The blockchain is the most disruptive technology since the internet. It enables trust and accountability in ways that were not possible before, from recording property ownership to making financial records more transparent. The blockchain acts like an immutable, decentralized and transparent shared record of data across many computers (nodes) without the need for any central authority or middleman. Bitcoin transactions are processed in seconds or minutes instead of days or weeks; this makes them suitable for high-frequency trading applications where speed matters most (e-e-g., equities markets).