# December 2025
Construction Blockchain Newsletter
Welcome to the CBC December Newsletter. In this final edition of 2025, we mark a decisive shift for blockchain: from experimentation to operational deployment. Across global markets, institutions are embedding blockchain alongside AI and real-time data, moving well beyond pilot projects. Major technology acquisitions, tokenised financial instruments, regulated stablecoins, and public-sector use cases all point to blockchain’s integration into critical infrastructure. Our Research & Development Digest highlights concrete progress in contract management, decentralised data environments, and blockchain–AI value co-creation within construction. The emphasis throughout is on evidence, application, and strategic relevance for leaders navigating accelerating adoption.
As part of this month’s knowledge upgrade, we are releasing all videos from the Construction Blockchain Conference 2025. These sessions explore cutting-edge research and practice at the intersection of AI, digital twins, and the built environment, covering topics from conversational environmental intelligence to blockchain-enabled collaboration and workflow optimisation.
As the year draws to a close, we extend our warmest wishes to the entire Construction Blockchain community. May you enjoy a wonderful season’s celebration with family and colleagues, and may the New Year bring health, prosperity, and continued success in advancing blockchain innovation across the built environment.
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World & Blockchain
Worldwide
IBM just acquired Confluent for $11 billion. When I was at IBM, I watched enterprises struggle with the same problem over and over again. Their data was always a step behind their decisions. This acquisition may look like a classic enterprise AI move, but its implications stretch well beyond artificial intelligence. This deal signals a deeper shift in how companies will build intelligent systems, manage real time data, secure digital transactions, and create trust in a world where AI and blockchain are colliding.
Europe
Lloyds Bank pushes for AI and blockchain to transform UK homebuying
Lloyds Banking Group is pushing for an overhaul of the UK financial system to put customer deposits on the blockchain, a shift that its chief executive said could help redesign how Britons buy and sell homes. Charlie Nunn said combining tokenised deposits with artificial intelligence could spark a change in the financial services sector that was as significant as the invention of the smartphone.
Asia
Japan’s SBI and Startale plan regulated yen stablecoin in 2026 under new framework
Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings and Web3 infrastructure company Startale Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a fully regulated Japanese yen-denominated stablecoin, targeting tokenized asset markets and global settlement.
North America
J.P. Morgan harnesses blockchain for debt issuance amid digital asset adoption boost
J.P. Morgan (JPM.N) opens new tab arranged a short-term bond for Galaxy Digital Holdings on the Solana blockchain, the bank said on Thursday, marking a significant step in the broader institutional adoption of digital assets. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global (COIN.O) opens new tab and investment management firm Franklin Templeton purchased the commercial paper, a short-term and unsecured debt instrument.
South America
Brazil to test blockchain in state real estate auction to reduce fraud, disputes
The Court of Auditors of São Paulo will hold Brazil's first public auction using blockchain technology in an effort to increase transparency and reduce disputes. The auction will record every document involved in the process on a blockchain, making it a public, traceable, tamper-evident record.
Research & Development Digest
This monthly Research Digest features some notable papers produced or suggested by our academic and industry Members and Partners that we hope will be of interest.
Blockchain & Construction Management
Karacigan A, Caglayan S, Tezel A, Ozorhon B, 2025
As digital transformation accelerates, innovation has become vital for enhancing organizational competitiveness in the construction industry. Despite this progress, contract management remains hindered by inadequate information sharing, payment delays, and supply chain inefficiencies. Blockchain technology offers a promising solution, as it introduces a transformative paradigm for managing construction contracts. This study investigates the impact of blockchain technology implementation on construction contract management and explores strategies to facilitate its implementation. Through a comprehensive literature review, the research identified critical factors influencing its integration, including stakeholder commitment, regulatory issues, technological infrastructure, and managerial aspects. Based on these insights, an initial framework is developed to illustrate the interactions among these factors. A questionnaire survey is then conducted with selectively targeted participants with relevant experience. The collected data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), and a focus group study is conducted to validate the findings. The study culminates in a strategic roadmap designed to guide the adoption of blockchain technology in construction contract management, which offers a comprehensive perspective and provides practical strategic recommendations. Its key novelty lies in its specific focus on blockchain-enabled construction contract management, distinguishing it from prior country-specific or use-case-limited roadmaps. Findings reveal that the immature industry does not deter motivated companies from implementing blockchain technology driven by the integration of advanced digital solutions. Blockchain technology primarily enhances data management, monitoring, and knowledge-sharing processes, enabling more informed decision-making, which highlights its potential to improve overall industry efficiency. By exploring blockchain’s potential and revealing the critical factors, this research provides valuable insights for organizations considering its implementation.
