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Centralized exchanges are prone to hacks. 0x is a new type of exchange, called a decentralized exchange that is designed to make stealing funds harder. Ox is a platform for developers to build decentralized exchanges atop of Ethereum.
Technology Guides
Advanced
5 min read
Aeternity is a smart contract blockchain network that runs faster than competitors by hosting contracts off the main network. It’s also mobile focused and built for scale.
Beginner
4 min read
Airdrops are a method of distributing tokens to users. They are commonly used to generate buzz around a project, reward users for certain behaviours and or create a community. They are popular with projects big and small, but US regulatory authorities are concerned they circumvent tax laws.
Intermediate
3 min read
The Aragon Network wants to improve how we work through blockchain. They reckon it can be used to create effective decentralized organizations and digital courts.
The Projects
We explore how companies like Maecenas, Codex Protocol, DADA.nyc, R.A.R.E and Image Protect are using blockchain to help change the art industry.
The Future
Atomic swaps were the first way to trade Bitcoins for a coin on another blockchain network that did not require trust in any other party.
Introduction
Augur is an open-source, decentralized betting marketplace. Anyone can create markets and allow others to bet for or against it. The outcome is then verified by impartial observers who get a slice of the winnings.
Bakkt is the brainchild of the New York Stock Exchange owners. By creating a cryptocurrency exchange with US government oversight, Bakkt wants to make trading crypto assets as normal as trading shares.
The Basic Attention Token, or BAT, is designed to make digital advertising fairer and more transparent for everyone. Privacy is protected, adverts are more relevant, and consumers even get compensated for their time looking at them.
Binance is an extremely popular cryptocurrency exchange and token. Its success is fueled by speed, low fees, and sheer number of transactions. If a lot of people are using a platform, that means it’s easy to find buyers and sellers for the currency you’re after - known as liquidity.
Crypto exchange Binance has its own coin. Want to know why traders use it? It's cheaper and doesn't produce dust.
The Coins
BitPay is the world’s largest bitcoin payment processor. It allows businesses to accept bitcoin as payment, and charges them lower processing fees than most credit card companies.
Bitcoin is the world's first peer-to-peer cryptocurrency. It was invented by a mysterious inventor Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 and is regarded as the first digital currency to fix the double spend problem.
6 min read
Bitcoin Cash was a hard fork of Bitcoin. The split took place in 2017 and since then, Bitcoin Cash has become one of the largest cryptocurrencies to emerge from Bitcoin. It has made a number of subtle but significant changes to distinguish itself from Bitcoin, namely larger block size and faster transaction times.
Bitcoin's legal status differs from country to country. Some countries have little or no regulation, some are actively seeking to class it as an asset or commodity, and some have banned it all together.
The Landscape
Bitcoin uses an algorithm called Proof of Work. It’s a very difficult puzzle miners have to solve to verify transactions on the blockchain. It’s very energy intensive, and as such, other networks have chosen different methods to verify transactions to solve the energy problem.
Bitcoin is being explored as three distinct ideas: a currency, an asset and a commodity. Because regulation takes place mostly at state level, Bitcoin has become all three things simultaneously in different parts of the world.
Bitcoin is facing a number of challenges. These include speed of transaction verification, a lack of privacy, high fees and risk of a 51% attack. However there are solutions currently being worked on to fix Bitcoin's bottlenecks.
Blockchain is an online record of transactions backed by cryptography. It’s at the heart of currencies like Bitcoin and can be used to document financial transactions, the movement of goods or services and or exchanges in information.
In order for transactions on the blockchain to take place, users need two sets of keys and a crypto wallet. This system, built on cryptography allows users to exchange goods and services without having to rely on a third party.
Brave has created a cryptocurrency powered, alternative web browser to the personal data hungry browsers used mostly commonly today. The Brave Browser isn’t blockchain-based but it does have its own token, Basic Attention Token (BAT) to reward users and content publishers.
Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) is one of the fundamental properties of reliable blockchain rules or protocols
Cardano is a cryptocurrency that uses peer-reviewed research to develop a network that avoids the pitfalls of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The network is split into three parts: a Foundation that develops the network, IOHK which works with universities on research and Emurgo, which creates business applications on Cardano.
How Alice, BitGive, GiftCoin, Giveth and AidCoin are using blockchain to change the way the charity industry works.
Civic is a system of dapps built on Ethereum that that revolves around verifying and requesting information about identity.
Civil is a decentralized marketplace for journalism. It allows readers to funder journalists and journalism directly, potentially cutting out the need for third-party advertisers and the need to write click-bait articles in order to attract attention.
Coinbase is one of the biggest and most trusted crypto exchanges out there. As well as providing digital wallets, its platform allows users to buy and sell Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies.
