Title: Recent advances in blockchain technology: a survey on applications and challenges

Authors: Saqib Hakak; Wazir Zada Khan; Gulshan Amin Gilkar; Basem Assiri; Mamoun Alazab; Sweta Bhattacharya; G. Thippa Reddy

Addresses: Faculty of Computer Science, Canadian Institute for Cyber Security, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada ' Faculty of Computing, Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST), Islamabad, Pakistan ' University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, Canada ' Farasan Networking Research Laboratory, Faculty of CS and IS, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia ' Charles Darwin University, 0815 Darwin, Australia ' School of Information Technology and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, India ' School of Information Technology and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, India

Abstract: The rise of blockchain technology within a few years has attracted researchers across the world. The primary reason for worldwide attention is undoubtedly due to its feature of immutability along with the decentralised approach of data protection. As this technology is progressing, lots of developments in terms of identifying new applications, blockchain-based platforms, consensus mechanisms, etc., are taking place. Hence, in this article, an attempt has been made to review the recent advancements in blockchain technology. Furthermore, we have also explored the available blockchain platforms, highlighted and explored future research directions and challenges.

Keywords: blockchain technology; blockchain platforms; healthcare; cybersecurity; finance; smart city; smart grids; logistics; supply chain; ownership services; Hyperledger.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAHUC.2021.119089

International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, 2021 Vol.38 No.1/2/3, pp.82 - 100

Received: 15 Oct 2020
Accepted: 07 Jan 2021
Published online: 22 Nov 2021 *

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