ACT-IAC Blockchain Working Group

Use Cases & Case Studies

Real-world blockchain pilots, proof-of-concepts, and production deployments across federal, state, and local government.

NAFTA/CAFTA Certificate of Origin Verification Completed
DHS / CBP · 2019 · DLT / W3C Standards

Tested blockchain to verify certificates of origin for goods imported under NAFTA and CAFTA trade agreements, replacing paper-based processes and reducing redundant data submission across supply chain parties.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Blockchain POC Completed
DHS / CBP · 2020 · W3C VC / DID

Enabled secure, interoperable data exchange between CBP, manufacturers, retailers, and rights holders to detect counterfeit goods on imports using W3C Verifiable Credentials and DIDs.

Supply Chain Traceability — Steel, E-Commerce, Food, Oil & Gas Production
DHS S&T (SVIP) · 2023 · W3C VC / DID (Transmute)

Funded Transmute, mesur.io, and Neoflow/Mavennet to build interoperable verifiable credential systems for cross-border supply chain data exchange with CBP. Successfully completed real-time data exchange testing in October 2023.

FASt Lane — IT Schedule 70 Blockchain Procurement Completed
GSA · 2018 · Permissioned DLT

Applied blockchain to the Multiple Award Schedules proposal review process, creating a transparent audit trail and automating financial reviews. Reduced contract award timelines from approximately 100 days to under 10 days.

Federal Grant Payment Blockchain Prototype Completed
Treasury / Bureau of the Fiscal Service · 2023 · Permissioned Blockchain

Tested whether blockchain could reduce financial reporting and compliance burden on federal grant recipients by providing near real-time visibility into grant fund transfers across agency boundaries (Treasury, NSF, GAO). Final JFMIP report published December 2023.

Blockchain Analytics for Cryptocurrency Tax Enforcement Production
IRS / Criminal Investigation · 2015 · Chainalysis Reactor / KYT

IRS-CI uses Chainalysis blockchain analytics tools to trace crypto transactions, identify tax evasion, and seize illicitly held digital assets. IRS-CI has seized an estimated $10 billion in cryptocurrency.

SIMBA Chain — Supply Chain & Budget Tokenization (STRATFI) Production
U.S. Air Force / DoD · 2023 · SIMBA Chain (Ethereum-compatible)

Blockchain-based applications for USAF supply chain management, parts tracking, and budget tokenization. $30M STRATFI award scaling across Navy, Army, and Defense Logistics Agency.

Operation Mission Truth — Military Logistics Completed
U.S. Army Reserve · 2024 · Not disclosed

First live use of blockchain in a U.S. Army operational environment. Tracked 600 tons of equipment for supply chain auditability during Army Materiel Command operations.

DSCSA Drug Supply Chain Blockchain Pilot Completed
FDA · 2020 · TraceLink / MediLedger (Hyperledger, Ethereum)

Tested blockchain-based interoperability for tracking and tracing prescription drugs through the pharmaceutical supply chain under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, involving 22+ organizations.

IBM Blockchain POC for Food Export Certification Completed
USDA / FSIS · 2020 · IBM Blockchain (Hyperledger Fabric)

Evaluated whether DLT could add immutability, visibility, and efficiency to multi-country documentary requirements of the food export certification process.

Grant Monitoring / Stablecoin Payments (Proposed) Proposed
HUD · 2025 · TBD

Internal discussions in early 2025 about using blockchain to monitor federal housing grants and potentially paying grant recipients in stablecoins. Not implemented; officially denied by HUD spokesperson.

Veterans Affairs Distributed Ledger Innovation Act (H.R. 3455) Proposed
VA (Proposed Legislation) · 2025 · N/A (study phase)

Would require VA to study how blockchain could improve traceability, fraud resistance, and transparency in veterans benefits adjudication. No actual pilot launched yet.

Blockchain-Based Marriage Licenses Production
Utah County Clerk · 2022 · Verifiable Credentials

Utah County began issuing digital marriage licenses as verifiable credentials on blockchain, making them instantly verifiable and tamper-evident. One of the first government-issued vital records on a distributed ledger in the U.S.

Citizen-Centered Federal DLT — Self-Sovereign Identity for Government Services Proposed
Cross-Agency (Concept) · 2024 · DIDs / VCs / ZKPs / Smart Contracts

A proposed framework where citizens own their digital identities through self-sovereign identity systems, selectively sharing data with agencies rather than agencies controlling personal information. Envisions phased rollout from federal integration to inter-agency coordination to citizen participation.

Decentralized Identifier (DID) Verification Across Two Agencies Proposed
Cross-Agency (Demo) · 2024 · DIDs / Verifiable Credentials

Demonstrate how a citizen who has established a DID can present it to multiple federal agencies for verification — e.g., proving an address — without each agency maintaining its own identity store. References USAID, NIST, DHS, and TSA digital identity work.