ConsenSys is a blockchain venture studio supporting projects within the Ethereum ecosystem. These include uPort, Metamask, Civil, Truffle and Gnosis to name a few. They also act as a consultancy for companies including Microsoft and Shell looking to get into blockchain.
7 min read
Underlying the decentralized promise of blockchain technologies are consensus protocols. These protocols create a system of agreement, or rules, for a blockchain.
The Consumer Token Offering (CTO) framework seeks to be a set of best practices for launching new tokens or Token Generation Events on Ethereum.
Cosmos aims to become the “Internet of Blockchains,” where any blockchain is able to communicate, share data, and transact with any other.
CryptoKitties was the first game built on the Ethereum network. Players buy, trade and breed cats to create desirable traits. But, due to the game's popularity it highlighted several issues with how Ethereum works, especially when it comes to scaling.
A cryptocurrency is a type of digital currency. It uses cryptography to regulate how people transfer them, how they're created, and how secure they are. The first of its kind was Bitcoin, created in 2009.
Decentralized applications are a radical new way of building applications. But will anyone use them?
Dash is a privacy focused cryptocurrency that can process transactions more quickly and cheaply than Bitcoin. It’s become popular in countries like Venezuela and Zimbabwe, where fiat currencies are experiencing extreme inflation.
We explore how companies like Luna, Hicky, Viola, Ponder and Matchpool are using blockchain to help change the dating industry.
Decentraland is a virtual world where people can buy, sell and build on the Ethereum blockchain.
Decentralization is a spectrum. This article looks at where Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and EOS stand on it. Some might surprise you.
Crypto companies work differently. Instead of one figurehead, anyone can contribute. Why do they do this and does it work well?
Dfinity claims to solve a number of blockchain’s most pressing problems. It also wants to replace the cloud computing industry with its decentralized platform and build a new generation of mega-applications on top of it.
A super speedy walkthrough the grandfather of cryptocurrencies.
Dogecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that gets its name from a popular internet meme. The token started off as a joke, but is rapidly becoming serious.
EOS is a cryptocurrency that wants to be a direct competitor to Ethereum. It raised more than $4 billion in a year-long ICO, and was designed to run Dapps on a blockchain without having to worry about speed or expending vast amounts of electricity. But as yet it's untested as a network and has run into a number of problems.
Most cryptocurrencies don’t have their own blockchain and run on the Ethereum network instead. They do this using ERC-20 tokens.
The ERC721 is the lesser-known cousin of the ERC20, but a no less important part of the Ethereum ecosystem.
We explore how companies like ODEM, SuccessLife, Woolf University, EchoLink and Open Source University are using blockchain to help change the education industry.
Electroneum wants to make it super easy to send money across borders. That’s hardly a unique goal in the cryptocurrency space. But it is unique in the way it’s focusing on digital payments through smartphones for people without access to bank accounts. Every crypto player talks about mass adoption, but Electroneum’s model may actually make it possible
We explore how Power Ledger, Tennet, Blockchain Labs, Electron and Energi Token are using blockchain to change the way the energy industry works.
Ethereum is a cryptocurrency that allows smart contracts and Dapps to operate on its network. It was created by Vitalik Buterin, a Russian/Canadian software developer and is regarded as an evolution of Bitcoin.
Ethereum has a set of standards called ERC-20 that allows developers to create their own tokens inside the Ethereum network. It's provided an easier route for companies to develop blockchain products instead of building their own cryptocurrency.
2 min read
Ethereum has created a virtual environment that allows smart contracts to interact with each other that it calls the Ethereum Virtual Machine. It allows smart contracts to have greater functionality without having to become overly complicated.
Exchanges are places to buy, sell and exchange different types of cryptocurrency. Each exchange sets the price of an asset according to how popular a currency is, and charges additional fees for using the service.
We explore how companies like Provenance, Faizod, Fashion Coin, TravelChain and Lukso are using blockchain to help change the future of the fashion industry.
Filecoin is a decentralized storage provider. Instead of trusting one company with your documents, they can be split up and saved around the world on different computers.
Forks occur when a network no longer agrees on the best route forward. There are different types of fork, soft forks, hard forks, and contentious hard forks. However, not all forks lead to the creation of new cryptocurrencies.
We explore how companies like Enjin Coin, Decentraland, Unikrn, OPSkins and Chimaera are using the blockchain to help change how the gaming industry works.
Gas is the cost the Ethereum network charges in order to process your transaction. Ether is the amount of computer power required to verify a transaction. ERC-20 is the standard for smart contracts on the Ethereum network.
Gemini is a cryptocurrency that is pegged at the value of the US dollar. It gives people an easier way to receive and send US dollars across the world with low fees. Similar US dollar-linked cryptocurrencies already exist, but Gemini stands out because it
Gnosis is the name of the team that produce Gnosis Olympia, a Dapp that harnesses the wisdom of the crowd to predict future events. It has a two token system to encourage participants to make bets, and to incentivize more accurate predictions.
