The Turning Point for the Blockchain Industry in 2026: Accelerated Corporate Adoption and Expansion of Practical Applications
Editor
A New Wave of Corporate Blockchain Adoption
In 2026, the blockchain industry entered a true phase of technological maturity following the subsiding of the cryptocurrency speculation frenzy. According to Gartner’s latest report, 72% of global companies plan to integrate blockchain technology into their core business processes within the next two years, a significant increase from 47% in 2023. Notably, the application of blockchain technology is expanding beyond financial services to manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, and government services. IDC’s analysis indicates that global blockchain spending reached $89 billion by the end of 2025 and is expected to increase by 39% to $124 billion in 2026.
The background of this growth lies in the proven practicality and efficiency of blockchain technology, leading companies to clearly recognize the return on investment. For instance, Walmart (headquartered in Arkansas, USA) implemented a blockchain system for food safety tracking since 2019, reducing the response time to foodborne illness incidents from seven days to 2.2 seconds. This resulted in an annual cost saving of approximately $120 million. Similarly, De Beers (headquartered in London, UK), a leader in the diamond industry, achieved a 99.8% reduction in conflict diamond trading by transparently tracking the origin and distribution path of diamonds through its traceability platform.
Korea’s blockchain ecosystem is also rapidly advancing. Samsung SDS (headquartered in Seoul) announced a 340% increase in projects using its blockchain platform ‘Nexledger’ in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year. Major corporate clients like Hyundai Motor and SK Hynix are actively adopting blockchain solutions for parts tracking and quality management in the logistics and supply chain management sectors. LG CNS (headquartered in Seoul) also reported an 87% increase in revenue by securing digital transformation projects in government and public sectors through its self-developed ‘Monachain’ platform.
As the maturity of blockchain technology increases, companies are moving beyond simple proof of concept (PoC) to large-scale deployments in real operational environments. According to McKinsey & Company’s 2025 blockchain survey, 61% of responding companies are operating blockchain projects in production environments, nearly doubling from 31% in 2022. The highest adoption rates are seen in supply chain transparency, digital identity management, and smart contract automation.
Blockchain Use Cases and Market Trends by Industry
In the financial services sector, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) projects are gaining momentum worldwide. According to the latest survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), as of January 2026, 93 countries are participating in CBDC research and development, with 19 countries in the pilot testing phase. China’s digital yuan (e-CNY) surpassed a cumulative transaction volume of 7 trillion yuan (approximately $98 billion) by 2025, showing the most advanced results. The Bank of Korea is also verifying the efficiency of retail payment systems through its digital won pilot program, aiming for limited trial operations in the second half of 2026.
In the B2B payment sector, JPMorgan Chase’s (headquartered in New York, USA) JPM Coin surpassed a daily transaction volume of $10 billion, proving the potential of blockchain-based corporate payments. This platform reduced transaction processing time from 3-5 days to a few seconds and cut transaction fees by 40% compared to traditional methods. Goldman Sachs (headquartered in New York, USA) and Citigroup (headquartered in New York, USA) have also launched their own blockchain payment platforms, joining the competition.
In supply chain management, the transparency and traceability of blockchain are recognized as key values. Nestlé (headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland) implemented blockchain in its coffee supply chain, enabling traceability from farm to consumer. This allowed for the verification of sustainable agriculture certification and fair trade, resulting in a 23% increase in customer satisfaction. Unilever (headquartered in London, UK) also applied blockchain to its palm oil supply chain, establishing a monitoring system to prevent deforestation and ensure sustainable raw material procurement.
In the real estate industry, blockchain-based tokenization is presenting a new investment model. The US real estate tokenization platform RealT announced that the total tokenized real estate value surpassed $1.5 billion in 2025. Through this platform, investors can make fractional investments in high-value real estate and receive rental income in real-time. In Korea, the Korea Real Estate Board is conducting a pilot project to build a blockchain-based real estate transaction platform, aiming for commercialization in the second half of 2026.
In the healthcare sector, the use of blockchain for the security and interoperability of patient data is increasing. Through the MedRec project, MIT and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center developed a system that allows patients to fully control their medical records while enabling secure information sharing among medical professionals. This system reduced medical errors by 34% and shortened diagnosis time by an average of 2.7 days.
