Allogeneic transplantations of haematopoietic stem cells derived from cord blood have become a clinical routine. Applications are successful in malignant and nonmalignant diseases, with high engraftment capacities and, compared to bone marrow stem cell transplantations, less strict human leucocyte antigen-match criteria. A major concern in using haematopoietic stem cells from cord blood is the relatively low number of stem cells that can be retrieved; however, recent research focuses on using several cord blood transplants as tandem transplants or increasing the number of progenitors by in vitro expansion strategies. In contrast to these running applications in allogeneic stem cell transplantation, autologous stem cell transplantations so far are very rare, and future indications, such as in regenerative medicine, are still experimental.