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The difference between a cryptocurrency broker and an exchange

While a crypto broker acts as an intermediary, a crypto exchange allows traders to buy and sell directly to each other.

How to start trading cryptocurrencies

Successful cryptocurrency traders have made cumulative gains over several years marked by perseverance, careful research, unemotional decisions, realistic approaches and invested time and patience.

What are market orders, limit orders, stop limit orders?

Trading is basically the exchange of assets between a buyer and a seller while a trading order is an agreement to exchange an asset like Bitcoin for another asset at a specific price or price range. Trade order types like market orders, limit orders and stop limit orders are among the three most common order types in cryptocurrency trading.

What are candlesticks in cryptocurrency trading?

A candlestick is an element in a type of chart that is used to describe price action in a market during a given time frame.

What are maker fees and taker fees for cryptocurrency traders?

Liquidity on an exchange is created by putting orders in the order book that wait to be filled. A crypto trader who places limit orders in the order book that don’t get filled immediately creates liquidity.

Consensus Algorithms: Proof of Work

The process of validating and securing transactions on the blockchain is “Proof of Work” because it requires extensive computer processing from miners in the Bitcoin network.

Consensus Algorithms: Proof of Stake

Participants in a Proof of Stake network who want to be involved in proving the validity of transactions and creating blocks in the network need to hold a certain stake in the network.

How do Hard and Soft Forks work?

The consensus algorithm behind a blockchain is the foundation of a decentralised network for maintaining a public ledger of transactions without requiring a third party.

What is the ERC20 token standard?

The ERC20 standard is a set of guidelines for building tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. Before ERC20 tokens, cryptocurrency exchanges had to build custom bridges between platforms to support the exchange of any token.

What are ICOs and IEOs in blockchain space?

ICOs, or token sales, are events where investors are acquire tokens in return for funding a project.

What are Smart Contracts and how do they work?

Smart contracts provide a secure and trustworthy way for contracting between strangers on the internet, decreasing the level of risk for contracting parties.

What is Litecoin (LTC)?

Litecoin was created via a fork of the Bitcoin source code and is one of the oldest altcoins. It has a block generation time of 2.5 minutes, which is significantly lower than Bitcoin’s block generation time of 10 minutes.

What is the difference between Utility Tokens and Security Tokens?

Security tokens represent shares in the company issuing the tokens while utility tokens grant tangible benefits such as access to a blockchain ecosystem.

What is a DApp?

In the most basic sense, a DApp is a computer program that accesses a blockchain through a node of the blockchain and sends a request on that nodes’ copy to transfer a cryptocurrency or to call functions of smart contracts.

The problem of scalability in the Bitcoin network

To support the adoption rate of cryptocurrencies, a network needs to provide credibility that it can handle a growing amount of transactions in the future - that means, to ensure scalability of the network.

What is SegWit (Segregated Witness) and how does it work?

SegWit is short for “segregated witness consensus layer”. It constitutes change in the code of Bitcoin’s blockchain and was pushed through in a soft fork of the original Bitcoin network after the Bitcoin scalability debate reached its peak in late 2017.

What is Bitcoin Cash (BCH)?

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is the result of a hard fork of the original Bitcoin blockchain.

What is the purpose of the Lightning Network for Bitcoin?

The Lightning Network is a network of payment channels and a scaling solution for Bitcoin. Ultimately, the Lightning Network is a way to complete transactions between two or more parties using blockchain technology.

What is a hash function in a blockchain transaction?

The Bitcoin network depends on a set of rules called the Proof of Work consensus algorithm, a process which ensures agreement on what the true data value in the network is in the presence of faulty values. Hash functions serve to provide singularly-unique identifiers that can be used to identify data.

What is a 51% attack and how is it prevented?

Hypothetically speaking, an entity in a Proof of Work blockchain network controlling more than 50% of the computational power could attempt to produce blocks faster than the rest of the network. This is called a 51% attack.

What is IOTA?

The IOTA project is the first open-source distributed ledger that is being built to power the future of the Internet of Things with the objective of enabling interrelated computing devices in smart homes and smart cities to autonomously conduct transactions using a network structure called the Tangle.

What is a Bitcoin halving?

A Bitcoin halving is when the block rewards of the network are cut in half to reduce the number of new coins entering the network.

