A confirmation shows how deep a TransactionTransactionA record of crypto moving from one wallet address to another, signed with the sender's private key and stored permanently on the blockchain. is buried in the BlockchainBlockchainA public ledger where transactions are grouped into blocks, each linked to the one before, so past records can't be altered without it showing.. When the transaction lands in a BlockBlockA batch of transactions added to a blockchain in one go, together with a reference to the block before it., it has one confirmation. Every new block added on top of it adds another.
Why wait for more confirmations?
The newest block isn't completely settled. Sometimes two miners find a block at almost the same moment, and one of those blocks can be dropped when the network settles on the longer chain. The transactions in the dropped block go back into the queue.
The more blocks there are on top of your transaction, the less likely it is ever to change. Changing it would mean redoing all those blocks and overtaking the rest of the network, which becomes practically impossible after a few blocks. It is like a receipt that gets a fresh stamp every ten minutes.
How many are enough?
It depends on the network and the amount:
- Bitcoin: A new block arrives roughly every ten minutes. Six confirmations, about an hour, is a common benchmark for large amounts.
- Ethereum: Blocks come every 12 seconds, and a transaction is considered final (finalised) after about 15 minutes.
Each service decides how many confirmations it waits for before a deposit shows up. You can follow the count in a block explorerBlock explorerA website where anyone can look up transactions, wallet addresses and blocks on a blockchain..
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.