Golem is like AirBnB for computers. It combines the underused resources of every machine in its network to create a decentralized supercomputer. Users can rent or buy computing power in the global marketplace.
Blockchain is hackable but it’s often an expensive and time-consuming process. A blockchain can be hacked via three main avenues: on protocol, in exchanges and via people’s wallets through phishing and other classic online scams.
Hashing is one of the most crucial pieces of technology that keeps the Bitcoin network secure. But how does it work?
We explore how Intiva Health, Medichain, FarmaTrust, MedCredits and Coral Health are using blockchain to change the way healthcare works.
Hedera Hashgraph is a platform that presents itself as faster and more secure alternative to blockchain. It is based on distributed ledger technology and was invented by Leemon Baird in 2016. Its ability to quickly and cheaply process transactions is why Hedera Hashgraph’s has ambitions to become a micropayment system.
We explore how MovieCoin, Cinezen, White Rabbit, DECENT and SingularDTV are using blockchain to change the way film-making works.
Huobi is a cryptocurrency exchange that is headquartered in Singapore. It is renowned for the sheer number of cryptocurrency trading pairs available - nearly 400. It also a token that can be used to trade for other cryptocurrencies on the platform
Hyperledger is an open-source project developed by the Linux foundation. It uses a modular approach to building blockchains to allow companies to develop what works best for them - and has attracted big companies like IBM, Intel, Samsung and J.P. Morgan to work on new projects.
ICO stands for Initial Coin Offering. It's a radically new way for a company to raise money without having to give away a part of its business. It's popular among blockchain companies, but they aren't as regulated as more traditional fundraising methods.
IOTA is a new type of distributed network. It uses a unique approach to verifying transactions that makes it ideal for the huge amounts of data required to power the internet of things. It's widely considered to be an evolution of both Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Connecting to blockchains is messy and complicated. Infura offers to do that work for you but that brings with it fears over increased centralization.
An Initial Exchange Offering or IEO is an evolution of the Initial Coin Offering or ICO. While anyone in the world is able to start and participate in an ICO, the IEO is more restricted. In an IEO, a centralized exchange serves as a platform for a project’s initial sale of tokens.
Initiative Q is not a cryptocurrency it’s a solution. By distributing Q tokens to as many people as possible, Initiative Q believes they can create a whole new payments network to rival the big credit card companies.
Libra is Facebook's answer to crypto. It's a currency that will integrate with the social network’s 2.6 billion existing users.
The Lightning Network is a way of handling transactions without the need to verify them on the blockchain. It's designed to speed up verification times and to allow more transactions to take place at the same time.
Lisk is a blockchain that aims to be the most developer-friendly on the planet. By using the ever-popular JavaScript, it is seeking mass adoption.
Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that's designed to be quicker at processing transactions than Bitcoin. It was created by a former Google employee called Charlie Lee and uses a different consensus algorithm to process transactions that allow more people to become miners.
The Loom Network is a complete set of products that includes developer tools, education resources, games, and most importantly: scalable side chains.
MetaMask is a browser extension designed to make accessing Ethereum's Dapp ecosystem easier. It also serves as a wallet for holding ERC-20 tokens allowing users to access services built on the network via the wallet.
Mining is energy and hardware intensive, leading to mining conglomerates that dominate and often control networks. A mining contract is for those who want to reap the benefits of solving very complicated math problems without investing or running the necessary server hardware to do so.
Mining pools are groups of independent miners who agree to combine their resources in order to increase their chances of cracking the puzzle at the heart of blockchains.
Monero is a cryptocurrency designed to keep transactions hidden from prying eyes. It uses a number of sophisticated techniques to prevent people tracking how money is spent. As a result it has become increasingly popular with users of the dark net.
NEO is an Ethereum equivalent created in China. It doesn't use mining to generate currency and it allows developers to create contracts and Dapps in common coding languages.
OmiseGO is a decentralized network that wants to work with banks to promote financial inclusion. Their aim is for anyone to be able to pay for a good or service with their choice of fiat or digital currency.
Oracles take off-chain data and make it usable on a blockchain. This enables smart contracts to automatically settle when their conditions are met.
The Paxos Standard Token (PAX) is a stablecoin managed by the Paxos Trust Company. PAX is directly tied to the US dollar in order to keep its price steady and consistent instead of highly volatile like most crypto assets.
Polkadot is a cryptocurrency network that wants to help weave all the disparate blockchains together.
Polymath is a blockchain platform. It’s a one-stop-shop for businesses to create and issue their own, fully-regulated security tokens.
