Blockchain challenges and opportunities: a survey

<abstract> <p>Blockchain technology is disrupting the financial services industry and leading to extended big data applications in the banking sectors. Using blockchain and big data technology, banking industries can greatly improve decision-making, efficiency, and transparency. Nevertheless, there is a gap in research on the use of blockchain and big data technologies in banking systems from an academic viewpoint. To address the gap, we present a thorough overview of the impact of blockchain and big data technologies on banking systems. Although some banks have started blockchain development in small groups or isolation, this study was designed as a comprehensive exploration into a few facets of banking with blockchain technology to tackle the difficulties currently impeding the adoption of such technologies into banking systems throughout the world. This study shows that implementing big data and blockchain technology can significantly impact the security, speed and cost of transactions for banks. Further research could be conducted over a long-time span to capture the longitudinal impact of blockchain and big data technologies on banking in terms of the operating costs, profitability and scalability.</p> </abstract>

Blockchain technology, as an emerging information technology, has attracted much attention. Some luxury e-commerce platforms have focused on the adoption of blockchain technology to provide electronic certificates for consumers, which helps to increase consumers’ trust in luxury goods. However, due to the high authentication cost of blockchain technology, some platforms still adopt manual technology with lower authentication costs to provide paper certificates for consumers. So whether platforms choose to adopt manual technology or blockchain technology for authentication is a problem worthy of attention. In this article, we investigate the choice strategy of authentication technology for luxury e-commerce platform(s) in the monopoly and duopoly markets, respectively. The results show that the choice of authentication technology for platform(s) depends on the cost difference between manual technology authentication and blockchain technology authentication. When the cost difference is small (large), platform(s) should adopt blockchain (manual) technology. In particular, in the duopoly market, the competition between the two platforms will improve their motivation to adopt blockchain technology, but the two platforms may trap into a prisoner's dilemma when they both adopt blockchain technology. Moreover, in the monopoly and duopoly markets, adopting blockchain technology is likely to improve consumer surplus and social welfare at the same time.

This Chapter covers three interdisciplinary, observable, and rapidly developing areas of research, namely the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, the blockchain (BC) technologies (BCT), and cybersecurity management for the IoT. The chapter is organized as follows: after a short introduction, the IoT technologies are discussed, including the IoT concept and definitions, generalized IoT architecture and reference model proposed, and the IoT standardization issues. The second part of the Chapter is devoted to the BCT and their application areas, as well as to a BC glossary worked by the authors and the list of standards for the BCT. On this basis, two main directions of applying the BCT to the IoT are represented, namely for designing BC-based secure IoT infrastructure and BC-based system for managing cybersecurity in the IoT. Final discussion and future research areas conclude the Chapter.

Due to the high amount of electronic health records, hospitals have prioritized data protection. Because it uses parallel computing and is distributed, the security of the cloud cannot be guaranteed. Because of the large number of e-health records, hospitals have made data security a major concern. The cloud's security cannot be guaranteed because it uses parallel processing and is distributed. The blockchain (BC) has been deployed in the cloud to preserve and secure medical data because it is particularly prone to security breaches and attacks such as forgery, manipulation, and privacy leaks. An overview of blockchain (BC) technology in cloud storage to improve healthcare system security can be obtained by reading this paper. First, we will look at the benefits and drawbacks of using a basic cloud storage system. After that, a brief overview of blockchain cloud storage technology will be offered. Many researches have focused on using blockchain technology in healthcare systems as a possible solution to the security concerns in healthcare, resulting in tighter and more advanced security requirements being provided. This survey could lead to a blockchain-based solution for the protection of cloud-outsourced healthcare data. Evaluation and comparison of the simulation tests of the offered blockchain technology-focused studies can demonstrate integrity verification with cloud storage and medical data, data interchange with reduced computational complexity, security, and privacy protection. Because of blockchain and IT, business warfare has emerged, and governments in the Middle East have embraced it. Thus, this research focused on the qualities that influence customers' interest in and approval of blockchain technology in cloud storage for healthcare system security and the aspects that increase people's knowledge of blockchain. One way to better understand how people feel about learning how to use blockchain technology in healthcare is through the United Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A snowball sampling method was used to select respondents in an online poll to gather data about blockchain technology in Middle Eastern poor countries. A total of 443 randomly selected responses were tested using SPSS. Blockchain adoption has been shown to be influenced by anticipation, effort expectancy, social influence (SI), facilitation factors, personal innovativeness (PInn), and a perception of security risk (PSR). Blockchain adoption and acceptance were found to be influenced by anticipation, effort expectancy, social influence (SI), facilitating conditions, personal innovativeness (PInn), and perceived security risk (PSR) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as providing an overview of current trends in the field and issues pertaining to significance and compatibility.