Five use cases of cryptocurrencies

Many cryptocurrencies can be used for applications other than just paying for goods and services. Cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, IOTA and stablecoins such as Tether offer a vast range of use cases beyond Bitcoin and conventional financial transactions.

What is an atomic swap?

Atomic swaps offer a way to swap cryptocurrencies peer-to-peer from different blockchains directly without the requirement for a third party, such as an exchange.

What is Ethereum Classic?

Ethereum Classic is the result of a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain after a hack in July 2016.

What is VeChain (VET)?

VeChain is a blockchain platform with the mission of streamlining supply chain management with distributed ledger technology.

What is Stellar (XLM)?

Stellar is an open-source blockchain network for developers to create interoperable financial applications and for end users to spend digital money as well as enjoy fast, efficient trading.

What is Tether (USDT)?

Tether’s (USDT) aim is to provide a less volatile digital currency by pegging its value to the US dollar at a 1:1 ratio. USDT is one of the most widely adopted stablecoins, which are blockchain-based currencies that are tied - or tethered - to fiat currencies.

What is Shiba Inu (SHIB)?

Shiba Inu is an ERC20 token founded in August 2020 by an anonymous person or group named Ryoshi. Based on a famous meme featuring the Japanese dog breed, Shiba Inu is widely considered to be an altcoin to Dogecoin.

What is earnings season?

Earnings Season is when publicly traded companies publish their quarterly figures.

Bitcoin ETFs explained

We explore the different types of Bitcoin ETFs as well as the dynamics of a spot Bitcoin ETF and its potential impact in the crypto world.

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Lessons on Personal Finance

What is personal finance and why does it matter?

What are assets and liabilities?

How can you set up your household budget?

How you can set up your emergency fund

What is a savings plan?

What is investing and who can invest?

How to start budgeting for investing

What is interest?

How does compound interest work?

What is inflation?

What is a stock?

What is a shareholder?

What are fractional shares?

What is a dividend?

How do investments earn you money?

What does to diversify your portfolio mean?

What are the biggest risks in investing?

What is an index?

What is a bond?

What is a mutual fund?

What is an exchange-traded fund (ETF)?

What is a derivative?

The magic triangle of investing

Beginner lessons

The beginnings of money and the importance of trust

What's the difference between a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and fiat money?

How does a blockchain work?

What is double-spending and why is it such a problem?

What is Bitcoin?

What is “Bitcoin mining” and how does mining work?

What does mining difficulty mean?

What does pre-mined mean?

What are transaction fees and why do I need to pay them?

Do I have to pay taxes when I buy or sell Bitcoin?

What determines the Bitcoin price?

What is the purpose of mining pools and how do they work?

What are Altcoins?

What is market capitalisation (market cap) and why does it matter?

What does Open Source mean?

What is a Bitcoin Node?

What is Ethereum?

What is Ripple (XRP) ?

What is the Darknet and what does it have to do with Bitcoin?

What are commodities and how do people invest in them?

What is a recession?

Intermediate lessons

The difference between a cryptocurrency broker and an exchange

How to start trading cryptocurrencies

What are market orders, limit orders, stop limit orders?

What are candlesticks in cryptocurrency trading?

What are maker fees and taker fees for cryptocurrency traders?

Consensus Algorithms: Proof of Work

Consensus Algorithms: Proof of Stake

How do Hard and Soft Forks work?

What is the ERC20 token standard?

What are ICOs and IEOs in blockchain space?

What are Smart Contracts and how do they work?

What is Litecoin (LTC)?

What is the difference between Utility Tokens and Security Tokens?

What is a DApp?

The problem of scalability in the Bitcoin network

What is SegWit (Segregated Witness) and how does it work?

What is Bitcoin Cash (BCH)?

What is the purpose of the Lightning Network for Bitcoin?

What is a hash function in a blockchain transaction?

What is a 51% attack and how is it prevented?

What is IOTA?

What is a Bitcoin halving?

Five use cases of cryptocurrencies

What is an atomic swap?

What is Ethereum Classic?

What is VeChain (VET)?

What is Stellar (XLM)?

What is Tether (USDT)?

What is Shiba Inu (SHIB)?

What is earnings season?

Bitcoin ETFs explained

Expert lessons

The Bitcoin Whitepaper simply explained