●ALTCOINS

An altcoin refers to a cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. Each has its own set of rules, properties, and specific use cases. Altcoins could be completely new technologies or forks of existing cryptocurrencies.

●ALL-TIME HIGH/ALL-TIME LOW

This refers to the highest or lowest the price has ever been for a given asset.

●BULL MARKET

A bull market describes the phenomenon where market prices are generally trending upward over a given period and public perception is positive.

●BEAR MARKET

A bear market is the reverse of a bull market, where outlooks are negative as market prices seem to be on a downward trend.

●BLOCKCHAIN

Blockchains are a method of storing data in a decentralized way. The data can be duplicated and distributed across the network of computer systems on that blockchain. Usually operated by a community of miners or validators, blockchains don’t require a centralized intermediary to operate.

●BLOCK

Blockchains are built up of a growing list of transactions, which are formatted into blocks. Each block contains a cryptographic reference to the last, making it impossible to change the history of the blockchain.

●BLOCK REWARD

When blocks are created by miners or validators, a block reward is issued. This takes the form of newly minted cryptocurrency, which is used as an incentive for participants to help keep the blockchain running.

●CONSENSUS

Consensus, in the context of cryptocurrencies, refers to the method by which blockchain participants agree on what should be included into the blockchain. The two most prominent consensus mechanisms currently used by crypto networks today are proof-of-work and proof-of-stake.

●CRYPTOGRAPHY

Cryptography refers to the science of keeping information secure and safe, and is used in many areas in computing today. Cryptography helps secure blockchains and cryptocurrencies through the SHA-256 one-way hashing algorithm to enable Proof-of-Work, and through private-key/public-key cryptography for authenticating and validating cryptocurrency transfers.

●DAPP

dApps, or decentralized applications, are programs that run on top of blockchain networks and use smart contracts to provide trustless tools and services for end users. The most widely adopted smart contract platform today is the Ethereum protocol, where hundreds of dApps exist today.

●DAO

A DAO, or decentralized autonomous, organization refers to a business entity that is represented as transparent rules in a number of smart contracts. They aim to reduce centralization as much as possible, typically giving the community the ability to govern the future of the DAO and its products by voting for or against any proposed changes or updates.

●DECENTRALIZED

Decentralized is a word that is used to describe technologies that make use of distributed systems with the aim to provide increased security and redundancy, and to lessen a reliance on governing bodies and centralized intermediaries.

●DEFI

DeFi, or Decentralized Finance, refers to the growing ecosystem of applications and services that leverage blockchain tech and cryptocurrencies to provide decentralized financial services to end users. Typically deployed to the Ethereum network, hundreds of DeFi applications exist today that allow users to borrow, lend, and earn interest on cryptocurrencies. DeFi applications are made up of a collection of smart contracts that define the exact process and flow of user funds, DeFi applications allow users.

●DYOR

Do Your Own Research. This is often used as a warning by cryptocurrency influencers to other investors, reminding us that there is no better substitute for due diligence than our own research. It is worth remembering that cryptocurrency influencers and media outlets can have different incentives and goals. Ask yourself; is the news article or review I am reading unbiased, and factually correct?

●ERC-20

Used on the Ethereum network, ERC-20 is the most vastly used crypto-token standard. It allows developers to easily create digital currencies, which are immediately compatible with existing infrastructure.

●ERC-721

This is the Ethereum network’s standard for non-fungible tokens—NFTs. It allows for creation of unique, uncounterfitable tokens. It can be used for creating digital collectibles and gaming items or to tokenize real-world unique items.

●EVM

The Ethereum Virtual Machine, or EVM, is essentially a global blockchain-based computer. It provides a runtime environment for developers to create trustless, decentralized applications on the Ethereum network.

●FIAT

Fiat refers to types of money within the traditional financial ecosystem. Examples of fiat currencies are the US dollar and the euro. Working with fiat currencies in the blockchain landscape typically requires trusting a centralized central entity to custody your funds.

●FORK

A fork describes a situation where a blockchain experiences a change in the protocol that produces two parallel chains. Forks typically occur when crypto developers or communities decide that the protocol must be changed or updated in some way. There are two types of forks: hard forks, which break backwards-compatibility and cause a new currency to be issued, and soft forks, which update the ruleset requiring support from a majority of the network’s participants.

●FOMO

Fear of missing out. A type of social anxiety arising from the notion that others are having fun or enjoying the benefits of an event while the person experiencing FOMO isn’t. In crypto markets, it usually refers to watching the tokens you do not own go through explosive upward price movements.

●FUD

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt refers usually to information that is likely to push people toward a pessimistic view of the market.

●FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS

A method of evaluating the value of a given asset, as well as estimating its future performance. In the context of crypto projects, it takes into account such factors as the technological and innovative value of a product, the team behind it, or the token distribution model and its use cases.

●GAS

Refers to a fee charged for performing operations on Ethereum network sending transactions and deploying and interacting with smart contracts. It is usually priced in Gwei, a small fraction of Ether.

●GWEI

Wei is the smallest, indivisible part of Ethereum’s native currency Ether. 1 Ether is equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 wei (1018). Gwei stands for Giga-wei, so 109 wei.

●HALVING

The reduction of the block reward for Bitcoin mining by 50%. A halving occurs after 210,000 blocks have been mined since the last, which corresponds to roughly every 4 years. The Bitcoin network started with a 50 BTC block reward and currently, after 3 halvings, it is at a level of 6.25 BTC per block.

●HASH RATE

Measuring unit of processing power, it tells how many network-specific calculations are done per second by the Bitcoin network. A hash rate of 1 tera hash means the network can perform 1 trillion calculations in one second.

●HODL

The term comes from misspelling the word hold. It refers to the action of not selling your cryptos, often in opposition to the current market trend.

●KYC

KYC, or Know Your Customer, refers to the process by which a financial service provider must gather and verify information about their customers on registration. These requirements are enforced by governing bodies in both the customer and the business’s jurisdictions.