30/08/2021
WHAT IS "BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY" AND HOW IT WORKS?
✔️ The blockchain technology was first outlined in 1991 by Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta, two researchers who wanted to implement a system where document timestamps could not be tampered with. With the launch of BITCOIN in January 2009, that blockchain had its first real-world application.
✔️ The blockchain can be thought of as a distributed DATABASE. Additions to this database are initiated by one of the members (i.e. the network nodes), who creates a new “block” of data, which can contain all sorts of information. This new block is then broadcasted to every party in the network in an encrypted form (utilising CRYPTOGRAPHY) so that the transaction details are not made public.
Those in the network (i.e. the other network nodes) collectively determine the block’s validity in accordance with a pre-defined algorithmic validation method, commonly referred to as a
“consensus mechanism”. Once validated, the new “block” is added to the blockchain, which essentially results in an update of the transaction ledger that is distributed across the network.
✔️ The blockchain is a specific type of DATABASE.
One key difference between a typical database and a blockchain is the way the data is structured. A blockchain collects information together in groups, also known as blocks, that hold sets of information. Blocks have certain storage capacities and, when filled, are chained onto the previously filled block, forming a chain of data known as the “blockchain.” All new information that follows that freshly added block is compiled into a newly formed block that will then also be added to the chain once filled.
✔️ NO MIDDLEMAN IS REQUIRED ANYMORE?
One of the key advantages of blockchain technology is that it allows to simplify the ex*****on of a wide array of transactions that would normally require the INTERMEDIATION OF A THIRD PARTY (e.g. a custodian, a bank, a securities settlement system, broker-dealers, a trade repository, etc.). However, it is important to underscore that it may also expose interacting parties to certain RISKS that were previously managed by these intermediaries.
Sources: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blockchain.asp -vs-blockchain,https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/150761/TAX3%20Study%20on%20cryptocurrencies%20and%20blockchain.pdf