Since the emergence of Bitcoin, a digital cryptocurrency, in 2008, blockchain technology (BCT) has garnered significant attention from various researchers and practitioners, becoming a central point of interest (Dabbagh, Sookhak & Safa 2019). Blockchain technology is a digital ledger that is designed to be resistant to tampering, as it is implemented in a decentralised manner, meaning there is no central authority controlling it (Yaga et al. 2019). Hence, BCT is considered an innovative and potentially transformative technology that has the capacity to revolutionise the global supply chain (SC) (Biggs et al. 2017; Vazquez Melendez, Bergey & Smith 2024).

Storing decentralised records on a BCT platform increases transparency in the flow of process status information, leading to enhanced operational efficiency and enhanced performance for the whole SC (Centobelli et al. 2022; Francisco & Swanson 2018). Supply chain transparency is described as the combination of visibility and information sharing, enabling a clear view of the entire SC, which is essential for effectively managing and controlling global SC (Zelbst et al. 2020). However, despite the technological advancements, a lack of trust among SC partners continues to hinder collaboration, information sharing and joint decision-making (Hellani et al. 2021).

Recent studies in the field propose that distributed ledger technologies, particularly BCT, have the potential to enhance trust and facilitate trade in environments where trust is lacking (Baharmand, Maghsoudi & Coppi 2021). Blockchain technology fosters and enhances trust by increasing transactional transparency, ensuring data immutability and reducing information asymmetry (Meidute-Kavaliauskiene et al. 2021). Fortunately, empirical evidence on how these mechanisms interact remains limited, especially within emerging economies where institutional voids and relational uncertainties persist.

Organisations are still uncertain about accepting the high cost of implementing BCT because benefits on the SC have not yet been proven (Ghode et al. 2020). Adopting BCT should involve a comprehensive evaluation that includes all SC partners (Baharmand et al. 2021). Therefore, it is important to understand how SC professionals perceive BCT’s role in fostering transparency and trust across SC networks.

Accordingly, this paper aims to examine the effect of BCT on SC trust among SC partners through the mediating role of SC transparency. Drawing on the perceptions of SC professionals operating in Egypt, this research uses quantitative methods using a survey to statistically assess the proposed relationships. By capturing professionals’ perceptions from emerging context, the study provides both theoretical and empirical insights into how BCT’s transparency-enhancing features can strengthen trust among SC partners.

The remainder of the paper is organised as follows: Section ‘Conceptual foundation’ presents a comprehensive review of relevant literature on BCT, SC transparency, and trust, establishing the theoretical foundation for the proposed framework and hypotheses. Section ‘Research methodology’ outlines the research methodology, including the data collection process, measurement instrument, and analytical techniques employed. Section ‘Results and analysis’ presents the results of the empirical analysis, followed by section ‘Discussion’, which discusses the key findings in relation to existing literature. Finally, section ‘Conclusion and future recommendation’ concludes the paper by summarizing the main contributions, outlining managerial and theoretical implications, and suggesting directions for future research.

This study aims to explore how BCT affects trust among SC partners, specifically examining the mediating role of SC transparency. To achieve this, it adopts an exploratory research approach using quantitative methods, including surveys to gather data from SC-industry experts and professionals in organisations operating in Egypt.

A quantitative approach is used to collect data from large samples, which helps determine larger populations and can identify trends and relationships that may not be apparent through qualitative methods (Fryer, Larson-Hall & Stewart 2018). And as mentioned by Gerrish and Lacey (2010), quantitative data research refers to a research design and methodology that produces numerical data. Data were collected through a survey that was developed based on validated items from prior articles. Ensuring all of the three constructs’ measurement items are carefully selected to fit in the conceptual research model presented in Figure 1 and satisfy the research objective, items for each construct are presented in Table 1.

The survey was composed of three constructs; the first construct is BCT composed of three items adopted from Queiroz and Wamba (2019). This construct was designed to measure respondents’ perceptions of BCT’s role and benefits in SC operations rather than their organisation’s readiness or stage of adoption. These items reflect how professionals perceive key features of BCT as mechanisms that enhance SC performance. Thus, the construct captures perceived influence rather than technological adoption levels.

While the second construct is SC trust, composed of four items adopted from Doney and Cannon (1997), the original framework of this paper was not related to BCT; it provided a robust theoretical basis for understanding trust in collaborative relationships. To contextualise this construct for the current study, we integrated the technological dimension of BCT by developing items that reflect how professionals perceive BCT. Thus, the construct combines the general principles of interorganisational trust from existing literature with BCT-specific elements designed by the authors. The resulting items are expected to measure perceived trust potential, focusing on how BCT will influence trust with SC partners rather than computing observed trust behaviours.