Blockchain technology is an innovative technology that has grown in prominence in recent years that will certainly regulate the development of our network society in the upcoming future. Blockchain technology has received increased care and interest from both academic and general practitioners across the world. Various research articles have been written on the approach, how blockchain technology works and its possible applications in different industries, governmental authorities, etc. Nevertheless, there are no conducted studies that have focused on the usage of blockchain technology in the recruitment process of people of determination (disabilities). This paper aims to establish a POD (People of Determination) platform model. The aim of the model is to support the recruitment process of people of determination (disabilities) by enhancing the chances of them who were hired in different types of United Arab Emirates organizations. To the best of our knowledge, no previous research has been conducted on the usage of blockchain technology in recruitment process of people of determination (disabilities). This research paper will therefore aim to contribute to the existing literature about blockchain technology and recruitment process by providing a proposed model on how to implement the process.

The article reviews the possibilities and expected results of the potential transition of enterprises from traditional accounting with double entry to a unique triple system using blockchain technology. The essence of blockchain technology, its constituent elements and features of the triple record system are studied, as well as its comparison with the double record. The impact of using blockchain technology from two points of view: enterprises and stakeholders are considered. There are two scenarios: a partial transition to blockchain accounting of large corporations or a complete transition of all enterprises, regardless of size. The list of the main expected advantages of using the blockchain in accounting according to organizational and managerial, economic, qualitative, professional and technological aspects is indicated. It is considered how blockchain technology will make adjustments to such elements of the method of accounting as documentation, inventory, valuation, calculation, accounts, double entry, balance and reporting. The impact of blockchain technology on stakeholders such as tax authorities, auditors and banks has been analyzed, noting that in the event of a transition to triple accounting, they may experience significant changes in all financial processes and economic activities, deal with large-scale automation and transition to IT-based operations. Some problems and shortcomings that may arise in the process of technology implementation are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the complexity of the transition to the system of triple records, as this will include radical changes in the way of accounting around the world. Recommendations for eliminating the identified shortcomings are given, namely that the main prerequisite for the introduction of triple accounting is to understand the inevitability of new changes in the digitalization of accounting, recognition of blockchain and cryptocurrency technology, study of best practices in other countries to develop regulatory framework and, accordingly, the creation of its own legislation. The need to eliminate a lot of misinformation about blockchain technology was emphasized.

