Blockchain research shifted from cryptocurrencies to privacy and machine learning after Ethereum's 2022 switch.

Blockchain is growing fast because it offers shared control, openness, tracking, and resistance to censorship. However, researchers needed to see where the field was heading after Ethereum changed how it ran in 2022. The researchers gathered and studied 57,116 papers published from 2022 to 2025. They used mapping software called VOSviewer, along with theme tracking, to map out keywords and co-authors. This process grouped related terms and tracked changes in focus over time. They discovered that foundational infrastructure topics are fading from attention. Specifically, distributed ledgers, proof of work, and cryptocurrencies are being studied less. Instead, researchers are focusing heavily on advanced privacy and data tools: federated learning, differential privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs. They also found that India, China, and the United States published the most papers, while review articles received the most citations.

Why it matters

This study maps where blockchain research is heading after a major technical shift. Researchers and investors can see which topics are growing—like privacy and federated learning—and which are fading. It also provides a tool to clean messy keyword data, helping future analyses.

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