Cryptp Glossary
Learn all of the most important blockchain and cryptocurrency terms and jargon here.
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- 0x Protocol
- 0x is an Ethereum-based open-source platform for exchanging cryptocurrencies. It allows for the creation of features in a decentralized exchange (DEX), a wallet or a marketplace.
- 1hr
- Stands for data for the past 1 hour.
- 24hr
- Stands for data for the past 24 hours.
- 30d
- Stands for data for the past 30 days.
- 401(k) Plan
- A 401(k) plan is a retirement savings program sponsored by US companies where employees contribute part of their income and the employer matches the contributions.
- 51% Attack
- If more than half the computer power or mining hash rate on a network is run by a single person or a single group of people, then a 51% attack is in operation.
- 52-Week Range
- A 52-week range is a difference between an asset’s highest and lowest prices over the past 52 weeks.
- 52-Week High/Low
- A 52-week high and low is the highest and lowest market price of a given asset over 52 weeks or one year.
- 7d
- Stands for data for the past 7 days.
- 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)
- The 80/20 rule, commonly known as Pareto Principle, states that 20% of your actions account for 80% of results.
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A
- AI Coins
- AI coins are designed to streamline AI-related transactions and interactions, all while upholding transparency and security through blockchain technology.
- Abstraction Scalability
- Abstraction scalability is the expansion in the overall ability of a system that allows programming components to be used as building blocks in a new development environment.
- Auditor
- An auditor is a trained professional who conducts audits. They are typically employed by accounting firms or work within an organization's internal audit department.
- Allocated Gold
- Allocated gold refers to a form of gold ownership where the investor physically owns a specific amount of gold stored in a secure vault on their behalf.
- Antpool
- Antpool is one of the largest Bitcoin mining pools and aggregates the computing power of many miners to increase the chance of solving a block and receiving the block reward.
- Asset Financing
- Asset financing emerges as a financial stratagem, allowing enterprises to claim or employ assets by obtaining capital from lenders, such as banks or other financial establishments.
- Asset Swap
- An asset swap is a financial transaction where an asset is swapped with another for various purposes.
- Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- Annual percentage yield (APY) is the rate of return gained over the course of a year on a specific investment. Compounding interest, which is computed on a regular basis and applied to the am.
- Altcoin
- As Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency that captured the world’s imagination, all other coins were subsequently termed “altcoins,” as in “alternative coins.”
- Authority Masternode (VeChain)
- An authority masternode (AM) is a network-connected server that runs the VeChainThor full node program.
- Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
- The amount of interest a borrower must pay each year is known as the annual percentage rate (APR). The annual percentage rate (APR) is determined by multiplying the periodic interest rate by the number of periods in a year that the periodic rate is used.
- ASIC-Resistant
- This term usually applies to blockchains and mining algorithms, designed to give no benefit for ASICs over consumer grade hardware.
- Atomic Swap
- The transfer of cryptocurrency from one party to another, without the use of an exchange or other intermediary.
- Anarcho-capitalism
- A political philosophy originally conceived by American economist Murray Rothbard that has now been embraced by many members of the crypto community.
- Accumulation Phase
- The accumulation phase is a stage in the market cycle right after a downtrend, where the institutional investors start buying in tranches, signaling a positive uptrend soon.
- Account Abstraction
- Account abstraction is the process of making it easier for users to interact with blockchain by customizing certain elements of smart contract accounts.
- Airnode
- Airnode is an oracle node and API blockchain gateway that is readily deployed by API providers who want to engage in the API3 blockchain protocol and put their data feeds on-chain.
- Adaptive State Sharding
- Used by Elrond, Adaptive State Sharding is an approach that combines all types of sharding into one to improve communication and performance.
- Ashdraked
- The complete loss of a trader's total invested capital, specifically as a result of shorting Bitcoin.
- Asynchronous
- Events that do not occur simultaneously or at the same rate are referred to as asynchronous.
- Asset-Backed Tokens
- Asset-backed tokens are digital claims on a physical asset and are backed by that asset.
- Abnormal Return
- Abnormal return refers to the unusual profits from certain assets or securities over a specific time period.
- Alpha
- Alpha is a financial tool indicating an investment’s performance relative to its benchmark index in the market.
