A comparative study across the most widely known blockchain technologies is conducted with a bottom-up approach. Blockchains are disentangled into building blocks. Each building block is then hierarchically classified in main and subcomponents. Then, alternative layouts for the subcomponents are identified and compared between them. Finally, a taxonomy tree summarises the study and provides a navigation tool across different blockchain architectural configurations.The solution to these problems requires the setting up of software reference architectures where standardised structures and respective elements and relations shall provide templates for concrete blockchain architectures. Standards can emerge naturally because of market adoption (industry driven) or because imposed by institutes and organisations. In the first group we may include initiatives like the Accord Project 1 , the ChinaLedger 2 or R3 3 . In the second group we may refer to the initiative conducted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) with the establishment of the technical committee ISO/TC 307 on Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. Several working groups with different topics to discuss have been settled. In particular, the ISO/TC 307/WG1 working group is engaged with the reference architecture, taxonomy and ontology. Overall, a long-term standardisation of the blockchain reference architecture will benefit every industry. Thus, a standard for software reference architecture is necessary in order to enable a level playing field where every industry player and community member can design and adopt blockchainenabled products or services under the same very conditions with possibility of data exchange. As it is for the Internet, several institutes of standardisations (e.g., ETF in cooperation with the W3C, ISO/IEC, ITU) set a body of standards. Internet standards promote interoperability of systems on the Internet by defining precise protocols, message formats, schemas, and languages. As a result, different hardware and software can seamlessly interact and work together. Applied to World Wide Web (as a layer on the top of the Internet), standards bring interoperability, accessibility and usability of web pages. Similarly, the adoption of blockchain standards will promote the blossoming and proliferation of interoperable blockchain-enabled applications. Thus, if we envisage a future where blockchains will be one of the pillars of our society's development, it is necessary to begin discussing and identifying standards for blockchain reference architectures. The aim of this study is to highlight the need for standard technical reference models of blockchain architectures. This is timely aligned with the industry sentiment which currently pushes organisations for standardisation to set industry standards. In order to support an appropriate co-regulatory framework for blockchain-related industries, a multi-party approach is necessary as it is for the Internet where both national standards, international standards and...