The convergence of blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing is catalyzing a paradigm shift in developing secure, intelligent, and scalable digital infrastructures. This triad of technologies is increasingly utilized to improve performance, transparency, and trust in engineering-driven and socio-technical environments. This study systematically reviews the evolution, integration strategies, and applications of blockchain, AI, and cloud computing in digital ecosystems. The analysis is based on 108 peer-reviewed studies spanning the years 2012 to 2025. A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted to identify trends, synergies, and sector-specific implementations of these systems. The review explores how their integration supports real-world engineering and operational use cases. Blockchain contributes to decentralized architectures, secure data exchange, and identity verification. AI supports adaptive behavior, autonomous decision-making, and predictive analytics. Cloud computing offers the scalable infrastructure necessary for deployment. Key challenges addressed include interoperability, latency, security trade-offs, and resource allocation. Use cases in digital finance, supply chain management, and industrial automation demonstrate the effectiveness of this integration in building resilient, ethically aligned, and high-performance infrastructures. The findings offer valuable insights and technical considerations for engineers and architects seeking to design next-generation cyber-physical systems that are secure, intelligent, and socially responsive. Clinical Trial Number Not applicable. This article accentuates the extensive use of blockchain, cloud computing, and AI principles, emphasizing their crucial significance in the contemporary digital environment and paths in which blockchain technology may be employed to automate financial transactions, enhance the security of personal data and records, facilitate cross-border transactions, verify identities, execute smart contracts, utilize cryptocurrencies, and manage supply chains. This research systematically assesses the development and practical application of blockchain, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence technologies over the past decade. This study primarily focuses on monitoring the progress, practical applications, and benefits of blockchain technology in the context of financial transactions. This article probes the symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence, cloud and blockchain technology, analyzing the evolution and fundamental concepts of their integration from 2012 to 2025. This paper also presents a detailed analysis of 108 research works acquitted over the past decade. The study provides a comprehensive examination of the current state and fundamental principles related to the integration of artificial intelligence, cloud, and blockchain technology. This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the major obstacles confronted by blockchain technology, examining its wide-ranging applications over several industries and its socko role in transaction systems and the domain of cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain technology can be used to record real data at various nodes in the entire supply chain and can achieve timely data sharing and full traceability of the whole lifecycle of products in the supply chain. This study conducts a systematic literature review based on the WOS database, focusing on the research topic of the application of blockchain technology in supply chain management. We propose clear search and screening criteria based on 4 research questions and finally obtain 591 target studies. We conduct a detailed study on the distribution of the target literature in this research area, country/region, institution, and journal. Different countries/regions cooperate with each other and, thus, are clustered into five significant countries regions’ cooperation networks. There is a strong coupling relationship between research institutions, forming four major institutional cooperation networks. According to the analysis of those papers with a high number of citations, most of such papers were published in 2019, while the cross-citation phenomenon between papers occurred more frequently in 2021 and 2022. We use VOSviewer for visual coupling analysis of all keywords, which are automatically clustered into three research hotspots. Using CiteSpace to perform timeline-based keyword cooccurrence analysis, we find that scholars have gone through a “discovery-acceptance-question-improvement” process for the application of blockchain technology in supply chain management. According to the intensity and duration of burst detection words in different years, we draw three key points for future research. (i) Blockchain technology should be used to restructure and optimize the high-end food and medical cold chain supply chains. (ii) Blockchain technology should be used to enhance the cooperative relationship between supply chain members and the overall competitiveness of the supply chain. (iii) Innovate blockchain encryption technology that should be used to reduce the risk of information and privacy leakage in the supply chain.

The article is aimed at studying the evolution of money. The article examines the history of the emergence and evolutionary development of money and cryptocurrencies. Blockchain technology is analyzed, as well as the technological difference between Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana cryptocurrencies is considered. The issues of the operation of the Ethereum blockchain and smart contracts are covered. An analysis of blockchain technology and the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment is carried out. The type of cryptocurrency such as a stablecoin is revealed in its variety. Comparisons of native blockchain coins and stablecoins as a means of payment, further of USDC and USDT stablecoins, are made. An analysis of differences between the centralized and decentralized stablecoins is carried out. It is specified what the stablecoins USDC, USDT, DAI are backed by. It is analyzed what share of the market is occupied by USDT, USDC, and DAI. The advantages and disadvantages of stablecoins are identified. A characterization of activity of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) with its connection to central banks is presented. It is determined that stablecoins are an attempt to objectively eliminate the high volatility of traditional cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum by tying the value of a stablecoin to one or more other assets, such as fiat currency. Blockchain technology along with stablecoins can increase the efficiency of cross-border payments. With the growing demand for use, a stablecoin can become one of the important elements of the payment infrastructure. As result of the study, a comparison between cryptocurrencies and the companies Visa, Paypal in terms of processing speed and the amount of payment commissions is made. It is determined that blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies are a new evolutionary stage in the development of money. It is substantiated that the effect of using blockchain technology allows to cheaper and faster money transfers. It is noted that blockchain technology is young, but cooperation between traditional financial companies and cryptocurrencies is already visible.

