The most important terms in cryptospace.

Locked staking

What is lockedstaking?

A form of staking in which cryptocurrencies are pegged for a fixed period of time to support network functions and receive rewards.

Long

What does longmean?

A trading strategy that involves betting that the price of an asset will rise.

Mainnet

What is the mainnet?

The active blockchain network on which actual transactions take place - as opposed to a test network.

Mainnet Launch

What is a mainnetlaunch?

The official launch of a blockchain main network after a development and test phase.

Maker-Taker Fee Model

What is the Maker-TakerFee Model?

A fee model for exchanges in which "makers" (who provide liquidity) pay lower fees than "takers" (who withdraw liquidity).

Market Capitalization

What is marketcapitalization?

The total value of an asset, calculated as the price times the number of existing units.

Market Maker

What is a marketmaker?

A player in financial markets that continuously provides buy and sell offers to promote trading and liquidity.

Masternode

What is a masternode?

A special network node in a blockchain that often takes on additional functions, such as governance or fast transactions.

Max Supply

What is the MaxSupply?

The maximum number of coins or tokens that will ever exist for a cryptocurrency.

Mempool

What is the mempool?

A collection of transactions that have not yet been added to the blockchain and are awaiting confirmation.

Merkle Proof

What is a MerkleProof?

A cryptographic proof that proves the affiliation of a data element to a data set without disclosing the entire data set.

Metaverse

What is the metaverse?

A digital space that combines virtual reality, blockchain technology and the internet - often used for digital identities and assets.

Microtransaction

What is a microtransaction?

A very small payment that is mostly used for digital content or services - enabled by low-cost blockchain transactions.

Mining

What does miningmean?

Mining refers to the process of processing, securing and synchronizing transactions in a decentralized blockchain system. It is an essential component of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, as it enables both the creation of new coins and the validation of transactions.

Mining Difficulty

What is the MiningDifficulty?

A key figure that indicates how difficult it is to mine a new block - influenced by network activity.

Mining Farm

What is a miningfarm?

A data center with specialized mining equipment that mines cryptocurrencies on a large scale.

Mining Pool

What is a miningpool?

An association of miners who pool their computing power to increase the chances of mining rewards.

Mining Rig

What is a miningrig?

A computer that is specially configured for mining cryptocurrencies - can consist of GPUs, CPUs or ASICs.

Mining software

What is miningsoftware?

Programs that run on a computer to perform mining tasks and enable participation in mining pools.

Mnemonic Phrase

What is a mnemonicphrase?

A sequence of words that serves as a backup for a wallet - allows access to the wallet if the private key is lost.

Moon / Mooning

What is Moon/ Mooning?

A term in the crypto community for a rapid, sharp rise in the price of a cryptocurrency.

Multichain

What is multichain?

The ability of a blockchain ecosystem to connect several different blockchains and facilitate exchange between them.

Multisig Wallet

What is a multisigwallet?

A wallet that requires multiple signatures before a transaction is approved - increases security and control over funds.

NFT

What are NFTs?

An NFT is a non-fungible token. A unique digital asset stored on a blockchain - often used for digital art, collectibles or other non-fungible goods.

Native token

What is a nativetoken?

The main token of a blockchain that is used for transaction fees, governance or other network functions.

Network fee

What is a network fee?

A fee for carrying out transactions on a blockchain that is paid to miners or validators to ensure the security and functionality of the network.

Nocoiner

What is a Nocoiner?

A person who does not own cryptocurrencies and is skeptical or critical of their value and future.

Node

What are nodes?

A computer or device that is connected to a blockchain network and verifies and forwards transactions. It contributes to the decentralization and security of the network.

Nonce

What is a nonce?

A number used once in cryptographic calculations, especially when verifying a block in the blockchain.

Noob

What is a noob?

A beginner in the crypto world who has little experience with digital currencies and blockchain technology.

OTC

What is OTC?

A direct trade between two parties without the use of a public exchange - often used for large transactions so as not to influence the market.

Off-chain

Does off-chainhappen?

Transactions or processes that take place outside the blockchain - to improve scalability and reduce fees - are often secured by on-chain mechanisms.

On-chain governance

What is on-chain governance?

A system in which changes to the blockchain or its protocol are decided directly by votes within the network.

Open Source

What is opensource?

