Exploring SME Intentions Toward Blockchain-Secured Marketplaces: A Grounded Theory Approach

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_101How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Blockchain technology; SME digital transformation; Marketplace adoption; Grounded theory; Transaction security

Abstract

This study investigates how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Biringkanaya District perceive and intend to adopt blockchain secured marketplace platforms for their digital commercial activities. Using a grounded theory methodology, in depth interviews were conducted with ten SME proprietors to explore their motivations, perceptions, and concerns regarding the implementation of blockchain technology within marketplace ecosystems. The analysis identified four principal categories: navigating digital transformation challenges, trust and security expectations, perceived benefits of blockchain integration, and barriers to blockchain adoption. The emergent core category, seeking secure digital commerce pathways, encapsulates how SME owners aspire to strengthen the safety of their transactions while simultaneously confronting technological, financial, and knowledge related constraints. The findings indicate that blockchain is generally perceived as a promising tool to enhance data integrity, transparency, and protection against fraud, yet its adoption is hindered by limited understanding, perceived complexity, and uncertainty about costs and institutional support. This research addresses a gap in the existing literature on blockchain adoption among SMEs in developing market contexts and offers practical implications for marketplace platform designers, technology providers, and policymakers seeking to promote inclusive and secure digital transformation for SMEs.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Baginda Hamzah
AU  - Andi Ratna Sari Dewi
AU  - Andi Raina Ananda Herdiyana
AU  - Audrey Michelle Wenny Yolanda
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/20
TI  - Exploring SME Intentions Toward Blockchain-Secured Marketplaces: A Grounded Theory Approach
BT  - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Accounting, Management, and Economics (10th ICAME 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1450
EP  - 1464
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_101
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_101
ID  - Hamzah2026
ER  -