PurposeBlockchain technology was developed to synchronize the data and transactions over the supply chain network and connected nodes. This paper aims to show how blockchain technology can enhance flexibility and agility in supply chain operations. The integration of blockchain and other recently developed technology can help deal with supply chain uncertainties and other challenges being faced by the industry.Design/methodology/approachThrough an extensive literature review of existing research papers and conversation with supply chain managers, barriers and challenges in the supply chain were identified. Some elements were researched of blockchain technology that can be used to resolve some challenges. Blockchain technology and other technologies integration is developed for implementation in supply chain for better visibility and efficiency of supply chain.FindingsThe challenges in the supply chain are categorized, and the solution is given through the integration of blockchain and other technologies like Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. The integration shows the execution of tasks through blockchain and various technologies in supply chain.Research limitations/implicationsBlockchain in supply chain is finding its strong place in India when compared to developing nations. There is a need for technology experts, supply chain managers and consumers to understand blockchain’s importance. Challenges faced by industries to use blockchain may be analyzed further with real-life industry case studies.Practical implicationsThis research helps enterprises in successful execution of smart technologies in their supply chains. This research helps enterprises in successful execution of smart technologies in their supply chains. Managers and practitioners may use the models developed in real-time implementation. The technologies are described in detail to help the practitioners select the best suitable for their organization.Social implicationsDigital supply chains are finding the way in industries due to lean and efficient nature. It is beneficial to use the smart technologies to make supply chain green and sustainable.Originality/valueThe implementation of the digital supply chain and its challenges are discussed in the research paper. This will work as a platform for research in the area of technologies for supply chain.

