The 2020 coronavirus pandemic exposed weaknesses in supply-chain systems. Organizations globally (in both the public and private sectors) showed varying degrees of ability to respond.

This revealed a breakdown in the collaboration required to track, trace, authenticate, finance and clear medical goods, supplies, etc. through trade channels in a trusted, verifiable and efficient manner. Such global events highlight the need for an interconnected and interoperable supply chain in a world after Covid-19.

Contrary to common belief, this specific challenge is not only a technology problem, but also a problem in governance, data ownership and commercial business models in terms of how they incentivize ecosystem stakeholders to collaborate with each other. For that reason, this white paper takes a holistic approach to blockchain interoperability.

This is the focus of the seventh white paper in this series, published today by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Deloitte, that helps organizations understand the current state, nuances and importance of interoperable blockchains and outlines a decision framework to support their development and execution.

Report by the World Economic Forum