- Algorithmic Market Operations (AMOs)
- Algorithmic Market Operations (AMOs) automatically control the supply of algorithmic stablecoins while improving scalability, decentralization, and transparency.
- Asset Class
- An asset class is a classification of investments based on common traits, behaviors and laws.
- Asset-Based Approach
- The asset-based approach takes into account the company's assets for valuation.
- Asset-Based Lending
- In asset-based lending, lenders have a vested interest in the value of a company’s assets rather than just its creditworthiness.
- Asset
- Assets are the resources that an organization can use to generate revenue or benefit.
- Animal Spirits
- Animal spirits are the driving forces behind the economy that are not purely economic in nature but also include psychological factors, such as confidence and fear.
- Average Daily Trading Volume (ADTV)
- The average daily trading volume (ADTV) of stock or crypto is the number of shares/coins traded in one day.
- Algorithm
- A process or set of rules to be followed in problem-solving or calculation operations, usually by a computer.
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
- A set of international laws enacted to curtail criminal organizations or individuals laundering money through cryptocurrencies into real-world cash.
- Automated Market Maker (AMM) [Updated]
- An automated market maker (AMM) is a system that provides liquidity to the exchange it operates in through automated trading.
- Address
- A place where cryptocurrency can be sent to and from, in the form of a string of letters and numbers.
- ASIC
- An acronym for application-specific integrated circuit — a device designed for the sole purpose of mining cryptocurrencies.
- Ask Price
- The minimum price that a seller is willing to accept for an asset. The ask price is also sometimes referred to as the offer price.
- Airdrop
- A marketing campaign that distributes a specific cryptocurrency or token to an audience.
- Algorithmic Stablecoin
- An algorithmic stablecoin actually uses an algorithm underneath, which can issue more coins when its price increases and buy them off the market when the price falls.
- Angel Investor
- A person who financially backs a new business venture or startup.
- API
- API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. APIs specify how software components should interact, such as what data to use and what actions should be taken.
- All-Time-Low (ATL)
- An all-time low (ATL) refers to the lowest price a cryptocurrency has hit during its trading history.
- All-Time-High (ATH)
- The highest point (in price, in market capitalization) that a cryptocurrency has been in history. *see All-Time-Low (ATL).
- Attestation Ledger
- An attestation ledger is an account book designed to provide evidence of individual transactions. It is generally used to “attest” that a financial transaction took place, or to prove the authenticity of transactions or products.
- Average Selling Price (ASP)
- An average selling price (ASP) refers to the amount at which a specific item is sold.
- Anchoring and Adjustment
- Anchoring is the psychological phenomenon of having a preconceived idea of something and adjusting your decision-making around that preconceived notion.
- Annualized Rate of Return
- An annualized rate of return is a way to measure and track the performance of an investment over time.
- Ascending Channel
- Ascending channels are trend continuation patterns that have an ascending price action as their main characteristic.
- Antitrust Law
- Antitrust is a collection of laws that prohibits unfair competition or monopolistic practices by businesses.
- Annual Report
- An annual report is an essential document for any company as it provides a detailed understanding of the firm’s financial performance as well as its future prospects.
- Abenomics
- Abenomics is the economic strategy implemented by Shinzo Abe of Japan and is comprised of three arrows: monetary policy, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.
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B
- Bitcoin Halving
- Bitcoin halving is an event in which the total rewards per confirmed block halves.
- Black-Scholes Model
- In simple terms, it is a mathematical formula that gives the fair price of stock options, allowing investors to calculate whether they are overvalued or undervalued.
- Blockweave
- Blockweave is a data storage protocol that builds upon blockchain architecture. It utilizes a unique interconnected structure linking each block to the previous block and a random older block.
- Bitcoin Virtual Machine (BitVM)
- BitVM, or Bitcoin Virtual Machine, is a proposed system described in a whitepaper by Robin Linus that allows complex computations and smart contracts to be executed on the Bitcoin network.
- Bottleneck
- A bottleneck refers to a point where capacity becomes restricted, creating congestion and slowing the overall performance.
- Binance Labs
- Binance Labs is a project to nurture, invest in, and develop blockchain and cryptocurrency businesses, initiatives, and communities, as well as a social impact fund.
