A private-public keypair is a core element of Public-key cryptography (PKC), a technology used to encrypt data and validate its authenticity. A keypair consists of two “keys”, one private and one public, which are mathematically linked so that you can derive the public key from the private key but not vice versa. For cryptocurrency transactions, the public key allows you to receive cryptocurrencies, while the private key is needed to prove that you are the owner of the cryptocurrency received in the transaction.