ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Financial cryptography

Alright kiddo, imagine you have a piggy bank at home where you keep your allowance money. You like to buy toys and candies with this money, but you also want to save some for bigger purchases later on. You don't want anyone else to take your money from the piggy bank, so you hide it in a secret place in your room. This is like keeping your money secure from thieves.

Now, let's take this idea and apply it to grown-up people who have a lot more money to protect. They have banks to store their money, but they still want to make sure nobody else can access it without their permission. This is where financial cryptography comes into play. Basically, it's a way to protect a person's financial information and transactions from thieves or hackers who might try to steal it.

Financial cryptography uses complex math and computer algorithms to create a secure system for people to store and use their money without fear of it being stolen. It may involve creating secure passwords or codes known only to the account holder, and using encryption or other methods to keep information hidden from prying eyes. Just like you keep your piggy bank hidden in a secret place, people who use financial cryptography keep their money hidden from anyone who shouldn't have access to it.

So in summary, financial cryptography is like a secret code or lock that keeps someone's money and financial information safe from bad guys who might try to steal it. It's a way to make sure no one can access your piggy bank but you, but on a much bigger scale for grown-up people with lots of money to protect.