Sarah Shtylman was quoted in “What Is a Bitcoin Wallet?” an article in Forbes, regarding how Bitcoin wallet works.

Because Bitcoin operates on a secure digital ledger called blockchain, using a Bitcoin wallet isn’t as simple as opening a leather flap. For that reason, it may be helpful to think of a Bitcoin wallet like email, says Sarah, fintech and blockchain counsel with Perkins Coie.

“On the Bitcoin network, the public address is an identifier that points to a particular ledger entry (i.e., a Bitcoin balance) on the blockchain, and the private key is what enables its holder to make changes to the associated ledger entry (i.e., to transfer the Bitcoin to a different address),” says Sarah.