Blockchain meaning

A blockchain is “a distributed database that maintains a continuously growing list of ordered records, called blocks.” These blocks “are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data. A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.
As explained by Wikipedia, “Blockchain was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto”—the pseudonym of an unknown person or persons—“in 2008 to serve as the public transaction ledger of the cryptocurrency bitcoin… [which] made it the first digital currency to solve the double-spending problem without the need of a trusted authority or central server.”

• Blockchain for payment processing and money transfers. Transactions processed over a blockchain could be settled within a matter of seconds and reduce (or eliminate) banking transfer fees.