Introduction 2021 was the year that NFTs got big—not just in value but also in terms of the cultural consciousness. When digital artist Beeple sold the portfolio of his 5,000 daily images at Christie’s for US$69 million, the art world was left intrigued, confused, and outraged in equal measure. Depending on who you asked, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) seemed to be either a quick cash-grab or the future of the art market (Bowden and Jones; Smee). Following the Beeple sale, articles started to appear indicating that the film industry was abuzz for NFTs. Independent filmmaker Kevin Smith was quick to announce that he planned to release his horror film Killroy Was Here as an NFT (Alexander); in September 2021 the James Bond film No Time to Die also unveiled a series of collectibles to coincide with the film’s much-delayed theatrical release (Natalee); the distribution and collectible platforms Vuele, NFT Studios, and Mogul Productions all emerged, and the industry rumour mill suggests more start-ups are en route (CurrencyWorks; NFT Studios; NewsBTC). Blockchain disciples say that the technology will solve all the problems of the Internet (Tewari; Norton; European Business Review); critics say it will only perpetuate existing accessibility and equality issues (Davis and Flatow; Klein). Those more circumspect will doubtless sit back until the dust settles, waiting to see what parts of so-called web3 will be genuinely integrated into the architecture of the Internet. Pamela Hutchinson puts it neatly in terms of the arts sector: “the NFT may revolutionise the art market, film funding and distribution. Or it might be an ecological disaster and a financial bubble, in which few actual movies change hands, and fraudsters get rich from other people’s intellectual property” (Hutchinson). There is an uptick in the literature around NFTs and blockchain (see Quiniou; Gayvoronskaya & Meinel); however, the technology remains unregulated and unstandardised (Yeung 212-14; Dimitropoulos 112-13). Similarly, the sheer amount of funding being put into fundamental technical, data, and security-related issues speaks volumes to the nascency of the space (Ossinger; Livni; Gayvoronskaya & Meinel 52-6). Put very briefly, NFTs are part of a given blockchain system; think of them, like cryptocurrency coins, as “units of value” within that system (Roose). NFTs were initially rolled out on Ethereum, though several other blockchains have now implemented their own NFT frameworks. NFTs are usually not the artwork itself, but rather a unique, un-copyable (hence, non-fungible) piece of code that is attached, linked, or connected to another digital file, be that an image, video, text, or something else entirely. NFTs are often referred to as a digital artwork’s “certificate of authenticity” (Roose). At the time of writing, it remains to be seen how widely blockchain and NFT technology will be implemented across the entertainment industries. However, this article aims to outline the current state of implementation in the film trade specifically, and to attempt to sort true potential from the hype. Beginning with an overview of the core issues around blockchain and NFTs as they apply to film properties and adjacent products, current implementations of the technology are outlined, before finishing with a hesitant glimpse into the potential future applications. The Issues and Conversation At the core of current conversations around blockchain are three topics: intellectual property and ownership, concentrations of power and control, and environmental impact. To this I would like to add a consideration of social capital, which I begin with briefly here. Both the film industry and “crypto” — if we take the latter to encompass the various facets of so-called ‘web3’ — are engines of social capital. In the case of cinema, its products are commodified and passed through a model that begins with exclusivity (theatrical release) before progressing to mass availability (home media, streaming). The cinematic object, i.e., an individual copy of a film, is, by virtue of its origins as a mass product of the twentieth century, fungible. The film is captured, copied, stored, distributed, and shared. The film-industrial model has always relied on social phenomena, word of mouth, critical discourse, and latterly on buzz across digital social media platforms. This is perhaps as distinct from fine art, where — at least for dealers — the content of the piece does not necessarily matter so much as verification of ownership and provenance. Similarly, web3, with its decentralised and often-anonymised processes, relies on a kind of social activity, or at least a recorded interaction wherein the chain is stamped and each iteration is updated across the system. Even without the current hype, web3 still relies a great deal on discourse, sharing, and community, particularly as it flattens the existing hierarchies of the Internet that linger from Web 2.0. In terms of NFTs, blockchain systems attach scarcity and uniqueness to digital objects. For now, that scarcity and uniqueness is resulting in financial value, though as Jonathan Beller argues the notion of value could — or perhaps should — be reconsidered as blockchain technology, and especially cryptocurrencies, evolve (Beller 217). Regardless, NFT advocates maintain that this is the future of all online activity. To questions of copyright, the structures of blockchain do permit some level of certainty around where a given piece of intellectual property emerged. This is particularly useful where there are transnational differences in recognition of copyright law, such as in France, for instance (Quiniou 112-13). The Berne Convention stipulates that “the subsistence of copyright does not rest on the compliance with formal requirements: rights will exist if the work meets the requirements for protection set out by national law and treaties” (Guadamuz 1373). However, there are still no legal structures underpinning even the most transparent of transactions, when an originator goes out of their way to transfer rights to the buyer of the accompanying NFT. The minimum requirement — even courtesy — for the assignment of rights is the identification of the work itself; as Guadamuz notes, this is tricky for NFTs as they are written in code (1374). The blockchain’s openness and transparency are its key benefits, but until the code can explicitly include (or concretely and permanently reference) the ‘content’ of an NFT, its utility as a system of ownership is questionable. Decentralisation, too, is raised consistently as a key positive characteristic of blockchain technology. Despite the energy required for this decentralisation (addressed shortly), it is true that, at least in its base code, blockchain is a technology with no centralised source of truth or verification. Instead, such verification is performed by every node on the chain. On the surface, for the film industry, this might mean modes of financing, rights management, and distribution chains that are not beholden to multinational media conglomerates, streamers like Netflix, niche intermediaries, or legacy studios. The result here would be a flattening of the terrain: breaking down studio and corporate gatekeeping in favour of a more democratised creative landscape. Creators and creative teams would work peer-to-peer, paying, contracting, servicing, and distribution via the blockchain, with iron-clad, publicly accessible tracking of transactions and ownership. The alternative, though, is that the same imbalances persist, just in a different form: this is outlined in the next section. As Hunter Vaughan writes, the film industry’s environmental impact has long been under-examined. Its practices are diverse, distributed, and hard to quantify. Cinematic images, Vaughan writes, “do not come from nothing, and they do not vanish into the air: they have always been generated by the earth and sun, by fossil fuels and chemical reactions, and our enjoyment of them has material consequences” (3). We believe that by watching a “green” film like Avatar we are doing good, but it implicates us in the dirty secret, an issue of “ignorance and of voluntary psychosis” where “we do not see who we are harming or how these practices are affecting the environment, and we routinely agree to accept the virtual as real” (5). Beyond questions of implication and eco-material conceptualisation, however, there are stark facts. In the 1920s, the Kodak Park Plant in New York drew 12 million gallons of water from Lake Ontario each day to produce film stock. As the twentieth century came to a close, this amount — for a single film plant — had grown to 35-53 million gallons per day. The waste water was perfunctorily “cleaned” and then dumped into surrounding rivers (72-3). This was just one plant, and one part of the filmmaking process. With the shift to digital, this cost might now be calculated in the extraction of precious metals used to make contemporary cameras, computers, or storage devices. Regardless, extrapolate outwards to a global film industry and one quickly realises the impact is almost beyond comprehension. Considering — let alone calculating — the carbon footprint of blockchain requires outlining some fundamentals of the technology. The two primary architectures of blockchain are Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), both of which denote methods of adding and verifying new blocks to a chain. PoW was the first model, employed by Bitcoin and the first iteration of Ethereum. In a PoW model, each new block has a specific cryptographic hash. To confirm the new block, crypto miners use their systems to generate a target hash that is less than or equal to that of the block. The systems process these calculations quickly, as the goal is to be “the first miner with the target hash because that miner is the one who can update the blockchain and receive crypto rewards” (Daly). The race for

