Opportunities and challenges of blockchain for multi-sided platforms

Blockchain appears promising in meeting the challenges of digital multi-sided platforms by limiting the power of centralized intermediaries. Research has addressed individual aspects of blockchain, including decentralized decision-making, trust mechanisms, and incentivization measures. A comprehensive overview of blockchain's concrete opportunities and challenges for multi-sided platforms can help research work toward a more holistic view. We aim to provide current knowledge on these nascent developments by performing a developmental literature review. We find that platforms can modularly adopt different technological and governance-related blockchain features. We develop a conceptual framework of eighteen opportunities and challenges of blockchain for multi-sided platforms. Last, we highlight mutual and sometimes contrary effects between these opportunities and challenges.