The ultimate aim is to make this blog a complete guide to cryptocurrencies.
Since the development of Bitcoin, more than 1500 different cryptocurrencies have been created. Some are useless, some are very promising. Are you interested in investing or trading with them? Would you like to know more about this new technology? Do you want to understand the basics of the blockchain and cryptography?
This blog is for you!
It will explain all the basics about cryptocurrencies, such as their history, their technical details, their economic characteristics and many other aspects. You will also be able to find here articles about the major projects of the moment and my own opinions on them. I hope this blog will help you discover a new world and make you want to learn more about it!
In less than two years, the price of Bitcoin has risen from under $1000 to over $10000.
Since then, almost every project based on blockchain technology has offered its own cryptocurrency. As of November 2017, there are over 1,300 cryptocurrencies available on various exchanges and the number is still growing.
This article offers a comprehensive introduction to the cryptocurrency market that will help you find your way in this new financial niche. You will learn what cryptocurrencies are and how they work. We will also cover the main characteristics of the most popular altcoins. After reading this guide, you will be able to buy and sell digital currencies safely and with confidence.
What Are Digital Currencies?
“Digital currencies” are the new way of transferring wealth on the internet. To put it simply, a digital currency is a form of currency that can be used for online transactions. Of course, it is not as simple as that. There are many factors that make digital currencies unique from other forms of money.
One important distinction between digital currencies and regular money is that there is no physical form for digital currencies. They cannot be printed, but they can be created or “mined” by computers through solving complex mathematical equations. Once mined, the currency can exist in digital wallets or on exchanges where they are traded with other currencies. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to these types of currencies as cryptocurrencies moving forward.
Because cryptocurrencies do not have a physical form, they often do not have an assigned monetary value. Instead, their value fluctuates depending on how many people are using them at any given time and whether or not they can be exchanged for real money (e.g., US dollars).
In order to understand how cryptocurrencies work, you will need to know about blockchain technology. Blockchain is the system behind cryptocurrencies that makes for secure online transactions through peer-to-peer networks.”
When people talk about the stock market, they’re talking about stocks. When they talk about the bond market, they’re talking about bonds. When they talk about the cryptocurrency market, they’re talking about Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is currently a top-10 global currency by market capitalization and is traded on over 200 exchanges worldwide. For 10 years it has been the dominant name in cryptocurrencies, so much so that terms like cryptocurrency and digital currency are often used interchangeably.
As of Nov. 2019, there are more than 4,000 cryptocurrencies with a total market capitalization of over $185 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data. Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by far and has dominated the market since its launch more than 10 years ago. But there are numerous other crypto assets worth knowing about that can be traded on crypto exchanges around the world.
Digital money is a form of electronic cash that allows for peer-to-peer transactions without the need for third party intermediaries such as banks. Digital cash is also commonly referred to as cryptocurrency, as it uses cryptography to secure transactions.
There are currently over 1,600 different cryptocurrencies available on the internet, with more being created every day. Cryptocurrencies have varying value and volatility in terms of fiat currencies, market capitalization and trading volume. Some of the most popular cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Ripple (XRP).
As a digital currency, cryptocurrency is not typically issued by a central bank or government but rather by decentralized network of miners across the globe. The miners can be anyone with a computer system capable of solving complex mathematical equations to help facilitate and verify transaction on the blockchain.
What is money?
Money, as most of us know, is any object or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a particular country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, sometimes, a standard of deferred payment. Any kind of object or secure verifiable record that fulfills these functions can be considered as money.
Money is historically an emergent market phenomenon establishing a commodity money, but nearly all contemporary money systems are based on fiat money. Fiat money, like any check or note of debt, is without use value as a physical commodity. It derives its value by being declared by a government to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the boundaries of the country, for “all debts, public and private”. Such laws in practice cause fiat money to acquire the value of any of the goods and services that it may be traded for within the nation that issues it.
The word “money” is believed to originate from a temple of Juno, on Capitoline, one of Rome’s seven hills. In the ancient world Juno was often associated with money.