Blockchain-Based Land Governance in Indonesia: Comparative Lessons for Regulatory Adaptation and Legal Culture

Prita Miranti Suyudi; Irna Nurhayati; Wahyu Yun Santoso

doi:10.24843/UJLC.2026.v10.i02.p04

Authors

Prita Miranti Suyudi Faculty of Law Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Author
Irna Nurhayati Faculty of Law Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Author
Wahyu Yun Santoso Faculty of Law Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24843/UJLC.2026.v10.i02.p04

Keywords:

Blockchain, Land Governance, Comparative Legal Analysis, Legal Culture, Regulatory Adaptation

Abstract

Indonesia’s land governance system continues to face persistent challenges, including fraudulent transactions, fragmented regulation, limited transparency, and declining public trust. Although digitalization initiatives have been introduced, institutional practices and legal culture have not fully adapted to digital governance, while centralized data management and limited legal protection for digital records continue to undermine legal certainty. This study examines the potential of blockchain technology to strengthen Indonesia’s land administration through a comparative legal approach. It compares blockchain implementation in land registration in Georgia, Sweden, and India, while also examining broader blockchain governance frameworks developed in Estonia, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union to formulate regulatory directions for Indonesia. Using doctrinal and comparative legal analysis supported by interviews with officials from the ATR/BPN, the study finds that blockchain has considerable potential to enhance data integrity, transparency, administrative efficiency, fraud prevention, and legal certainty. However, successful implementation depends not only on technological capability but also on coherent legal reform, institutional readiness, interoperable digital infrastructure, personal data protection, and a supportive legal culture. This study recommends regulatory reforms, including the legal recognition of blockchain-based land records, the creation of a blockchain regulatory sandbox, and alignment with existing land and personal data protection laws. Theoretically, it contributes to the literature by framing blockchain adoption as a legal governance issue influenced by legal culture and institutional readiness, rather than solely by technological capability. In practical terms, it offers a comparative regulatory framework to support Indonesia’s transition to transparent, accountable, and legally certain blockchain-based land governance.

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