Minting is a synonym for staking, and is used to improve the safety of a blockchain. Minting (or staking) is performed via a Proof of Stake consensus algorithm. The fundamental difference between a Proof of Stake (PoS) and a Proof of Work (PoW) consensus algorithm is that PoW uses mining rather than minting. Both consensus algorithms are different but have the same end goal, which is to secure the blockchain and distribute new minted tokens in a decentralized way.