Introduction: through government portals, it is possible to increase transparency and the participation of society in government. Blockchain technology has been touted as an alternative to increase government transparency and reduce costs in the public sector. In this context, the article aimed to answer the main question: what is the current panorama of blockchain technology applications in the public sector? Method: it carries out a systematic literature review using the Google Scholar index, with a frame of works published between 2008 and 2018. The following keywords were used: "government transparency", "open government", "e-government","blockchain applications", "blockchain application", "government transparency", "open government", "public sector", "e-government", "blockchain applications" and "blockchain application". Results: it detects several areas of interest to the public sector for blockchain technology deployments, as well as areas where it is already in use. Conclusion: the theme has gained prominence in several areas, as can be seen through this research, which found reports of use in the following sectors: electricity, real estate, medicine, identity management, agriculture, commercial transactions, financial market, taxation, cities smartphones, smart contracts, government administration, and electronic voting, among others. This systematic literature review indicates that the technology on screen has the potential to help the public sector.