Drivers and Impediments: Experts Opinions on Blockchain Adoption in the Netherlands

Abstract

There is an ongoing interest in blockchain by organisations and governments in the Netherlands. In this research we aim to determine what positive and negative factors influence blockchain adoption in the Netherlands. We achieve this by interviewing eight blockchain experts and by analysing the factors that are top of mind among these experts.We anticipated that the majority of the experts would mention the technological advantages of blockchain as a prevalent factor that drives adoption. Surprisingly, our research suggests a disconnect between blockchain adoption and its technological advantages. By contrast, a prevalent factor that drives blockchain adoption is competitive pressure, according to the majority of experts. Also, based on the analysis of the interviews we introduce two new drivers, 1. Being willing to collaborate, and 2. Problem match. We also identify two factors that are an impediment for blockchain adoption according to the majority of the experts, 1. Lack of regulation on blockchain, and 2. Lack of knowledge about blockchain properties by non-experts. Our work is useful as organisations and governments may want to reconsider their rationale for adopting blockchain. If a rationale exists for adopting blockchain then these organisations and governments can focus on the impediments of blockchain adoption.