- Bakers
- Baking is the process that Tezos uses in order to append new blocks of transactions to its blockchain.
- Stalker
- An investor who continues to hold large amounts of a specific coin or token, regardless of its performance.
- BitLicense
- A business license permitting regulated virtual currency activities, issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
- Block Size
- In blockchain technology, block size refers to the amount of data about transactions a single block in the chain can carry.
- Block Time
- Block time refers to the approximate time it takes for a blockchain-based system to produce a new block.
- Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT)
- Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) is the property of a computer system that allows it to reach consensus regardless of the failure of some of its components.
- Binance Launchpad
- Binance Launchpad offers crypto-startups a platform to raise capital and market their projects to millions of crypto investors in the Binance ecosystem.
- BEP-2 (Binance Chain Tokenization Standard)
- A technical standard for tokens on Binance Chain.
- Bitcoin ATM (BTM)
- An automated teller machine (ATM or cashpoint) that allows the user to buy and sell Bitcoin.
- Blockchain Tribalism
- Blockchain tribalism refers to people in the blockchain or crypto community becoming ideologically aligned with a specific blockchain or crypto.
- BEP-721
- BEP-721 is a Binance Smart Chain (BSC) token standard that enables the generation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It is considered to be an extension of ERC-721 that is one of the most popular NFT standards.
- BEP-95 (Bruno Hard Fork Upgrade)
- Binance Evolution Protocol (BEP-95) is a Bruno hard fork upgrade that aims to speed up the BNB token burning process.
- Block Header
- A block header is a unique identifier for a block on a blockchain that is hashed on a continuous basis to supply proof-of-work for mining incentives.
- Block Producer
- A block producer (BP) is a person or group whose hardware is chosen to verify a block's transactions and begin the next block on most Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchains.
- Bridges
- A blockchain bridge allows the seamless transfer of data or tokens between two different blockchain projects.
- Beacon Chain
- A blockchain that coordinates shard chains, manages staking and the registry of validators in a PoS cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum 2.0.
- Byzantine Generals’ Problem
- A situation where communication that requires consensus on a single strategy from all members within a group or party cannot be trusted or verified.
- Bayes’ Theorem
- Bayes’ Theorem is a statistical analysis tool used to determine the posterior probability of the occurrence of an event based on the previous data.
- Backward Compatibility
- Backward compatibility allows new technology to interact seamlessly with older versions.
- Block Lattice (Nano)
- The block lattice is a data structure that replaces the traditional blockchain used by most cryptocurrencies with a network of individual blockchains, one for each user.
- Blockchain-As-a-Service (BaaS)
- BaaS offers the capabilities of blockchain technology to businesses but without the necessity of establishing and maintaining a dedicated blockchain framework.
- Benefit-Cost Ratio
- The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) is a profitability indicator used in cost-benefit analysis to determine the viability of cash flows generated from an asset or project.
- Backtesting
- Backtesting in cryptocurrency refers to using historical data to simulate the performance of a trading strategy.
- Behavioral Finance
- Behavioral finance is a branch of finance that combines psychology and economics to explain how human emotions and cognitive biases influence financial decisions.
- BRC-20
- Taking its cue from Ethereum's ERC-20, the Bitcoin blockchain's BRC-20 is an experimental token standard. Ordinals protocol supports the generation and transfer of fungible tokens.
- Binance Chain Explorer
- Binance Chain Explorer is a web-based platform that provides access to information and data related to the BNB Chain.
- Block Reward
- The coins awarded to a miner or group of miners for solving the cryptographic problem required to create a new block on a given blockchain.
- Bear Call Spread
- A vertical spread with two calls of different rates but at the same expiration date is known as a bear call spread.
- Bankruptcy
- Bankruptcy is a state where an entity or a person cannot meet its financial obligations, such as debt repayment to creditors upon legal declaration.
- Basis Point
- Basis point is a common unit of measure that shows changes in financial interest rates and percentages.
- Bitcoin ETF
- A Bitcoin ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is a type of investment fund that tracks the price of Bitcoin and allows investors to buy and sell shares of the fund on an exchange.
- Bitcoiner
- A person who is bullish on Bitcoin.