In the digital identity verification sector, Microsoft’s (headquartered in Washington, USA) ION network is gaining attention. This decentralized identity (DID) platform allows users to manage their identity information independently without relying on a central authority. By the end of 2025, the number of DIDs registered on the ION network exceeded 5 million, providing cross-border digital identity services in conjunction with Estonia’s e-Residency program.
In the carbon credit trading market, the transparency and verifiability of blockchain play a key role. IBM’s (headquartered in New York, USA) carbon credit tracking platform provides a system that resolves the issue of double counting carbon credits and verifies actual carbon reduction effects. The carbon credit trading volume through this platform reached 120 million tons in 2025, with a transaction value of $5.4 billion.
Cryptocurrency exchanges are also shifting their business models from speculative trading to services for institutional investors and corporate clients. Coinbase (headquartered in California, USA) announced that institutional trading fee revenue accounted for 67% of total sales in the fourth quarter of 2025, a completely different scenario from 2022, which was centered on individual investors. Binance (headquartered in the Cayman Islands) is also supporting the launch of digital asset services for traditional financial institutions through its enterprise blockchain infrastructure service, ‘Binance Cloud.’
Kakao (headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province) is providing Web3 services across various fields such as gaming, social media, and e-commerce through its blockchain platform ‘Klaytn.’ In 2025, the daily active users of the Klaytn network surpassed 1.8 million, and the transaction volume of DApps on the platform increased by 420% compared to the previous year. The digital wallet service linked with KakaoTalk allows general users to easily access blockchain services.
In the government sector, blockchain adoption is accelerating. Estonia’s e-Estonia program utilizes blockchain in citizen services, medical records, and voting systems, saving costs equivalent to 2% of GDP annually. The Dubai government is pursuing the ‘Dubai Blockchain Strategy 2025′ with the goal of blockchainizing all government transactions by 2025, and 25 government agencies are currently operating blockchain-based services.
With the advancement of blockchain technology, the related infrastructure market is also experiencing rapid growth. Cloud service providers support corporate blockchain adoption through BaaS (Blockchain as a Service) platforms. Amazon Web Services’ (AWS, headquartered in Washington, USA) Amazon Managed Blockchain service saw a 180% increase in customer numbers in 2025 compared to the previous year, and Microsoft’s Azure Blockchain Service is used by over 40% of Fortune 500 companies. These cloud-based blockchain services significantly lower the barriers to adoption by allowing companies to utilize blockchain technology without complex infrastructure setup.
Changes in the regulatory environment also play a crucial role in the growth of the blockchain industry. With the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) coming into effect at the end of 2024, blockchain companies are provided with a clear regulatory framework. This has led to a significant increase in institutional investor participation, with Europe’s crypto asset investment size reaching €234 billion in 2025, a 67% increase from the previous year. In the US, blockchain-related investments surged following the SEC’s approval of a Bitcoin ETF, and BlackRock’s (headquartered in New York, USA) Bitcoin ETF surpassed $25 billion in assets under management within a year of its launch.
The future growth drivers of the blockchain industry lie in improving interoperability and scalability. With the full implementation of Ethereum 2.0, Layer 2 solutions are significantly enhancing transaction processing speed and cost efficiency. Layer 2 networks like Polygon and Arbitrum are processing thousands of transactions per second while reducing transaction fees by over 99% compared to traditional Ethereum. Additionally, the development of cross-chain bridge technologies providing interoperability between different blockchain networks allows companies to select and utilize the optimal blockchain according to their needs.
In 2026, the blockchain industry is establishing itself as the core infrastructure for true digital transformation through a harmony of technological innovation and practical application. With speculative interest subsiding, the intrinsic values of blockchain technology—transparency, security, and decentralization—are being recognized as practical problem-solving tools across various industries. This trend is expected to accelerate further in the coming years, with companies that adopt and utilize blockchain early likely to secure a competitive edge in the digital economy. Simultaneously, the stabilization of the regulatory environment and the maturation of technical standards are expected to lead the blockchain ecosystem into a healthier and more sustainable growth trajectory.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not intend to provide investment advice or recommendations for specific companies. All investment decisions should be made at the individual’s discretion and responsibility.
