Blockchain technology is gaining significant attention and investment from major banks and financial institutions. Banks are projected to invest $400 million in blockchain by 2019, and over 30% of firms surveyed have annual blockchain budgets over $5 million. Blockchain uses distributed ledger technology to securely record transactions in digitally recorded "blocks" that are linked together, allowing participants on a blockchain network to reach consensus on a single view of the truth. This consensus-based approach provides advantages over traditional centralized databases by enabling trustless verification and transparency across organizations without the need for intermediaries.