The Magic Crypto Sauce
What makes crypto unique is that it runs on the blockchain and uses cryptography to secure transactions.
Cryptography is a way to encrypt or secure data so that only the correct entity sees its contents. This makes transactions secure and also removes the need for middle-men in most cases.
For example, when sending money to your friend, you usually have to go through an application like Venmo, Zelle, or Paypal. Sometimes these applications take fees and time to confirm a transaction. However, if you send some crypto to your friend through the blockchain directly, you avoid having to pay a middle-man fees and the transaction usually takes a few seconds or less.