# On Settlement Finality

DevFeed: [On Settlement Finality](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/on-settlement-finality-16757.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ethereum.org/en/2016/05/09/on-settlement-finality>)

Author: Vitalik Buterin

Published: 2016-05-09T08:07:25Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Ethereum Foundation Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ethereum-foundation-blog.md>)

Topics: [Blockchain](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/blockchain.md>), [Computer science](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/computer-science.md>), [Mathematics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/mathematics.md>)

Tags: [architectures](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architectures.md>), [blockchain](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/blockchain.md>), [computer-science](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/computer-science.md>), [financial](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/financial.md>), [proof-of-work](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/proof-of-work.md>), [research-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research-development.md>)

## AI overview

The article examines settlement finality in public and permissioned blockchains, arguing that finality can be absolute, probabilistic, economically bounded, or absent depending on system design. It introduces a cryptoeconomic analysis involving mathematics, computer science, and game theory.

## Source excerpt

Special thanks to Tim Swanson for reviewing, and for further discussions on the arguments in his original paper on settlement finality. Recently one of the major disputes in ongoing debate between public blockchain and permissioned blockchain proponents is the issue of settlement finality. One of the simple properties that...