The study focuses on the utilization of Blockchain and Cloud based technologies in the automotive supply chain in India. It is based on a questionnaire-based survey conducted through a Google Form based questionnaire over 75 company executives of automobile sector having any idea on Blockchain. Among the participants, 73% was Male& 27% was Female. 32% Executives with Job experience 2-5 years, 27% with 5-10 years and 41% with More than 10 years. In terms of working profile, 41% Production Manager, 17% Tech Manager and 32% Supply Manager were there.The study uses a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire to assess the three broad parameters: Blockchain Technology Adoption (BTA), Supply Chain Integration (SC1) with Internal Integration, Customer Integration and Supplier Integration as sub-items and Sustainable Supply Chain Performance (SSCP). It has found that the company executives perceive that the blockchain is well integratedin the supply chain from both supplier and customer's perspective and also perceive that the blockchain is well integrated in the supply chain from both supplier and customer's perspective. organizationsalso has the capability of achieving sustainability in embracing Blockchain Technology. Not only in the mainstream production process, but also in the supply chain encompassing the suppliers and transporters, the usage of blockchain technology is widespread acknowledged. The Customer services also embrace Cloud-based Blockchain services to a greater extent. It has been observed that the adoption of blockchain and cloud technologies improve supply chain sustainability and coordination among different units in supply chain. However, the blockchain-based customer services such as vehicle monitoring, theft prevention, insurance scrutiny need to be focused more as the automotive sector in India is inclined to the Blockchain Technology towards the backward linkages up the supply chain rather than the forward linkages downward. The cloud integration in the blockchain network do enhances the performance and utilities in the automobile sector. Still, it needs to be more sophisticated and gain industry-wide acceptance.

