Blockchain
What Is a Blockchain?
The name blockchain describes exactly what it is: a digital chain made of individual blocks of data. Think of it as a shared, high-tech receipt that everyone on the network can see, but no one can secretly change.
While people are testing it for things like digital IDs and supply chains, its "killer app" is still acting as a bulletproof ledger for recording and validating transactions without needing a bank to say it's okay.
Although blockchain technology is being explored for digital IDs, supply chains, and data management, its primary real-world use today is still recording and validating transactions.
In everyday use, that means most people interact with blockchains when sending cryptocurrency, swapping tokens, minting NFTs, or confirming payments. While the infrastructure can sound complex, the user experience often resembles sending money through a digital payment app, with the added benefit of transparency.
Blockchains run on peer-to-peer networks of computers known as nodes. Each node maintains a copy of the ledger and helps verify new transactions, removing the need for a central authority. Once transactions receive enough confirmations and are added to the blockchain, they become effectively permanent and publicly verifiable using tools like block explorers.
The four key concepts behind a blockchain are:
- Shared ledger: A distributed record shared across a network, where transactions are recorded once and visible to authorized participants.
- Permissions: Controls that determine who can access the network and what actions they can perform, helping ensure security, authentication, and regulatory compliance.
- Smart contracts: Self-executing rules stored on the blockchain that automatically enforce agreements when conditions are met.
- Consensus: The mechanism by which network participants agree on valid transactions, using models such as Proof of Stake or PBFT.
While blockchains are extremely secure, they can be threatened by a 51% attack, where a party possesses 51% of a mining or a staking pool. Doing so allows them to falsify entries in the ledger, reorganize transactions and even prevent new ones from being confirmed.
Blockchain Networks Supported by KAST
Today, blockchain technology underpins many cryptocurrency networks and payment systems. KAST uses supported blockchain networks to process stablecoin transactions securely and efficiently.
By relying on fast, low-cost blockchains, KAST ensures that payments and card top-ups are transparent, trackable onchain, and finalized with confidence, giving users a smooth and predictable spending experience.
KAST supports specific blockchain networks for stablecoin deposits and card top-ups. Using a supported network ensures your funds arrive and confirm correctly, while becoming available for spending without unnecessary delays.
The eight blockchain networks supported by KAST are:
- Ethereum
- Solana
- Polygon
- Arbitrum
- Tron
- TON
- Binance Smart Chain
- Avalanche C-Chain
Before sending stablecoins or other cryptocurrencies to your KAST account, always double-check that:
- The token type is supported (for example, USDC or USDT where applicable).
- The blockchain network selected in your wallet matches one of KAST’s supported networks.
- The deposit address is copied correctly.
Choosing the correct network keeps your transactions smooth, predictable, and easy to track onchain.
If you do not follow these guidelines, your funds could be sent to the wrong address, or even worse, could be lost entirely.