The third construct is SC transparency, composed of three items adopted from Queiroz and Wamba (2019) as well. This construct was developed to capture respondents’ perceptions of how BCT influences information visibility and sharing among SC partners. Items were phrased in perceptual and hypothetical terms – using ‘would’ or ‘can’ – to reflect professionals’ beliefs about BCT’s potential effect rather than its realised outcome, which is aligned with the study’s exploratory and perception-based approach. All survey items utilised a Likert scale consisting of four options: strongly agree (5 points), agree (4 points), disagree (3 points), neutral (2 points) and strongly disagree (1 point). Additionally, some classification questions were asked such as job title, years of work experience in the field of SC, industry and organisation size.

The target population consists of SC professionals working in organisations operating in Egypt, and the final sample size for this study was 63 respondents. The sampling technique employed in this research includes the use of nonprobability sampling methods, specifically convenience sampling and snowball sampling.

Online survey using Google Forms was used for data collection, and participants were reached through professional social networking websites such as ‘LinkedIn’ with follow-up messages and emails. Online surveys are considered beneficial for collecting many responses in a short time interval with lower expenses than traditional paper-based surveys (Kamble et al. 2019; Sekaran & Bougie 2013). For this research study, a final sample of 63 SC professionals was reached, and according to the rules of thumb of 10 observations per construct, such sample size is considered sufficient. The study includes respondents with diverse professional backgrounds as presented in Table 2. Their varied experience stems from differences in industry sectors, years of experience, and the size of their respective organisations, providing a well-rounded perspective on BCT’s effect on SC trust and transparency.

The data analysis section of this utilises quantitative data and regression analysis. Regression analysis is a statistical technique used to explore and examine the connections and associations between variables (Sykes 1993). This approach allows for the examination of relationships between variables and the assessment of the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable. In quantitative data analysis, researchers have a range of statistical tests to choose from based on the type of data collected and the hypotheses being tested. For this particular research, the IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Statistics 19 software was used for quantitative analysis. Statistical Package for Social Sciences is a widely recognised programme developed by IBM that offers data management capabilities and facilitates various statistical analyses, ranging from simple descriptive statistics to more advanced inferential and multivariate procedures (Sekaran & Bougie 2013).

After finalising the data collection, the first step was to conduct reliability testing by assessing interitem consistency using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Next, analysis was conducted to confirm the relationship between variables such as correlation analysis through developing a correlation matrix using the Pearson correlation matrix (Hatem & Zayed 2024). Finally, to test the significance of relationships between independent variables and dependent variables explained in the developed conceptual framework of this research study, simple and hierarchical regression was performed (Hatem & Zayed 2024).

The statistically significant findings of this research can be categorised into four main themes: firstly, the direct relationship between BCT and SC trust; secondly, the direct relationship between BCT and SC transparency; thirdly, the direct relationship between SC trust and SC transparency and fourthly, the partial mediation role of SC transparency on BCT and SC trust (Hatem & Zayed 2024).

Firstly, regarding the direct relationship between BCT and SC trust, the findings of this research suggest that the implementation of BCT in SC has a significant and positive effect on SC trust. This highlights the role of BCT and a key predictor of trust within SC relationships. By providing tamper-proof record-keeping, enhanced security and increased visibility, BCT fosters a more trustworthy environment where SC partners can engage in transactions with greater confidence. Additionally, the decentralised nature of BCT, combined with its ability to ensure data integrity and prevent unauthorised alterations, builds a foundation for enhanced mutual trust among SC partners. Such findings align with the argument by Centobelli et al. (2022) that the implementation of blockchain provides a trust mechanism for the various partners within the circular ecosystem of the SC.

Secondly, concerning the direct relationship between BCT and SC transparency, the empirical data analysis further confirms that BCT significantly contributes to SC transparency. The integration of BCT facilitates seamless and secure information flow within the SC, enabling real-time access to shared data among key stakeholders, including suppliers, manufacturers and customers. This enhanced flow of information eliminated data silos, reduced discrepancies and ensured that all SC partners operated based on the same, accurate and immutable records. A major contributing factor to this increased transparency is BCT’s decentralised ledger system, which ensures that all participating entities have access to an identical and synchronised version of transaction records. This would minimise the risks of information asymmetry, mitigate fraudulent activities and enhance traceability.

