026, the blockchain industry is encountering a clear turning point. According to the latest report by global market research firm Gartner, the global blockchain technology market size is expected to reach $87 billion by 2026, representing a 68.4% growth from the previous year. Notably, this growth is emerging not from speculative areas like cryptocurrencies or NFTs, but from business solutions directly linked to the real economy. Deloitte’s 2026 Global Blockchain Survey reveals that 73% of responding companies classify blockchain as a “business-critical” technology, a significant increase from 47% two years ago.
This transformation is underpinned by the maturation of blockchain technology and proactive institutionalization efforts by governments worldwide. In South Korea, the Ministry of Science and ICT’s ‘K-Blockchain 2030’ strategy is accelerating the adoption of blockchain in the public sector, showing tangible results in areas such as real estate registration, academic credential verification, and medical record management. In the United States, following the Biden administration’s executive order on digital assets, the regulatory framework for blockchain technology has become clearer, leading to a surge in corporate investment and adoption. China is pushing forward with the construction of blockchain-based financial infrastructure through its DCEP (Digital Currency Electronic Payment) project, already offering commercial services in 14 major cities.
The adoption patterns of blockchain at the corporate level are also changing significantly. Projects that once remained at the proof-of-concept (PoC) stage are transitioning into full-scale commercial services, with concrete business cases emerging that allow for ROI measurement. According to McKinsey’s latest research, 62% of companies that have adopted blockchain report achieving an average annual cost saving of $12.4 million through improved operational efficiency. The supply chain management sector, in particular, is showing remarkable results. Walmart, for instance, has reduced the time to trace the cause of food safety incidents from seven days to 2.2 seconds with its blockchain-based food tracking system, saving approximately $300 million annually in recall costs.
Blockchain Innovation in Financial Services
The financial services sector continues to lead in the adoption of blockchain technology. As of 2026, global financial institutions’ blockchain investment has increased by 89% from the previous year, reaching $34.2 billion, accounting for 39.3% of the total blockchain market. JPMorgan Chase’s JPM Coin has surpassed $15 billion in daily transaction volume, establishing a solid position in the B2B payment sector. Particularly noteworthy are the achievements in cross-border remittance services, where transaction processing time has been reduced by 95% compared to the traditional SWIFT network, and fees have been cut by an average of 40%.
South Korean financial institutions are also advancing their blockchain adoption. Shinhan Bank announced that its blockchain-based trade finance platform ‘S-Trade’ achieved a cumulative transaction volume of 45 trillion won as of January 2026. This platform has reduced the average processing time for trade finance operations from 72 hours to 4 hours and cut related document processing costs by 60%. KB Financial Group launched the blockchain-based digital identity verification service ‘KB Digital ID,’ currently boasting 2.8 million monthly active users. This service has significantly improved customer convenience in accessing financial services by digitizing the entire process from identity verification to loan screening and insurance enrollment.
The development of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) is also accelerating globally. According to the latest survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 93% of central banks worldwide have initiated CBDC research, with 24% already conducting pilot tests. As of January 2026, China’s digital yuan has surpassed a cumulative transaction volume of 140 billion yuan (approximately $19.7 billion), with an average of 3.4 million daily transactions. The European Central Bank (ECB) has also entered the full-scale development phase of the digital euro project, aiming for a commercial service launch in the first half of 2027.
Acceleration of Practical Application of Enterprise Blockchain Solutions
In the enterprise blockchain solution market, global IT companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle are fiercely competing. IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric-based solution is currently utilized by over 2,400 companies worldwide, with annual revenue expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2026. It is particularly strong in the supply chain management sector, where global consumer goods companies like Nestlé and Unilever have adopted IBM’s blockchain solution to significantly enhance product traceability and transparency.
Microsoft is leading the cloud-based blockchain solution market through its Azure Blockchain Services. As of the first quarter of 2026, Azure Blockchain Services has surpassed 850,000 monthly active users, with an annual revenue growth rate of 127%. The coffee bean tracking system developed in collaboration with Starbucks allows consumers to access all information from the origin to the roasting process of coffee by simply scanning a QR code, enabling Starbucks to increase the price premium of its premium coffee products by an average of 15%.
South Korean companies are also actively engaging in blockchain technology development and commercialization. Samsung SDS, using its self-developed blockchain platform ‘Nexledger,’ is achieving results across various industries. The shipbuilding blockchain consortium established in collaboration with Hyundai Heavy Industries records all data of the shipbuilding process on the blockchain, significantly improving quality management and maintenance efficiency. This system has reduced the average shipbuilding period by three months and achieved a 20% cost reduction.
Naver has launched the blockchain-based digital content copyright protection service ‘NAVER Copyright,’ gaining attention in the digital content market, including webtoons and web novels. This service registers creators’ works on the blockchain to prevent forgery or plagiarism and can be used as legal evidence in case of copyright infringement. Currently, an average of 120,000 works are registered monthly, reducing the time to resolve copyright disputes from six months to two weeks. Kakao is enhancing blockchain accessibility for general users through its KakaoTalk-based blockchain wallet service ‘Klip,’ with over 4.5 million subscribers.
Global consulting firm Accenture is experiencing rapid growth in its specialized services supporting corporate adoption of blockchain technology. Blockchain-related revenue is expected to reach $1.8 billion in 2026, a 94% increase from the previous year. Accenture is leading blockchain adoption projects in finance, healthcare, and supply chain management, currently conducting blockchain projects with over 500 companies worldwide.
As the practical application of blockchain technology accelerates, the demand for related personnel is also surging. According to the latest data from LinkedIn, blockchain-related job postings increased by 156% year-on-year as of January 2026, with the average annual salary of blockchain developers in the U.S. exceeding $150,000. There is a significant demand for professionals with expertise in smart contract development, blockchain architecture design, and cryptographic security, far exceeding supply, leading to the rapid expansion of related educational programs and certification courses.
However, along with the growth of the blockchain industry, several challenges are also emerging. The most significant issue remains the scalability limitation. The Bitcoin network can only process seven transactions per second, and Ethereum 15 transactions per second, limiting large-scale commercial services. Various layer 2 solutions are being developed to address this, but a complete answer has yet to be found. Energy consumption is also a critical issue. According to a study by the University of Cambridge, the annual power consumption of the Bitcoin network is equivalent to Argentina’s total consumption, reaching 140 TWh.
Regulatory uncertainty is also a stumbling block for the development of the blockchain industry. In the U.S., jurisdictional disputes between the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) have prevented the establishment of clear regulatory standards, posing challenges for companies in advancing blockchain projects. The European Union has presented a relatively clear regulatory framework through the MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulations, but detailed implementation rules are not yet fully established. The South Korean government is also continuously delaying legislation related to virtual asset taxation, exacerbating industry uncertainty.
The outlook for the blockchain industry in 2026 is generally positive. According to an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), blockchain technology is expected to create an additional $1.76 trillion in global GDP by 2030. The most significant economic impact is anticipated in areas such as supply chain tracking, identity verification, and payment and financial services. From an investment perspective, venture capital investment in blockchain startups reached $8.7 billion in the first half of 2026, already surpassing the total investment for 2025. This is a clear signal that blockchain technology is transitioning from speculative interest to practical value creation.
The future success of the blockchain industry is likely to depend more on practical application and user experience improvement than on technological innovation. Enhancing user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) to enable general users to easily understand and utilize complex technical concepts will be a key challenge, and seamless integration with existing systems to improve operational efficiency will determine the success of corporate adoption. For blockchain technology to truly establish itself as mainstream, not only technological completeness but also business model innovation and regulatory environment refinement must be achieved together.
