To combat high volatility and increase participation in a larger community, crypto projects are incorporating price stability directly into their digital assets, bringing about a whole new subset of cryptocurrencies in stablecoins. 

As their name suggests, stablecoins are intended to be volatility-minimized assets whose price mirrors fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar. To fully understand the potential of stablecoins and how they work in tandem with more volatile cryptocurrencies, we need to dive a little deeper.

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What Are Stablecoins and How Do They Work?

What Are Stablecoins, and How Do They Work?

Bitcoin (BTC) has become too prominent to ignore. While it's too early to say whether BTC will become a global reserve currency, it has definitely become the world's largest decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) payment network. Blockchain supporters are hopeful that BTC will soon become the bedrock of a new financial system. 

Although Bitcoin doesn't have a central bank or government, there are concerns about its centralized distribution. It's no secret that some companies and individuals hold the lion's share of BTC's circulating supply. So who owns the most Bitcoin, and why does this matter for the cryptocurrency industry? 

Supporters call Bitcoin "the people's currency," but some wallets hold a large portion of BTC coins. So who owns the most Bitcoin, and what does this mean for BTC's future?

The Biggest BTC Whales: Who Owns the Most Bitcoin?

Staying (fully informed) on crypto can be challenging. Not only does the news surrounding cryptocurrency change by the minute, but it can also be difficult to determine reputable crypto resources. Many crypto influencers spread information online without proper fact-checking.

While there are no objective best crypto news websites, a few publications have gained credibility in the industry. If you’re interested in the Web3 ecosystem, you should know how to pick reliable sources for crypto updates. 

Crypto enthusiasts rely on objective sources to stay informed on Web3. Following high-quality crypto news websites can ensure all articles are fact-checked.

How to Find the Best Crypto News

In telecommunications and software engineering, a "node" refers to a more extensive interconnected network component. In crypto, however, a node is one of the components that run a blockchain's algorithm to verify and authenticate each transaction.

A blockchain is essentially a digital distributed ledger that records all cryptocurrency transactions. As the name implies, each blockchain is a series of "chained" blocks. It’s decentralized, meaning it isn’t regulated by a central authority like a bank or a government. 

Every blockchain is made of nodes. Nodes are generally computer systems that contain a copy of a blockchain's primary protocol and its entire transaction history. Due to decentralization, any individual can run a node anywhere in the world as long as they’re connected to the decentralized blockchain network and have the required resources.

Read on to find out the various types of nodes, their functions, and what you can do if you want to run a node.

Blockchain nodes are the building blocks of the crypto ecosystem. Find out why nodes are so important and how they keep crypto decentralized and running.

What’s a Blockchain Node?

which-country-trades-the-most-cryptocurrency

Ever since its inception, cryptocurrency has been a global technology. Projects like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have provided everyone across the globe equal access to non-sovereign digital currencies and DeFi (decentralized finance) services. As long as there’s a functional internet connection, it’s easy to store and use crypto assets.

While crypto is theoretically open to everyone, some nations are more enthusiastic about digital assets than others. Learning which countries use the most cryptocurrency may help understand how crypto adoption is spreading.

More people around the world are gravitating toward crypto. Find out which countries use the most cryptocurrency and how it may impact crypto’s future.

Crypto Around the World: Which Countries Use the Most Cryptocurrency?

The cryptocurrency ecosystem saw the light of day with the launch of Bitcoin (BTC), but it’s no longer the sole digital currency. Although BTC remains the flagship crypto, thousands of other digital assets are on cryptocurrency exchanges. All these virtual currencies have a fiat value, but they aren't all used as long-term stores of value or for peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions. Thanks to the rise of smart contract blockchains like Ethereum (ETH), developers are creating many unique use cases for digital coins and tokens. 

So why are there so many cryptocurrencies? Will they coexist forever? And what does the increase in cryptocurrencies mean for large coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum?

