What is Blockchain Technology?
Learn the basics of blockchain technology and why it can enhance trust in both record keeping and financial transactions.
Blockchain is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system.
Top 5 Blockchain Benefits:
- Greater transparency
- Enhanced security
- Improved traceability
- Increased efficiency and speed
- Reduced costs
1. Greater transparency
Transaction histories are becoming more transparent through the use of blockchain technology. Because blockchain is a type of distributed ledger, all network participants share the same documentation as opposed to individual copies. That shared version can only be updated through consensus, which means everyone must agree on it. To change a single transaction record would require the alteration of all subsequent records and the collusion of the entire network.
2. Enhanced security
There are several ways blockchain is more secure than other record-keeping systems. Transactions must be agreed upon before they are recorded. After a transaction is approved, it is encrypted and linked to the previous transaction. This, along with the fact that information is stored across a network of computers instead of on a single server, makes it very difficult for hackers to compromise the transaction data.
3. Improved traceability
When exchanges of goods are recorded on a blockchain, you end up with an audit trail that shows where an asset came from and every stop it made on its journey. This historical transaction data can help to verify the authenticity of assets and prevent fraud.
4. Increased efficiency and speed
By streamlining and automating these processes with blockchain, transactions can be completed faster and more efficiently. Since record-keeping is performed using a single digital ledger that is shared among participants, you don’t have to reconcile multiple ledgers and you end up with less clutter.
5. Reduced costs
Reducing costs is a priority. With blockchain, you don’t need as many third parties or middlemen to make guarantees because it doesn’t matter if you can trust your trading partner. Instead, you just have to trust the data on the blockchain. You also won’t have to review so much documentation to complete a trade because everyone will have permissioned access to a single, immutable version.
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