- Bail-In
- Bail-in is a relief or rescue solution offered to a heavily indebted financial institution where the company's depositors, creditors or bondholders suffer a portion of the company's burden.
- Bail-Out
- Bail-out refers to a capital injection or resources given to an entity to prevent a potential downfall, including default and bankruptcy on its financial obligations.
- Bar Chart
- A bar chart is a graph used for data visualization and technical analysis in finance. It consists of vertical and horizontal lines arranged on a graph to give meaningful information.
- Basket of Goods
- A basket of goods is a measure to assess the prices of consumer goods and services.
- Bear Hug
- A hostile takeover strategy, where a company is offered to be bought at a higher than target rate.
- Bandwagon Effect
- The bandwagon effect is the phenomenon in which a person’s decision is influenced by the majority.
- Burn/Burned
- Cryptocurrency tokens or coins are considered “burned” when they have been purposely and permanently removed from circulation.
- Balanced Fund
- Balanced Funds refer to mutual funds containing stock and bond components in a single portfolio.
- Browser Extension
- A browser extension is a plugin for an internet browser that adds additional features.
- Buy Wall
- A buy wall is a disproportionately large buy limit order placed on a cryptocurrency exchange.
- Bubble
- When an asset is traded at a price exceeding that asset's intrinsic value.
- Buy The (F*******) Dip (BTD/BTFD)
- An enthusiastic exclamation by supporters of a cryptocurrency to buy while prices are at a low point.
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C
- Consensus Layer
- The consensus layer is the backbone of any blockchain network, performing the vital role of facilitating agreement among nodes on the true state of the blockchain.
- Coin Mixer
- Coin mixers allow users to mix up transactions between different cryptocurrency addresses, so they become untraceable and cannot be followed back to the initial sender or receiver of the assets.
- Chain Reorganization
- Chain reorganization is a process in blockchain technology that allows node operators to replace blocks and adopt new ones, in order to create new, longer chains of data.
- Censorship Resistance
- Censorship resistance refers to the idea that no party can prevent anyone from participating in a given platform or network.
- Co-Signer
- A person or entity that has partial control and access over a cryptocurrency wallet.
- Circulating Supply
- The best approximation of the number of coins that are circulating in the market and in the general public’s hands.
- Cascading Liquidations
- Cascading liquidation refers to an event where liquidations pile on top of each other, resulting in a sudden price change.
- Cloud Mining
- Cryptocurrency mining with remote processing power rented from companies.
- Counter-Terrorism Financing
- Counter-terrorism financing refers to efforts to disrupt and cut off the money supply used to fund terrorist organizations and activities.
- Code Repository
- A code repository is a digital library where developers store and collaborate on their codes with ease, like a code-specific Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Composability (DeFi)
- In DeFi, composability allows developers to combine different components of blockchain to create new applications and services.
- Collateral Margin
- The collateral margin is the percentage of the total value of the investment that the investor must contribute in their own funds, while the remaining portion is financed by the broker.
- Coinbase
- In mineable cryptocurrencies, a coinbase is the number of coins that are generated from scratch and awarded to miners for mining every new block.
- cryptojacking
- The use of another party’s computer to mine cryptocurrency without their consent.
- Cryptographic Hash Function
- Cryptographic hash functions produce a fixed-size hash value from a variable-size transaction input.
- Consortium Blockchain
- A privately owned and operated blockchain where a consortium shares information not readily available to the public, while relying on the immutable and transparent properties of the blockchain.
- Consensus
- Consensus is achieved when all participants of the network agree on the order and content of the blocks in the blockchain.
- Collateral Tokens
- In cryptocurrency, collateral tokens are used as a risk mitigation asset when borrowing other types of crypto tokens.
- CPU Miner
- Since mining requires computing power, the process of generating or mining cryptocurrency using a central processing unit (CPU) is called CPU mining (or central processing unit mining).
- Confirmation
- In cryptocurrency, a confirmation is a measure of how many blocks have actually passed since a transaction was added to a blockchain.
- Composable DeFi
- Composable DeFi refers to the interoperability between different DeFi protocols. It enables a multitude of DeFi applications to work along and create a wide range of new use cases and financial products.