Thirdly, the results also confirmed the significant positive relationship between SC transparency and SC trust. This suggests that the greater the transparency within the SC, the stronger the trust among partners. When SC participants have clear visibility into transactions, operational processes and decision-making, they are more likely to engage in open communication and cooperative behaviour. As the study findings reinforce the idea that enhancing transparency led to a higher level of information sharing, hence reducing risks. By ensuring all SC partners have equal access to accurate, timely and verifiable information, SCM can be significantly enhanced, and BCT plays a crucial role in enabling such transparency.

Fourthly, the study findings support the notion that SC transparency serves as a partial mediator in the relationship between BCT and SC trust. This implies that BCR enhances transparency, which in turn contributes to higher levels of trust among SC partners. The observed medication effect suggests that while BCT directly influences trust, part of this change occurs through its effect on transparency. A possible explanation for this mediating role is that higher levels of transparency offered by BCT reduce information asymmetry and enhance visibility across the SC, thereby closing the trust gap between SC partners.

This research examined the effect of BCT on trust among SC partners, with a specific emphasis on the mediating role of SC transparency. To achieve this research aim, an exploratory research approach was adopted using a quantitative survey method. Data were collected from industry experts and professionals working in organisations operating in Egypt, leveraging convenience and snowball sampling techniques. The survey instrument was developed using validated measurement items from previous literature to ensure alignment with the research model. The data collection process was conducted online via Google Forms, primarily through professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, ensuring voluntary participation and periodic follow-ups to maximise response rates.

The study findings reinforce the significant role of BCT in enhancing SC trust and transparency, confirming that SC transparency partially mediates the relationship between BCT and trust. Furthermore, this research also highlights that transparency alone may not fully account for trust-building within SC and that other BCT attributes such as immutability, traceability and smart contracts should be explored to maximise trust-enhancing effects.

This study advances current research by clarifying how BCT strengthens interorganisational trust through enhanced transparency mechanisms in SCs. Specifically, our findings propose that transparency serves as a mediating channel through which BCT transforms informational visibility into relational trust among SC partners. By emphasising the transparency-trust pathway, this study reconciles the contrasting views of BCT as a ‘trustless’ system versus a ‘trust reinforcing’ mechanism.

These research insights contribute to both academia and practice, leading to future research on BCT-driven trust mechanisms in SC ecosystems. For SC managers and professionals, this research provides insightful information regarding the strategic implementation of BCT solutions to enhance trust and collaboration between SC partners. Furthermore, this research is recommending organisations prioritise transparency-enhancing features such as real-time tracking, decentralised ledgers and open data exchange to build trust among SC partners. And since transparency has only a partial mediating effect, organisations should explore additional BCT features, including immutability, traceability and security, to further strengthen SC trust. Finally, this research is highly recommending that organisations should regularly assess BCT implementation outcomes to adjust strategies and enhance trust-building capabilities over time.

This research provides practical value to multiple stakeholders, with SC professionals and organisations as the primary beneficiaries. This research can assist in understanding how BCT can promote transparency and trust among SC partners. The findings help managers in emerging economies evaluate the perceived potential of BCT. Furthermore, researchers and policymakers can leverage the findings to guide future investigations and technology diffusion initiatives across emerging markets.

Theoretically, this research contributes to SCM research by offering empirical evidence on how BCT influences SC trust through transparency. Additionally, this research advances our understanding of BCT’s mechanisms for building trust, particularly in emerging economies such as Egypt. Additionally, this research offers an expansion to existing literature by confirming the partial mediation role of SC transparency. Finally, this research strengthens theoretical foundations through real-world survey data, reinforcing the empirical validity of BCT’s effect on trust and transparency.

In conclusion, while this study has provided valuable insights into the effect of BCT on trust within SC, it is important to acknowledge the limitations inherent in the research design. By considering these limitations and implementing the recommended recommendations, future researchers can build upon this foundation and contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between BCT, transparency and trust in SC.

The first limitation is that, while SC transparency remains important, it may not be the sole driver of SC trust when BCT is employed. Alternative mechanisms, such as the immutability and security features of blockchain, as well as the implementation of smart contracts, should be duly considered, which might be a promising area for future research directions (Hatem & Zayed 2024).

Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge the limited sample size of this study, as well as the specific context of the study, which focused mainly on Egypt. The cultural, economic and regulatory factors in Egypt may differ from other regions, affecting the outcomes. Accordingly, future researchers should aim to replicate this study in different contexts to validate the findings and enhance the external validity of the research, which may impact the generalisability of the findings.