BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Goal: The objective of this article is to raise the state of the art of the applications of blockchain described in the scientific literature. Design/methodology/approach: A bibliographic research on the Scopus database was carried out from November, 2017 to May, 2018, supported by the scientific research technique called Bibliometry. The compilation of 102 articles found in the scientific literature were presented in the Blockchain context, providing a reference for the fields of block-chain applications. Results: The results indicate a large increase in the number of articles published since 2017, the largest number of publications were written by authors affiliated with institutions located in China, as well as the most referenced applications are related to crypto-currencies, smart contracts and IoT. Limitations of the investigation: The limitation lies in using only the Scopus database for bibliometry, despite being a renowned scientific base. Practical implications: This study can serve as a bibliographic reference with a global view of the main Blockchain applications that can be applied by different types of organizations Originality/value: Blockchain is a technology that aims to securely store data, such as financial data, contracts, proof of identity, documents of possession, medical information, etc. To do so, a framework based on laws of mathematics and cryptography is used to ensure the security of transactions of different applications, such as Bitcoin, which is a digital currency that guarantees the safe transfer of financial data. However, being a new tech-nology, there is still little research on the subject. On the other hand, there are different types of applications that are already benefiting from the blockchain structure.