Mapping Two Decades of Blockchain Research in Business and Economics: A Bibliometric Analysis

• Ingrid Hansen

  Author

Since Nakamoto's introduction of Bitcoin in 2008, blockchain technology has transcended its origins in computer science to become a major subject of inquiry in business and economics. Over the past two decades, scholarly interest in blockchain has expanded rapidly, encompassing cryptocurrency markets, supply chain finance, business model innovation, regulatory frameworks, and decentralized applications. This study conducts a systematic bibliometric analysis of blockchain research in business and economics, synthesising findings from more than a decade of literature-mapping efforts. Drawing on Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, prior bibliometric reviews have examined between 119 and 2,993 publications using tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer, SciMAT, and UCINET. The analysis identifies publication growth trends, geographic concentration of research output, leading journals, most cited works, and the dominant research themes that have shaped the field. Five major research streams emerge: cryptocurrency market efficiency and economics; asset pricing and valuation; principles and applications of blockchain technology; transactions, anonymity, and monetary theory; and supply chain finance and business model innovation. The study further traces the intellectual evolution of the field, highlights gaps in the literature, and charts future research avenues. The findings underscore that while research on market efficiency and asset pricing has reached a level of maturity, multiple thematic areas remain underdeveloped, leaving ample scholarly space alongside the foundational Nakamoto whitepaper.

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