Supply-chain traceability
Following a batch of food or minerals through many companies — and why the data entered at the start matters more than the ledger.
Blockchain in the world · Rules by region
How shared ledgers are used around the world, and how countries regulate crypto-assets
We explain where blockchain technology has been tried outside finance — tracing goods, verifying diplomas, timestamping public records — and summarise how major jurisdictions set rules for crypto-assets. Neutral, sourced, and written for readers who want the facts without the hype.
Explore use cases Regulation by region
Educational content only. We do not sell crypto-assets, recommend any provider, or give financial or legal advice.
- 10 use-case explainers
- 8 regulation briefs
- 42 glossary terms
- Last reviewed 20 October 2026
Beyond finance
Beyond finance: where shared ledgers are being tested
Ten explainers on real projects and pilots. Each one says what problem the ledger was meant to solve, what happened in practice, and when an ordinary database would do the job just as well.
Trade documents and logistics
Digitising bills of lading and other shipping paperwork — and why legal recognition and industry participation mattered more than technology.
Digital identity
Proving facts about yourself online without oversharing: verifiable credentials, decentralised identifiers and the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
Academic certificates
Digital diplomas that anyone can check — and why a ledger cannot tell a real university from a diploma mill.
Land registries
Recording property titles and transfers — and why a ledger cannot fix a register that was wrong to begin with.
Healthcare data integrity
Tamper-evident logs for records, consent and medicine supply chains — with patient data kept firmly off the ledger.
Energy and certificates of origin
Certificates that show where electricity comes from, local energy pilots, and why meter data matters more than the ledger.
Public records and timestamping
Hash anchoring and timestamps for registers, decisions and published documents — and what they can and cannot prove.
Voting
What elections must achieve, what a ledger could add, and why most election-security researchers advise against it for public elections.
Charity and aid transparency
Coordinating humanitarian assistance between agencies — and why transparency to donors must never expose the people receiving help.
Rules around the world
Rules around the world
Eight briefs on how jurisdictions and international bodies approach crypto-assets: who supervises, which laws apply, and what is still being developed.
European Union
MiCA, the Transfer of Funds Regulation, the DLT Pilot Regime and the new EU anti-money laundering authority.
United Kingdom
FCA registration for anti-money laundering, the financial promotions regime since October 2023, and a broader regime being phased in.
United States
Securities and commodities law, federal anti-money laundering rules, state licences and a federal stablecoin statute.
Switzerland
A technology-neutral approach: the 2021 DLT Act adapted existing laws, and FINMA classifies tokens by their function.
Singapore
Licensing of digital payment token services under the Payment Services Act, strict limits on marketing, and a stablecoin framework.
Japan
One of the first registration regimes for crypto exchanges, tightened after major hacks, with stablecoin rules since 2023.
United Arab Emirates
Several regulators in one country: VARA in Dubai, federal authorities, and separate regimes in two financial free zones.
International standards
The FATF travel rule, the Basel Committee's standard for banks, and the FSB and IOSCO recommendations behind national laws.
How to read a regulation brief
Law is easy to misread in summary form. These four habits help you use our briefs — and any other overview — safely.
Start with the table
Each brief opens with an "At a glance" table: the regulator, the main law and what it covers. It tells you where to look, not what to conclude.
Separate "in force" from "planned"
Consultations, draft bills and announced reforms are not law yet. We say clearly when something is proposed rather than applicable.
Follow the official link
Every brief links to the legislation or the supervisor's own pages. If our summary and the official text differ, the official text wins.
Check the register
Supervisors publish registers of authorised firms and warning lists. They are the only reliable answer to "is this firm allowed to operate here?"
When not to use a blockchain
Many projects later concluded that a shared database run by a trusted organisation would have been simpler. Before a ledger makes sense, most of these questions should be answered "yes":
- Do several independent organisations need to write to the same record?
- Do they lack a single party that all of them are willing to trust as the keeper?
- Is a permanent, tamper-evident history more important than the ability to edit or delete entries?
- Can personal data be kept off the ledger, so that rights such as deletion still work?
- Is the information entering the ledger reliable at the source — not just once it is recorded?
The questions follow the reasoning in NIST's Blockchain Technology Overview (NISTIR 8202). Each of our explainers ends with a section called "When a database is enough".
Frequently asked questions
Is Global Learn Center financial, investment or legal advice?
No. Everything on this site is general education. We explain how technology is used and how laws are structured, but we do not tell anyone what to do with their money and we cannot interpret the law for your situation. For that, speak to a licensed professional in your country.
Why do you focus on uses outside finance?
Most coverage of blockchains is about markets. We think the more interesting questions are elsewhere: whether a shared ledger helps track goods, prove a diploma is genuine or keep public records intact — and when it does not.
Do you recommend platforms, exchanges or wallets?
No. We do not review, compare or link to exchanges, wallet products or tokens, and we have no affiliate relationships. When we mention a real project, it is to describe a documented pilot, not to endorse anyone.
Which sources do the regulation briefs use?
Official ones: the legislation itself, the websites of supervisors such as ESMA, the FCA, MAS or the FSA, and publications of international bodies such as the FATF, the Basel Committee and the FSB. Each brief lists its sources with links.
How current are the briefs?
Each brief shows its last review date — currently 20 October 2026. Rules change, sometimes quickly, so always check the official source before relying on a detail. If you spot something outdated, please tell us.
How is the site funded?
The publisher pays for writing and hosting and may advertise the site itself online. We accept no money from crypto companies, and nobody can pay to be mentioned or left out.
Spotted an outdated rule or a mistake?
Rules change often. Write to info@globallearncenter.com with the page address and the official source, and we will check it and update the brief.