This research article conducts a systematic mapping study to review current research on blockchain technology, aiming to understand the research topics, challenges, and future directions from a technical perspective. The study extracted 41 primary papers from scientific databases, focusing on Bitcoin and other blockchain applications like smart contracts and licensing. The results show that over 80% of the papers focus on Bitcoin, while less than 20% deal with other blockchain applications. The majority of the research addresses privacy and security concerns, but many proposed solutions lack concrete evaluation. Scalability issues, including throughput and latency, are also highlighted as areas needing further study. The study provides recommendations for future research directions, emphasizing the need to address technical challenges and limitations in blockchain technology.This research article conducts a systematic mapping study to review current research on blockchain technology, aiming to understand the research topics, challenges, and future directions from a technical perspective. The study extracted 41 primary papers from scientific databases, focusing on Bitcoin and other blockchain applications like smart contracts and licensing. The results show that over 80% of the papers focus on Bitcoin, while less than 20% deal with other blockchain applications. The majority of the research addresses privacy and security concerns, but many proposed solutions lack concrete evaluation. Scalability issues, including throughput and latency, are also highlighted as areas needing further study. The study provides recommendations for future research directions, emphasizing the need to address technical challenges and limitations in blockchain technology.