Cryptocurrency Terminology

The rise of cryptocurrency is making a huge influence towards different businesses, companies or even simple individuals that supports the use of it in exchange of service, products, investments, etc.

Number of users increases seemingly. However, beginners often get confused with the jargons, known only in the said network. In this article, I will be sharing basic terms that exists in cryptocurrency world:

Cryptocurrency - is an internet-based, digital/virtual form of currency that is secured by cryptography (which makes it almost impossible to counterfeit) and operates independently from central bank. These include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Etherium, Ripple, Litecoin, etc.

Cryptography - process of securing communication and data in various electronic transactions (such as account name, account number, amount, digital signature, etc.) by converting plain texts to unintelligible texts and vice versa. It is also be utilized for user authentication.

Blockchain - refers to a growing list of record or the digital information (blocks) stored in public database (chain).

Wallet - or software wallet, is where you “store” your cryptocurrency. It is basically a digital program/system/site/app that store public and/or private keys used to track ownership and transactions of your cryptocurrency. Example: Coinbase, Trust Wallet, Exodus Crypto Wallet, Coins.ph, Binance Wallet, etc.

Wallet Address - is a destination associated with the software wallet where a user sends and receives cryptocurrency. Usually include a long series of letters and numbers. Example: qz8wlltmrj83mj2waw6rgaw9wtzqywuc5s3xqm67g7

Fiat Money - a currency that has actual value maintained; established as money; and backed up by the government. Example: US Dollar, British Pound, Philippine Peso, Japanese Yen, Euro, etc.

Altcoin - or "alts"; refers to any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

ATH (All-time High) - it's when a cryptocurrency breaks its previous record price.

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - refers to the strong urge or need to purchase a cryptocurrency when the price starts increasing rapidly.

Mining - process of validation of transactions such as computers trying to solve blocks in a blockchain. Thus rewarding new cryptocurrency to successful user (miner). However, mining scams are rampant nowadays. Miners are always reminded not to provide private keys, deposits, etc to avoid these frauds.

FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) - this is the greatest risk for investors; A state of mind that often influence when and how crypto-enthusiasts make trades, purchase or hold onto their coins thus affects greatly in the actual prices/convertion rate of cryptocurrency.

DeFi - short term for "decentralized finance" which includes digital assets, protocols, smart contracts, and dApps; is a financial software built on the blockchain that can be pieced together like Money Legos. Etherium is the primary choice for DeFi Application.

Stablecoin - refers to a class of cryptocurrency that attempts to stabilize coin prices, backed by reserve assets.

Reserve Assets - financial assets denominated in foreign currencies, held by central banks; must be readily available for monetization and/or must be an external physical asset. Example: US Dollars, Gold.

That's all for now, I hope this information might help especially beginners who still lack knowledge regarding these terms. Continue supporting #Cryptocurrency and #ReadCash! #READCASHFTW