Blockchain and blockchain-based business processes are still in their infancy. As the study ‘ Does blockchain hold the key to a new age of supply chain transparency and trust? ’ confirms, just 3% of all companies are currently using blockchain on a large scale, while a further 10% of companies have initiated pilot projects. In Europe, Great Britain and France are leading the trend, with Germany coming up considerably behind in third place. The US, however, is way out in front when it comes to financing blockchain startups: Over US$ 1 billion has been invested in the US since 2012; this compares with US$ 500 million in Great Britain and just US$50 million in Germany in the same period.

There are already a number of promising attempts underway to revolutionize logistics with blockchain technology. For instance, the technology is to be used in the Hansebloc project rolled out in Hamburg, to ensure forgery-proof documentation along the supply chain. This would eliminate the risk of transport documents being tampered with during transport. Blockchain could also in the future play a role in combating piracy , as initial research in this direction shows.