Software whose source code is publicly accessible and can be reviewed, edited and used by the community - promotes transparency and innovation.

Oracle problem

What is the Oracleproblem?

The challenge of integrating external data into a blockchain without compromising security or decentralization - important for smart contracts.

Order book

What is an order book?

A register of all buy and sell offers for an asset on an exchange - shows market activity and liquidity.

Output

What is an output?

The part of a blockchain transaction that specifies the amount and recipient of the cryptocurrency sent.

Parity

What does paritymean?

The equality or exchange ratio between different currencies or assets - often used in relation to stablecoins.

Permissioned blockchain

What is a permissionedblockchain?

A blockchain with restricted access, where a central authority determines who is allowed to participate - usually used in companies.

Permissionless blockchain

What is a permissionlessblockchain?

An open blockchain in which anyone can participate and validate transactions without authorization - promotes decentralization.

Ponzi scheme

What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent scheme in which profits are financed by the capital of new investors instead of legitimate earnings.

Quantum Resistance

What is QuantumResistance?

Protection against attacks by quantum computers; cryptographic algorithms designed to resist such attacks.

Ransomware

What is ransomware?

Malware that encrypts files and demands a ransom - often in cryptocurrencies.

Remittance

What is remittance?

Transferring money across national borders - cryptocurrencies enable cheap and fast transactions.

Stablecoin

What are stablecoins?

A cryptocurrency that is pegged to a stable reference such as a fiat currency or commodities to minimize price fluctuations.

Partial reserve banking

What is fractional reserve banking?

A banking system in which only part of the deposits are held as reserves, while the rest is lent out.

Forward contract

What is a futures contract?

A contract that stipulates the purchase or sale of an asset at a fixed price at a future date - often used for speculation.

Token Burn

What is a tokenburn?

The process of permanently removing tokens from circulation, often to reduce supply and promote price stability.

Token Sale

What is a tokensale?

An event at which a crypto project sells new tokens, usually as part of an ICO, IEO or IDO to raise capital.

Token Swap

What is a tokenswap?

The exchange of one token for another, often via exchanges or smart contracts.

Tokenization

What is tokenization?

A method of converting real assets or rights into digital tokens to facilitate their trading and management.

Total Value Locked (TVL)

What is TotalValue Locked?

The total value of all cryptocurrencies locked in a DeFi protocol or platform - a measure of size and activity.

Transaction fee

What is a transactionfee?

A fee that is charged for carrying out a transaction on a blockchain.

Escrow account

What is an escrow account?

An arrangement whereby a third party holds assets until certain conditions are met - often used to hedge transactions.

Trustless

What does Trustlessmean?

A system that does not require trust in a central authority, as it is based on mathematical proofs or blockchain technology.

Turing Complete

What does TuringComplete mean?

The ability of a system to perform any predictable task - important for smart contract platforms.

Unbanked

What does unbankedmean?

People who do not have access to traditional banking services - a target for crypto-financial solutions.

Unconfirmed Transaction

What is an UnconfirmedTransaction?

A transaction that has been sent to the network but has not yet been included in a block or confirmed.

Underlying asset

What is an underlyingasset?

The underlying asset that determines the value of a financial instrument - in the crypto world often a token that represents a real asset.

Unit of Account

What is a unitof account?

A standardized unit of measurement for valuing goods, services or assets - used in the crypto world to measure the value of investments.

Utility Token

What is a utilitytoken?

A token that provides access to a company's services or products, not primarily intended as an investment.

Wallet

Why do you need a wallet?

A digital wallet for storing and managing cryptocurrencies - can exist as a hot wallet (online) or cold wallet (offline).

Exchange rate

What is the exchange rate?

The ratio at which one currency can be exchanged for another, relevant for fiat-to-crypto or crypto-to-crypto trades.

Whale

What or who is a whale?

A person or institution that owns large amounts of a cryptocurrency and can therefore influence the market.

Zero-Knowledge Proof

What is a zero-knowledgeproof?

A cryptographic process in which a party can prove that a statement is true without disclosing further information - increases privacy in blockchain transactions.

Overbought

When do we speak of overbought?

A situation in which an asset is overvalued due to excessive buying and a correction seems likely.

Oversold

What is oversold?

The opposite of overbought - a condition in which an asset appears undervalued due to high selling activity.