Theme: Digitalisation
Industry Adoption: ⚫ ⚫ ⚪ ⚪ Early Stage
Impact: ⚫ ⚪ ⚪ Moderate

Blockchain is transforming the logistics industry by introducing a decentralised digital ledger, enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency across supply chains. This technology ensures, among other things, real-time tracking and data integrity. It eliminates the need for central authorities while streamlining processes like documentation, customs, and compliance. By offering immutable records, blockchain fosters trust and reliability among stakeholders.

Blockchain is gaining traction, with its global market projected to reach 943 billion USD by 2032. It is highly relevant for logistics, but it is still in early stages. Utilisation remains limited, as full integration requires substantial transformation of operations and IT infrastructure. Current focus is on research and development, with little business engagement. Academic and innovation interest is strong, with about 5,000 scientific publications and 5,000 patents, nearly 1,000 of which are groundbreaking. This demonstrates blockchain's innovative power. Business and C-Suite involvement remains in its early stages here, with mentions shifting from 10 in 2022 to five in 2024. Entrepreneurial activity is emerging, with around ten startups currently exploring its applications in logistics. To translate the active interest in blockchain for enterprises into large-scale adoption and implementation, more business-relevant use cases are needed.