The State of Blockchain Adoption in the Enterprise (2025)
I’m in Paris this week for Paris Blockchain Week (PBW)—strictly for professional reasons, of course. This is an annual pilgrimage for me, all in the name of marking blockchain progress. I swear it has nothing to do with the foie gras, escargots, charcuterie, access to Albert Mann Pinot Noir Alsace Grand Cru Hengst Grand H 2022, the sunshine, or the fact that Paris just happens to be my third favorite city in the world. (Boston and New York still hold the top two spots. Don’t @ me.)
I’m here because I advise a great blockchain security company called Dowsers and work with a handful of interesting crypto projects. So yes, it’s all very serious, very technical... with just a hint of espresso and croissant à la confiture de figues.
Drawing on direct feedback and observations from PBW, it’s clear that enterprise interest in blockchain has matured significantly, moving beyond the hype cycles of the past decade. While it hasn’t become a ubiquitous layer in all business systems, blockchain has quietly matured into a powerful enabler for specific enterprise use cases—particularly those involving transparency, traceability, and trust. In 2025, enterprise blockchain adoption is real—albeit still selective and strategic.
Financial Services: The Original Trailblazers
No industry has embraced blockchain as systematically as the financial services space. From global banks to fintech innovators, blockchain is actively reshaping how money moves and assets are managed. Cross-border payments are faster and cheaper thanks to platforms like RippleNet and JPM Coin. Meanwhile, asset tokenization is gaining institutional momentum—BlackRock’s tokenized funds being a recent example. Blockchain is also being applied in trade finance and post-trade settlement infrastructure, although some early consortia (like we.trade) have struggled to sustain momentum. On a global level, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are emerging as a catalyst for infrastructure upgrades in the sector.
I became aware of several online casinos that have either implemented or are preparing to deploy blockchain applications, each with its own set of obvious benefits and limitations.
Big services companies — such as EY, Deloitte, McKinsey, and others — have both facilitated financial services firms interest in the blockchain and explored it independently for use cases such as auditing, compliance, supply chain transparency, and smart contract automation.
France is emerging as a crypto and blockchain leader, with its central bank and major financial institutions driving adoption. Since the last PBW, global banks like JPMorgan, Societe Generale, Goldman Sachs, and MUFG have advanced tokenization efforts—showcasing growing market and customer maturity.
Supply Chain: From Source to Shelf
Supply chain and logistics have proven to be natural fits for blockchain, where the value of immutable, real-time tracking is both practical and measurable. Walmart’s work with IBM on food traceability, De Beers' blockchain for diamond provenance, and Maersk’s now-retired TradeLens project all demonstrate real-world applications. These efforts often run on private or consortium blockchains, enabling a limited number of trusted participants to collaborate securely while maintaining confidentiality.
Healthcare: A Cautious but Promising Frontier
Healthcare has been slower to adopt blockchain, primarily due to regulatory complexity and data privacy concerns. However, that hasn’t stopped experimentation. Use cases include secure sharing of patient records, clinical trial data verification, and safeguarding the pharmaceutical supply chain. Privacy-preserving technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and confidential computing are helping overcome some of the sector’s most stringent compliance requirements, pointing toward a more scalable future.
Enterprise Infrastructure Is Catching Up
In parallel with vertical-specific use cases, the infrastructure supporting enterprise blockchain adoption is rapidly maturing. Major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud now offer Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platforms that make development and operations more accessible. Interoperability frameworks—such as Hyperledger Cactus, Polkadot, Cosmos, and Chainlink CCIP—are addressing one of the core technical challenges: enabling disparate chains to work together seamlessly. The rise of digital identity frameworks and verifiable credentials is also drawing increasing enterprise interest, particularly in financial and governmental sectors.
The Convergence: Blockchain Meets AI and IoT
Looking ahead, some of the most compelling enterprise use cases will emerge at the intersection of blockchain, AI, and IoT. From securing machine-to-machine communications in smart factories to verifying the provenance of training data in AI systems, blockchain is playing a supporting—but essential—role in these next-gen systems. Energy grids, connected vehicles, and precision manufacturing are just a few of the areas exploring this convergence.
Barriers to Widespread Adoption Remain
Despite this progress, several roadblocks continue to slow broader enterprise adoption, including:
Integrating blockchain with legacy systems remains complex.
Many use cases have an unclear ROI.
Scalability and transaction latency, especially on public blockchains, remain ongoing challenges.
Regulatory frameworks continue to evolve unevenly across regions, raising questions around implementation and broader compliance challenges.
Security solutions are not yet fully implemented, leaving potential vulnerabilities.
Finally, enterprises often struggle to build the internal expertise needed to effectively deploy and maintain blockchain systems.
What’s Next in 2025 and Beyond?
Rather than being a universal solution, blockchain is now viewed as a high-value tool—best applied to the right problems in the right settings. Expect to see increased focus on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, especially in capital markets. Interoperability and privacy solutions will continue to mature, unlocking new multi-party workflows. And interestingly, generative AI may accelerate blockchain development by simplifying smart contract creation and auditing.
Blockchain may no longer dominate headlines, but it’s quietly becoming part of the enterprise tech stack—one practical use case at a time that will continue to evolve. And as such, I just booked my airfare for next year to continue this research into technology and culture.
Thank you for joining us to visit this flagship blockchain event!
Great piece, Doug. Still feels like we’re in the dial-up phase of blockchain clunky, promising, occasionally magical :))) Curious to see what clicks first: UX or use case.