TheDigitalArtist from Pixabay
(Photo : TheDigitalArtist from Pixabay)

The Exness broker, being one of the leading mt5 brokers, is always aware of the top-notch and the most recent news in the cryptocurrency industry. Blockchain is the new buzzword in the tech world. All sectors are starting to work on concrete use cases. However, few players can claim to have developed revolutionary solutions. For good reason: blockchain technology is still very complex to understand. 

What is Blockchain? 

The blockchain is a technology that allows the storage and transmission of information in a transparent, secure manner and without a central control body. The blockchain represents a major innovation that is used in particular in the banking sector. But also, any NFT would have not existed without blockchain.

Indeed, historically, blockchain technology was developed to support transactions carried out via cryptocurrencies/crypto-assets (including bitcoins which are the best-known form) and which have the main characteristic of not depending on an organization. centralizer (like a central bank) and to be international.

But its use is not limited to cryptocurrencies. Many fields and sectors of activity, commercial or non-commercial, public or private, already use the blockchain or plan to do so in the years to come. 

It looks like a large database that contains the history of all exchanges between its users since its creation. Blockchain can be used in three ways:

  • For the transfer of assets (currency, securities, shares, etc.)

  • For better traceability of assets and products

  • To automatically execute contracts ("smart contracts").

The great particularity of the blockchain is its decentralized architecture, that is to say, that it is not hosted by a single server, but by a part of the users. There is no intermediary so that everyone can check the validity of the chain themselves. The information contained in the blocks (transactions, title deeds, contracts, etc.) is protected by cryptographic processes which prevent users from modifying them afterward. 

The use of the blockchain has many advantages, among which:

  • The speed of transactions thanks to the fact that the validation of a block takes only a few seconds to a few minutes.

  • The security of the system is ensured by the fact that the validation is carried out by a set of different users, who do not know each other. This protects against the risk of malicious intent or hijacking since the nodes monitor the system and check each other

  • The productivity and efficiency gains are generated by the fact that the blockchain entrusts the organization of exchanges to a computer protocol. This mechanically reduces the transaction or centralization costs existing in traditional systems (financial costs, control or certification, use of intermediaries who are remunerated for their service; automation of certain services, etc.).

Any public blockchain necessarily works with a programmable currency or token. Bitcoin is an example of a programmable currency.

Transactions made between network users are grouped into blocks. Each block is validated by network nodes called "miners", using techniques that depend on the type of blockchain. In the Bitcoin blockchain, this technique is called "Proof-of-Work", proof of work, and consists of solving algorithmic problems. 

Once the block is validated, it is time stamped and added to the blockchain. The transaction is then visible to the receiver as well as the entire network.

This process takes some time depending on the blockchain considered (about ten minutes for Bitcoin, 15 seconds for Ethereum).

Blockchain Decentralization 

Decentralization is one of the most frequently used words in the crypto-economic sphere, and this notion is often perceived as the only raison d'être of the blockchain, but it is also one of the least well-defined. 

Thousands of hours of research, and billions of dollars of computing power, have been expended for the sole purpose of trying to achieve decentralization, protect it, and improve it; and when the discussions escalate it is extremely common for proponents of a protocol (or an extension of the protocol) to claim that the opposing proposals are "centralized" as the ultimate argument.

The next question is: in the first place, why is decentralization useful? There are usually several arguments raised:

  • Fault tolerance - decentralized systems are less likely to fail accidentally because they rely on many separate components.

  • Resistance to attack - decentralized systems are more expensive to attack and destroy or manipulate. They do not have single points of failure, which could be attacked at much less cost than the economic size of the surrounding system.

  • Resistance to collusion - it is much more difficult for participants in decentralized systems to collude to act in ways that benefit to the detriment of other participants, whereas leaders of corporations and governments collude to defend their own interests while permanently harming less well-coordinated citizens, employees, and the general public.

