Lead · Blockchain Basics
A beginner's most expensive lesson is often realizing the same USDT is a different ledger on different chains — send to the wrong chain and the coins may never come back.
Diana Chen
·
June 03, 2026
Beginners new to crypto are often confused by one thing: why are there so many "chains"? Why does the same USDT split into different versions in different places? This piece untangles the relationship between public chains, Layer 1s, and cross-chain, plus a very practical question — which chain are your assets actually on.
## Why not just one chain
Different blockchains exist to solve...