Cryptocurrency (Crypto)

A digital asset powered by cryptography and built on blockchain technology. It was designed to work without banks or governments. And while that’s the goal, how it’s used depends on the project.

The first working and widely adopted cryptocurrency was Bitcoin, launched in 2009. Since then, the space has exploded from coins trying to be digital gold, to tokens powering decentralized apps, to meme coins anyone can launch for laughs. Some are trying to change the world. Others are just trying to go viral.

Related Terms

TRX (Tron Token)

The native currency of the Tron network. TRX is used to pay for transactions, access apps, and stake for bandwidth and energy

Stablecoin

A token designed to hold a stable value, usually pegged to a fiat currency like USD. Examples: USDC, USDT, DAI.

SOL (Solana Token)

The native token of the Solana network. SOL is used to pay for transaction fees, interact with apps, and stake to help secure the network.

MATIC (Polygon Token)

The token that fuels the Polygon network. You use it to pay for transactions, stake for security, and vote on protocol changes.

LTC (Litecoin Token)

The native currency of the Litecoin network. It’s used to send payments quickly and with low fees, and it’s supported pretty much everywhere.

Fungible Token

A token where each unit is identical, like USDC or BTC. Unlike NFTs, Fungible Tokens are interchangeable and don’t have unique properties.

Fungibility

If one unit of something is exactly the same as another, it's fungible. Dollars? Fungible. Bitcoin? Fungible. NFTs? Nope, not fungible.

XRP

The token used by Ripple Labs to enable fast, cross-border payments. Loved by banks. Hated by decentralization purists.

Satoshi (SAT)

1/100,000,000th of a Bitcoin. Named after Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. If BTC is too expensive, you can still stack Sats.

ETH (Ethereum Token)

The native currency of the Ethereum network. ETH is used to pay for gas (transaction fees), interact with smart contracts, and secure the network through staking.

DOT (Polkadot Token)

The token that powers the Polkadot ecosystem. You use DOT to stake, vote on upgrades, and support new parachains through crowdloans.

DOGE (Dogecoin Token)

The native token of the Dogecoin network. A coin that’s easy to send, easy to use, and hard to ignore.

CRO (Cronos Token)

The fuel for Cronos and the key to unlocking perks across Crypto.com. You’ll use it to pay for gas on Cronos, stake it for rewards, or earn bonus benefits like lower trading fees and Visa card cashback inside the app.

AVAX (Avalanche Token)

The native token of the Avalanche network. AVAX is used to pay for transaction fees, secure the network through staking, and participate in governance. It also plays a key role in Avalanche’s subnet system, where developers may require AVAX to create or interact with custom blockchains.

ARB (Arbitrum Token)

The native governance token of the Arbitrum network. ARB gives holders the power to vote on protocol upgrades, community funding decisions,

Altcoins

The short for "alternative coins," these are any cryptocurrencies that aren’t Bitcoin. There are thousands of them, each with its own technology, purpose, and level of legitimacy. Some aim to improve Bitcoin’s weaknesses, others power specific blockchain projects, and a few are just meme-fueled chaos.