As of 2022, crypto exchanges house more than 19,000 cryptocurrencies. But why are there so many cryptocurrencies, and are they all essential in Web3?

Why Are There so Many Cryptocurrencies? Why Do We Need Them?

Today, most crypto activity takes place on centralized exchanges (CEXs). Companies such as Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken make it easy for users to buy, store, and withdraw dozens of digital assets. Since these platforms have high volumes, they draw the most scrutiny from lawmakers. And, as the crypto market cap rises, many regulators consider the legality of crypto exchanges. 

Because crypto laws change rapidly, it's difficult to list the specific crypto rules in every nation. However, understanding the basics of crypto exchange regulation is essential for those involved with cryptocurrencies.

Crypto’s growing popularity is leading to governments scrutinizing crypto exchanges. So will crypto exchange regulation affect digital asset trading?

All You Need to Know About Crypto Exchange Regulation

Back when Bitcoin (BTC) was the only cryptocurrency, there was no need to distinguish digital assets. However, when Ethereum (ETH) launched in 2015, it introduced a new class of cryptocurrencies known as digital tokens. Unlike "coins" built on their native blockchains, tokens exist on top of a pre-existing smart contract blockchain. 

While the differences between coin, token, and cryptocurrency may seem pedantic, they can help explain the diversity of projects in crypto. Knowing how to differentiate these forms of cryptocurrency will help you better understand digital assets. 

Cryptocurrencies, coins, and tokens are digital assets, but all have unique properties. Learn the key distinctions between a token and cryptocurrency.

Token vs. Cryptocurrency: Primary Uses and Differences

Dogecoin (DOGE) was initially launched in 2013 as a sarcastic play on mainstream cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Dogecoin—pronounced "dohj coin"—was inspired by a meme of a Shiba Inu dog, which is now reflected in its emblem and name. Dogecoin runs on its own blockchain using Litecoin (LTC) technology.

It’s purposely ubiquitous in contrast to BTC, which its founder Satoshi Nakamoto created to be scarce to give it a store of value. On the other hand, Dogecoin is practically unlimited in supply, and 10,000 new coins are produced per minute.

However, Dogecoin's status as a "worthless" cryptocurrency took a surprise turn in 2021—its value skyrocketed, putting it in the world's top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Despite each coin having a value of less than a penny, its abundant supply saw it cross a valuation of $50 billion. At the time of writing, Dogecoin's market cap is roughly $8.2 billion.

But how did it happen? Since Dogecoin's growing global circulation is virtually infinite, there are currently 133 billion coins. When each coin's value is multiplied by the number of coins in circulation—which is how crypto market cap is calculated—the overall market value can become quite large.

For most of its history, the crypto community viewed Dogecoin as a joke, a funny "meme coin" that existed in good humor but carried little-to-no value. However, this humorous take on digital currencies has attracted a passionate online community that has drawn the attention of billionaires like Elon Musk and sponsored Olympic teams.

But before we discuss Dogecoin’s influential ties, we must first understand what a meme coin is and whether it has any practical use in the real world.

Have you ever heard of meme coins? Learn about Dogecoin, the world’s number one meme coin endorsed by Elon Musk!

What’s Dogecoin? Why Is Everybody Talking About It?

NFTs (non-fungible tokens) exploded across cryptocurrency during the 2021 bull market. As the frenzy for digital collectibles increased, NFT creators sought ways to better organize their token releases. Instead of minting their NFTs on the public market, many NFT projects decided to "whitelist" select wallets for a smooth release day.  

NFT whitelists allow NFT artists to create a more equitable and scam-free environment when minting their virtual tokens. Some say they create unfair dynamics by rewarding insiders. So what are NFT whitelists, and how do they impact NFT minting?

NFT whitelists provide privileged access to non-fungible tokens on their release day. Learn what NFT whitelists are and how they function.

Minting Privilege: What Is an NFT Whitelist?

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