All three of these arguments are important and valid, but all lead to interesting and different conclusions as soon as you start thinking about protocol decisions with the three distinct perspectives in mind. Let's try to expand each of these arguments one by one.

Blockchain advocates also argue that it's safer to develop a service on a blockchain because you can't arbitrarily change your rules on a whim whenever you want, but that case would be hard to argue against. defend whether the software and protocol developers all worked for the same company, were part of the same family, and sat in the same room. 

The main point is that these systems should not act as an aggregate of self-interested monopolies. Therefore, you can certainly raise the fact that blockchains would be more secure if they leaned more towards "uncoordination".

What Is the Main Advantage of Blockchain for People in 2022

Blockchain for business uses a shared, non-editable ledger with access restricted to members with the required permissions. Network members control what information each organization or member can see and what actions they can perform.

Blockchain is sometimes called a "trustless" network, not because trading partners don't trust each other, but because it's just not necessary.

More Transparency

Without the blockchain, each company must maintain a separate database. Because the blockchain uses a distributed ledger, transactions and data are recorded identically in multiple places. All network participants with access permission see the same information at the same time, which sets up complete transparency. All transactions are recorded in an unmodifiable manner and are time-stamped. This allows members to view the entire history of a transaction and virtually eliminates the possibility of fraud.

Reinforced Security

Your data is sensitive and crucial, and blockchain can dramatically change the way your critical information is perceived.

Instant Traceability

The blockchain creates an audit trail that documents the provenance of an asset at every stage of its journey. In sectors in which consumers care about environmental issues or human rights in relation to the manufacture of a product, or in sectors plagued by counterfeiting and fraud, this blockchain audit trail serves as evidence. 

Increased Efficiency and Speed

Traditional paper-based processes are time-consuming, prone to human error, and often require third-party mediation. By streamlining these processes with blockchain, transactions can be executed faster and more efficiently.

Automating

Transactions can even be automated using 'smart contracts,' resulting in more efficient and faster processing. Once the previously specified conditions are met, the next stage of the transaction or process is triggered automatically. Smart contracts reduce human intervention and avoid the need to rely on third parties to verify that the terms of the contract have been met. In insurance, for example, when a customer has provided all the necessary documentation to file a claim, the action can be automatically processed and paid.

Building trust between trading partners, building end-to-end visibility, streamlining processes, and resolving issues faster with blockchain create stronger and more resilient supply chains and establish better business relationships. In addition, participants can act earlier in the event of disruptions. In the food sector, blockchain guarantees food safety and freshness and reduces waste. In the event of contamination, the origin of food can be traced in seconds instead of days.

FAQ About Blockchain 

What is a blockchain?

Blockchain is a technology that records transactions and operates cryptocurrencies. It is decentralized and digital in nature. Blockchain technology is spread over many computers.

How does blockchain work?

Millions and billions of computers are connected via the blockchain. These computers store encrypted data, hence called record keepers. Thus, there are millions of registry keepers called "nodes".

What are tokens?

All of these cryptocurrencies built on top of the existing blockchain are called tokens. These tokens can be used to purchase goods and services.

Who controls cryptocurrencies?

Those who create cryptocurrencies have the power to set certain parameters such as what would be the rules for buying or selling cryptocurrencies. The set parameters cannot be changed. One point worth mentioning is that control of day-to-day operations is distributed among users. Although there is very little or rather no legislation relating to the ownership of these digital currencies, some countries have expressed their desire to establish regulations in this area. This is because countries want to ensure that cryptocurrencies are not used for illegal activities such as money laundering, terrorist financing, etc. On top of that, the risk of losing control over monetary policy is something governments around the world want to take care of.

Are cryptocurrencies volatile?

Well, the extent to which cryptocurrencies are volatile cannot simply be put into words. One day the price might skyrocket to set new all-time highs, and the next day it might drop to a level beyond imagination. The entire cryptocurrency market is volatile and only those willing to take the risk of such high volatility should be Investing/trading in 2022 in it.