Private blockchains have a few crucial differences from public blockchains, which begs the question: why not use a database? We examine both sides.
Proof of work is an energy intensive consensus protocol used by the Bitcoin network. Proof of stake is a newer consensus protocol that requires less energy and involves choosing miners by how invested they are in the community.
We explore how OpenBrix, HiP, Clicktopurchase, ATLANT and IMBREX are using blockchain to change the way the world's property market works.
The Raiden Network is a proposed solution to Ethereum's scaling problem. It's a similar idea to the Lightning Network, another proposed solution, being built on Bitcoin. Both create 'off-chain' ledgers between two parties that provide a record of all exchanges without requiring mining power to verify them.
ICOs have come under fire for being unregistered securities. Now a new model has been designed to get around the issue. Does it?
STO stands for Security Token Offering. It’s a new, more regulator-friendly alternative to an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that enables a business to sell shares of its company in the form of a tokenized asset.
Satoshi Nakamoto was the creator of Bitcoin. However, nobody really knows who he, she or they are. There have been a number of theories, but none seem to have stuck. Nakamoto's identity has a number of implications, not only for tax, but crime, too.
A utility token is typically a token that allows an owner to use a product or service. A security token is a type of token that's regulated by financial authorities, and as such, attractive to institutional investors. Both represent an increased specialisation in the types of token now being issued.
Ethereum has issues around how many transactions it can process at one time. Sharding is a solution to that problem. It breaks the network down into smaller parts, called Shards that can process thousands of smaller transactions at once.
Smart contracts are bits of computer code that perform a set of instructions. Dapps are decentralised apps that bundle together smart contracts into packages that people can interact with.
Solidity is the computer code that makes the Ethereum network run. It allows for the creation of smart contracts and Dapps on the platform, expanding on what networks like Bitcoin can offer.
Spankchain is a platform for adult entertainers, which cuts out the middle-man, protecting users from the hefty fees they usually face and from the discrimination that exists in the traditional banking sector.
A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to have low price volatility. Stablecoins are used as stores of value or units of account, as well as in other use cases where volatile cryptocurrencies may be less desirable. Different stablecoins use different strategies to achieve price stability, some are centralised, others are decentralised.
Stellar is a cryptocurrency designed to help the world’s unbanked have access to financial services. At its heart is a payment system that allows money to move across borders more cheaply and quickly than existing systems.
We explore how companies like Eximchain, Provenance, Everledger, Arc-Net and BitGive are all using blockchain to change how supply chains work.
A token is a digital representation of a utility or asset on a blockchain that’s typically affiliated with a decentralized app (dapp). A token generation event is when a dapp developer publicly releases these individual tokens out into the market.
Tether is a cryptocurrency pegged to the price of the US dollar. People use it as a stable store of value instead of more volatile coins like Bitcoin.
Tezos is a crypto platform that supports smart contracts and Dapps. It also looks to evolve faster than other blockchains.
At present, digital services are centralised. This has given rise to issues around control and security. In future, thanks to technologies like blockchain, our favourite services would be decentralised, making things more secure and putting power in control of users, not owners.
Tokenomics is the study of how cryptocurrencies work within the broader ecosystem. This includes such things like token distribution as well as how they can be used to incentivize positive behaviour in the network.
We explore how companies like Winding Tree, DeskBell, Tratok and TravelChain are using blockchain to help change the travel and tourism industry.
Xain, CarVertical, Arcade City, Aeron and Blockshipping are all changing how the world thinks about transportation.
Tron is a blockchain designed to help people take control of the data they create online, and make money out of it. Based in Singapore, it uses a voting system to elect people to maintain the network and raised $70 million in its ICO
Truffle is a tool that makes it easier for developers to build blockchain-based Dapps on Ethereum. It allows developers to build and test smart contracts and to create public and private networks using languages such as JavaScript.
US Dollar Coin (USDC) is cryptocurrency token designed to be worth the same amount as the US Dollar.
VeChain is a blockchain-based platform that records the truth of what happens at every stage of the supply chain. It combines physical tracking with blockchain records to keep tabs on real-world products from production to delivery, helping to prevent fraud and increase transparency.
How blockchains can be used to help make voting safer, more secure and more efficient
Wallets are pieces of software that allow a user to hold cryptocurrency. The movement of cryptocurrencies to and from and wallets are controlled by public and private keys. There are several different types of wallets, characterised by their internet connectivity.
XRP is a type of cryptocurrency designed to help banks move money more quickly, and cheaply than existing methods. It is largely spearheaded by Ripple.
Zcash is touted as the next best privacy coin. It offers completely hidden transactions that could make crypto as anonymous as cash.
Blockchains are opaque. uPort opens them up by giving users real identities, all secured by clever cryptography.
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