What Is a Cryptocurrency?
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. A defining feature of cryptocurrencies is that they are generally not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.
-The word “cryptocurrency” is derived from the encryption techniques which are used to secure the network.
-Blockchains, which are organizational methods for ensuring the integrity of transactional data, is an essential component of many cryptocurrencies.
What can you do with cryptocurrency
Invest
Mine
Accept as payment (for business)
Most common cryptocurrencies
1 Bitcoin
The original and most widely used. There are currently more than 16.8 million bitcoin tokens in circulation, against a present capped limit of 21 million.
Bitcoin’s market capitalisation varies significantly from day to day but has hit a record high of more than $200bn.
2 Bitcoin cash
This offshoot of the original Bitcoin, which launched in the summer of 2017, has already soared to become one of the most traded cryptocurrencies.
A little like a share split, there is now approximately the same amount of bitcoin cash in circulation as bitcoin. Nevertheless, there are key differences – most notably, bitcoin cash has an 8MB block size compared with 1MB for the original bitcoin.
This means faster processing speeds, but on the downside it is more memory-intensive.
3 Litecoin
Known as “bitcoin’s little brother”, litecoin resembles its older sibling in that it is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, but has faster transaction speeds as well as a substantially higher token limit of 84 million.
However, its mining process is more memory-intensive and its market cap is around 1/20th of the size of bitcoin.
4 Dogecoin
This is a cryptocurrency largely recognisable for its image of a Shiba Inu dog derived from the “Doge” internet meme.
Initially introduced as a parody currency, it now has its own online community. At the start of 2018, Dogecoin saw its market capitalisation reach $2bn.
5 Ethereum
Ethereum has been labelled a “decentralised app” provider. Originally developed as a “world computer” super network, it aimed to get rid of the need for third-party companies such as Apple in the creation of apps.
The apps developed on Ethereum are on a distributed public platform where miners can earn “ether” to fuel the network.
6 BAT
This works on a similar principle to Ethereum but applies it to digital advertising.
BATs (Basic Attention Tokens) allow advertisers to disintermediate publishers – or, in other words, cut out the middlemen – by paying internet users directly for their “eyeballs”.
Painful though this sounds, it simply means users get paid in BATs for browsing on the web.
7 NEO
The first open-source public blockchain in China, NEO was initially launched in 2014 as Antshares and enables the development of smart contracts and assets on its platform.
The group is in the Ethereum model but aims to be the platform of choice for the new smart economy.
8 Ripple XRP
Ripple has been designed as a centralised transaction network to be used by banks for money transfers in much the same way as, say, SWIFT.
It uses the XRP currency – money is converted to the XRP token to be sent via the Ripple network and then converted back to money when it is withdrawn.
9 Stellar (XLM)
This Stellar network has lived up to its name, with the share price of its cryptocurrency token XLM growing by a stratospheric 30,000pc in 2017.
It was launched by Ripple co-founder Jed McCaleb in 2014 and, like Ripple.
10 Cardano (ADA)
Cardano is another platform used to send and receive digital currencies, including its own cryptocurrency, ADA.
Created by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hopkinson in 2015, it is the first peer-blockchain powered by scientists and academics.