Summary

This chapter aimed at introducing concepts of cryptography and financial markets in order to provide background information for you to be able to understand the material provided in later chapters. First, you were introduced to the basics of cryptography, and then various schemes such as symmetric and asymmetric ciphers were introduced. Practical examples using OpenSSL command line were shown so that you could experiment with various commands and experience various cryptographic functions firsthand. Also, some mathematical background was provided at the beginning of the chapter and where necessary, especially with the elliptic curve cryptography. All cryptography concepts presented in this chapter are related to the blockchain technology and are implemented or have been proposed to be implemented in various blockchains, cryptocurrencies, and relevant ecosystems. Moreover, you were given a quick introduction to the financial industry as it sets the scene for various examples that...