Assessing blockchain applications in platform supply chain financing: when is it wise?

Abstract As electronic business platforms (EB‐platforms) increasingly provide financing services to e‐tailers, EB‐platforms also face moral hazards issues. Blockchain technology in supply chain finance (BCT‐SCF) has garnered significant global attention to mitigate these risks. This study explores a three‐echelon supply chain consisting of a bank, an EB‐platform, and an e‐tailer. Based on participants’ adoption of BCT, four scenarios are examined: none, upstream, downstream, and entire chain. The motivations of BCT adoption and the effects of it on the operational capabilities are discussed. Our findings indicate that BCT can reduce costs of managing credit and distribute repayment risks under specific conditions, thereby enhancing potential profits and avoiding moral hazards for supply chain participants. Unexpectedly, BCT adoption does not always improve supply chain efficiency due to distributing repayment risks effect. Moreover, due to the cost‐saving and risk‐sharing benefits between the EB‐platform and the e‐tailer, the adoption of blockchain becomes more effective when the credit insurance rate is relatively low. This paper provides guidelines for adopting BCT‐SCF.