https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-17040
Blockchain-Based Decentralized Common Data Environment: User Requirements and Conceptual Framework
Jaskula K, Kifokeris D, Papadonikolaki E, Rovas D, 2025
A common data environment (CDE) is defined as a single source of truth for all project information that facilitates continuous collaboration between stakeholders. In practice, multiple CDEs are used simultaneously, leading to a lack of data integrity, traceability, and transparency. Moreover, current centralized cloud-based CDEs are vulnerable to security risks such as data manipulation, which magnifies the lack of trust among project stakeholders. Previous studies proposing blockchain for information management focused on narrow use cases and did not encompass the whole life cycle of a built asset. This work aims to develop a framework for decentralized information management concerning all life cycle phases. First, we identify the users’ needs for a CDE using desk research and an empirical approach, including semistructured interviews with industry experts. It is found that the top user requirement is integrating data scattered across multiple CDEs along the built asset’s life cycle in a single source of truth. A CDE should provide an accountable and transparent record of the entire project history, integrating data from various tools utilized during the life cycle. In the final step, we propose a conceptual framework for a blockchain-based CDE where transactions from various tools used along the entire life cycle of a built asset are recorded on a blockchain linked with Inter-Planetary File Storage (IPFS) to increase the security of the files. Three illustrative use-case scenarios demonstrate the framework’s applicability in the design, construction, and operation phases. The utilization of blockchain technology ensures an immutable, independent, and reliable record of all transactions, offering a comprehensive and tamper-proof history. This approach addresses gaps in previous studies and lays the foundation for establishing trustworthy product and material passports.
https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-14852
Lin Y-H, Hou Z, Zhang J, Tao X, Cheng J C P, Li H, 2025
Emerging technologies—blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI)—have revolutionized the operational model of construction organizations by developing a new paradigm of value cocreation within construction projects. However, it remains unclear how blockchain and AI could foster value cocreation in construction projects. Dynamic capability theory (DCT) and task-technology fit theory (TTFT) were utilized to address this knowledge gap by constructing a theoretical model that elucidates the relationship among blockchain, AI, and value cocreation in construction projects. A mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative studies, was deployed to unveil the results. A total of 296 survey responses were collected from construction professionals, and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized to assess the model. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 construction professionals to validate the study’s findings, and the grounded theory method was employed to solidify the theoretical framework. The findings indicate that blockchain has a significant positive effect on AI, and both blockchain and AI have significant positive effects on value cocreation in construction projects. Moreover, government support and task-technology fit moderate the impact of blockchain and AI on value cocreation, thereby enhancing the value cocreation of construction projects. This study not only contributes to knowledge extension by clarifying the relationship among blockchain, AI, and value cocreation in construction projects but also provides valuable insights for engineering and construction firms seeking to effectively utilize blockchain and AI.
https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15244563
Events Agenda
DIGITAL ASSETS FORUM
Feb 5-6, 2026, London
The premier event for the Institutional Digital Assets industry
Consensus 2026
10-12 Feb 2026, Hong-Kong.
Since 2015, Consensus has been more than an event–it's the annual gathering of the tribes. It's where the most influential voices in blockchain, web3, and decentralized AI come together to drive innovation forward.
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Knowledge Upgrade
Construction Blockchain Conference Recordings
Construction Blockchain Conference recordings are now available, offering an extensive overview of current research and practice at the intersection of AI, digital twins, and the built environment. The sessions explore scalable conversational environmental intelligence, AI-driven robotic design from natural language, participatory design for flood-prone coastal zones, and novel fabrication logics for complex structures. Further contributions address urban digital twins and geospatial modelling, advanced BIM-based comfort prediction, reinforcement learning in architecture, and business model innovation in the AEC sector. The programme also examines cognitive CDEs, edge computing for smart cities, and blockchain-enabled engines for collaborative document auditing and workflow optimisation.
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