How cryptocurrency works
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The very first cryptocurrency was Bitcoin. Since it is open source, it is possible for other people to use the majority of the code, make a few changes and then launch their own separate currency. Many people have done exactly this. Some of these coins are very similar to Bitcoin, with just one or two amended features (such as Litecoin), while others are very different, with varying models of security, issuance and governance. However, they all share the same moniker — every coin issued after Bitcoin is considered to be an altcoin.
Almost. We have a process that we use to verify assets. Once verified, we create a coin description page like this. The world of crypto now contains many coins and tokens that we feel unable to verify. In those situations, our Dexscan product lists them automatically by taking on-chain data for newly created smart contracts. We do not cover every chain, but at the time of writing we track the top 70 crypto chains, which means that we list more than 97% of all tokens.
NFTs are multi-use images that are stored on a blockchain. They can be used as art, a way to share QR codes, ticketing and many more things. The first breakout use was for art, with projects like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club gaining large followings. We also list all of the top NFT collections available, including the related NFT coins and tokens.. We collect latest sale and transaction data, plus upcoming NFT collection launches onchain. NFTs are a new and innovative part of the crypto ecosystem that have the potential to change and update many business models for the Web 3 world.
What is cryptocurrency
The rewards paid to miners increase the supply of the cryptocurrency. By making sure that verifying transactions is a costly business, the integrity of the network can be preserved as long as benevolent nodes control a majority of computing power. The verification algorithm requires a lot of processing power, and thus electricity, in order to make verification costly enough to accurately validate the public blockchain. Not only do miners have to factor in the costs associated with expensive equipment necessary to stand a chance of solving a hash problem, they must further consider the significant amount of electrical power in search of the solution. Generally, the block rewards outweigh electricity and equipment costs, but this may not always be the case.
Regulators in several countries have warned against cryptocurrency and some have taken measures to dissuade users. However, research in 2021 by the UK’s financial regulator suggests such warnings either went unheard, or were ignored. Fewer than one in 10 potential cryptocurrency buyers were aware of consumer warnings on the FCA website, and 12% of crypto users were not aware that their holdings were not protected by statutory compensation. Of 1,000 respondents between the ages of eighteen and forty, almost 70% wrongly assumed cryptocurrencies were regulated, 75% of younger crypto investors claimed to be driven by competition with friends and family, 58% said that social media enticed them to make high risk investments. The FCA recommends making use of its warning list, which flags unauthorized financial firms.
There are several ways cryptocurrency can make money for you. Decentralized finance applications let you loan your crypto with interest; you can stake a compatible one on a blockchain or at certain exchanges for rewards, or you can hold on to it and hope its market value increases. None of these methods are guaranteed to make money, but many people have benefitted from them.

The rewards paid to miners increase the supply of the cryptocurrency. By making sure that verifying transactions is a costly business, the integrity of the network can be preserved as long as benevolent nodes control a majority of computing power. The verification algorithm requires a lot of processing power, and thus electricity, in order to make verification costly enough to accurately validate the public blockchain. Not only do miners have to factor in the costs associated with expensive equipment necessary to stand a chance of solving a hash problem, they must further consider the significant amount of electrical power in search of the solution. Generally, the block rewards outweigh electricity and equipment costs, but this may not always be the case.
Regulators in several countries have warned against cryptocurrency and some have taken measures to dissuade users. However, research in 2021 by the UK’s financial regulator suggests such warnings either went unheard, or were ignored. Fewer than one in 10 potential cryptocurrency buyers were aware of consumer warnings on the FCA website, and 12% of crypto users were not aware that their holdings were not protected by statutory compensation. Of 1,000 respondents between the ages of eighteen and forty, almost 70% wrongly assumed cryptocurrencies were regulated, 75% of younger crypto investors claimed to be driven by competition with friends and family, 58% said that social media enticed them to make high risk investments. The FCA recommends making use of its warning list, which flags unauthorized financial firms.
Types of cryptocurrency
Because of smart contracts, no third party is needed. Bitcoin means there is no third party needed in direct payments, but smart contracts mean there is no third party needed in lots of things — like the sale of a house, the sale of electricity, or the sale of stock on the stock market.
Of course, you can’t actually put electricity into a smart contract, can you? So, instead, you put a token into the smart contract that legally represents the electricity. This is one of the best things about smart contracts on Ethereum, NEO, and similar altcoins — you can tokenize real things and put them on the blockchain.
Litecoin has been in the news a lot lately because it will be the first cryptocurrency to use the Lightning Network. The Lightning Network solves a lot of issues for cryptocurrencies, such as scalability — using the Lighting Network, Litecoin will be able to process many more transactions per second.

Because of smart contracts, no third party is needed. Bitcoin means there is no third party needed in direct payments, but smart contracts mean there is no third party needed in lots of things — like the sale of a house, the sale of electricity, or the sale of stock on the stock market.
Of course, you can’t actually put electricity into a smart contract, can you? So, instead, you put a token into the smart contract that legally represents the electricity. This is one of the best things about smart contracts on Ethereum, NEO, and similar altcoins — you can tokenize real things and put them on the blockchain.
Litecoin has been in the news a lot lately because it will be the first cryptocurrency to use the Lightning Network. The Lightning Network solves a lot of issues for cryptocurrencies, such as scalability — using the Lighting Network, Litecoin will be able to process many more transactions per second.