Crypto for beginners

Cryptocurrency is decentralized digital money that’s based on blockchain technology . You may be familiar with the most popular versions, Bitcoin and Ethereum, but there are more than 5,000 different cryptocurrencies in circulation.25 Oca 2022

Despite its decentralized nature, transactions on most cryptocurrency networks are very secure — as long as crypto users take precautions . The underlying blockchain technology is inherently secure.

A cryptocurrency is an encrypted data string that denotes a unit of currency . It is monitored and organized by a peer-to-peer network called a blockchain, which also serves as a secure ledger of transactions, e.g., buying, selling, and transferring.

Both fiat money and cryptocurrency deliver this utility, but are different in a number of key ways. Fiat money is legal tender whose value is tied to a government-issued currency, like the U.S. dollar, while cryptocurrency is a digital asset that derives its value from its native blockchain .

crypto- a combining form meaning “hidden,” “secret,” used in the formation of compound words: cryptograph.