The healthcare industry and the battle against the COVID‐19 pandemic are two areas where blockchain technology might be useful. In this study, blockchain's significance is examined. Blockchain technology and related procedures will be used in future healthcare systems for collecting sensor data, automated patient monitoring, and safe data storage. Because it can store a large amount of data in a dispersed and secure way and provide access whenever and wherever it is needed, this technology greatly simplifies the process of carrying out activities. The advantages of quantum computing, such as the speed with which patients can be found and monitored, may be fully used with the help of quantum blockchain. Quantum blockchain is an additional resource that may be used to safeguard the veracity, integrity, and availability of stored information. Combining quantum computing with blockchain technology may allow faster and more secure medical information processing. In this research, the authors examine the potential uses of blockchain and quantum technology in the healthcare industry. Quantum technologies, blockchain‐based technologies, and other cutting‐edge ICTs (such as ratification intelligence, machine learning, drones, and so on) were investigated and contrasted in this article.

This study aims to critically examine the compatibility of Bitcoin and blockchain technology with Islamic economic and legal principles within the context of a rapidly evolving digital financial system. Employing a literature review method based on the PRISMA approach, this research analyzes five authoritative classical Islamic jurisprudence texts alongside 40 scholarly articles from credible academic sources. The primary focus lies in evaluating how these emerging technologies correspond with key Islamic financial values, particularly the prohibitions of riba (interest), gharar (excessive uncertainty), and maysir (speculation/gambling), while also exploring their potential for innovation in building a Shariah-compliant financial infrastructure. The findings demonstrate that while Bitcoin, due to its high volatility and speculative nature, poses significant concerns under Shariah principles mainly due to its proximity to elements of maysir and gharar blockchain technology itself offers considerable promise. As a decentralized and transparent ledger system, blockchain can enhance justice (‘adl), trust (amanah), and efficiency in Islamic financial transactions. It supports the reduction of transaction costs, improves transparency, and eliminates reliance on intermediaries aligning with core objectives of Islamic economic ethics. Furthermore, blockchain technology provides a foundation for innovative financial instruments that uphold Shariah compliance, such as asset-backed stablecoins, automated smart contracts for contracts like murabahah or mudarabah, and real-time Shariah audits. The study finds increasing institutional support across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where Islamic finance authorities, governments, and fintech developers are actively working to embed blockchain into compliant financial ecosystems. In conclusion, although Bitcoin's speculative characteristics challenge its Shariah compliance, blockchain technology opens significant opportunities to innovate and strengthen Islamic digital finance. The realization of this potential depends on sustained collaboration among Shariah scholars, technologists, regulators, and financial institutions to ensure all developments are guided by the objectives of maqasid al-shariah. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on how Islamic values can shape the future of ethical and inclusive financial technologies.

With the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, industries such as healthcare have started using low-powered sensor-based devices. Because IoT devices are typically low-powered, they are susceptible to cyber intrusions. As an emerging information security solution, blockchain technology has considerable potential for protecting low-powered IoT end devices. Blockchain technology provides promising security features such as cryptography, hash functions, time stamps, and a distributed ledger function. Therefore, blockchain technology can be a robust security technology for securing IoT low-powered devices. However, the integration of blockchain and IoT technologies raises a number of research questions. Scalability is one of the most significant. Blockchain’ scalability of low-powered sensor networks needs to be evaluated to identify the practical application of both technologies in low-powered sensor networks. In this paper, we analyse the scalability limitations of three commonly used blockchain algorithms running on low-powered single-board computers communicating in a wireless sensor network. We assess the scalability limitations of three blockchain networks as we increase the number of nodes. Our analysis shows considerable scalability variations between three blockchain networks. The results indicate that some blockchain networks can have over 800 ms network latency and some blockchain networks may use a bandwidth over 1600 Kbps. This work will contribute to developing efficient blockchain-based IoT sensor networks.