Institutional Investor

A company or organization that invests large amounts of money on behalf of clients, pension funds, or shareholders. Think hedge funds, banks, insurance firms, and asset managers.

In crypto, their involvement signals growing legitimacy. Big names like BlackRock, Fidelity, and ARK Invest have stepped in with Bitcoin ETFs, custody solutions, and blockchain research. When institutions enter the space, markets listen, and often react.

Related Terms

TVL (Total Value Locked)

The amount of crypto locked in a DeFi protocol or ecosystem. Higher TVL means more trust, activity, and usually, better yields.

Staking

Locking up tokens to help secure a network or earn rewards. Think of it as earning interest with blockchain benefits.

Presale

The private or early round before a token hits the public market. Can offer sweet deals or leave retail holding the bag if insiders dump.

Pre-Mine

When a portion of tokens are created before a crypto project launches publicly. Often given to founders, devs, or early investors.

Portfolio

All your crypto assets, tokens, NFTs, and maybe a bit of stablecoin on the side. Track it. Diversify it. Don’t check it every 5 minutes (or do, we won’t judge).

Yield Farming

Putting your crypto to work across DeFi platforms to earn interest, rewards, or new tokens. High returns, but high risk if the platform tanks.

ICO (Initial Coin Offering)

The crypto version of an IPO. A project sells tokens to raise funds before it fully launches. It could be the next big thing, or the next big rugpull. DYOR.

ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund)

A type of investment fund you can buy and sell like a stock. It bundles together multiple assets like stocks, commodities, or bonds so you get diversified exposure without having to buy each piece individually.

Do Your Own Research (DYOR)

The golden rule of crypto. Don’t blindly follow hype. Read, dig, question everything before you ape in.

Crypto ETFs

Crypto Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) that track crypto prices without you needing to actually buy or store the crypto. Great for TradFi folks dipping their toes in.