- Cypherpunk
- The cypherpunk movement promotes the use of cryptography and other privacy-focused technologies to advance social and political progress.
- Cold Storage
- Offline storage of cryptocurrencies, typically involving hardware non-custodial wallets, USBs, offline computers, or paper wallets.
- Collateralized Stablecoin
- A “collateralized stablecoin” is a stablecoin that is entirely or almost entirely backed by collateral held in a reserve.
- Custody
- Custody is a financial institution's legal capacity to keep and preserve financial assets for its clients to avoid asset theft or loss.
- Custodian
- A custodian is responsible for safely holding assets for an institution or individual for a variety of purposes.
- Composable Token
- A composable token is an ERC-998 token, a standard extension to any non-fungible token, adding the ability for non-fungible tokens to own other non-fungible (ERC-721) and fungible (ERC-20) tokens.
- Consensus Mechanism
- A consensus mechanism is an underlying technology behind the main functionalities of all blockchain technology, which makes them an essential operating feature of all cryptocurrencies.
- Coinbase Transaction
- The first transaction in a new block is a coinbase transaction in which the miner receives Bitcoins and mining fees.
- Core Wallet
- A core crypto wallet is able to contain the entire blockchain, rather than just a piece of a blockchain.
- Contract
- In traditional finance, a contract is a binding agreement between two parties. In cryptocurrencies, smart contracts execute functions on the blockchain.
- Collaborative Venture Building (CVB)
- Collaborative venture building (CVB) is a process where multiple individuals or organizations come together to create a new company or collaborate on a product.
- CashToken
- CashTokens are a new set of opcodes that extend the capabilities of Bitcoin Cash to support new financial primitives in the form of fungible and non-fungible tokens.
- Cryptoasset
- A cryptoasset is any digital asset that uses cryptographic technologies to maintain its operation as a currency or decentralized application.
- Cross-Chain
- Cross-chain is a technology that enhances the interconnection between blockchain networks by allowing the exchange of information and value.
- Candlesticks
- A candlestick chart is a graphing technique used to show changes in price over time. Each candle provides 4 points of information opening price, closing price, high, and low. Also known as “candles” for short.
- Call Options
- Call options are financial contracts that give an option buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a stock, bond, commodity or other asset at a specific price.
- Crypto Loan
- A crypto loan is a type of secured loan, similar to an auto or student loan, in which you commit to an asset as collateral in order to secure financing.
- Centralized Exchange (CEX)
- Centralized exchanges (CEXs) are a type of cryptocurrency exchange that is operated by a company that owns it in a centralized manner.
- Censorship
- Censorship is the act of altering, suppressing, or prohibiting speech or writing that is considered detrimental to the general public.
- Crypto Winter
- Crypto winter is a period in the crypto market when prices of major coins fall dramatically from all-time highs.
- Cold Wallet
- A cryptocurrency wallet that is in cold storage, i.e. not connected to the internet.
- Cryptocurrency
- Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that use cryptographic technologies to secure their operation.
- Cross-Border Trading
- Cross-border trading in financial markets and trade finance represents the opportunity to trade globally using a local currency.
- CeDeFi
- CeDeFi, or centralized decentralized finance, combines traditional centralized financial services with decentralized applications, merging conventional regulatory policies with modern financial products and infrastructure.
- Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
- CBDCs are digital currencies issued by a central bank whose status as legal tender depends on government regulation or law.
- Collateralized Debt Position (CDP)
- A collateralized debt position is held by locking collateral in smart contracts to generate stablecoins.
- Consolidation
- Consolidation in trading is when a crypto asset trades between two levels, and the market shows indecisiveness about the next move.
- Cross-chain Contract Calls
- Cross-chain contract calls allow information, cryptocurrencies or NFTs, which would otherwise be constrained to their own network, to move freely between blockchains via smart contracts.
- Collateral Factor
- Collateral Factor is the maximum amount a user can borrow, represented in percentages, based on the total amount of assets supplied.
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D
- Decentralized Applications (DApps)
- A type of application that runs on a decentralized network, avoiding a single point of failure.
- Drivechain
- Drivechain is a Bitcoin improvement proposal that aims to scale Bitcoin and add new features using sidechains.
- Decentralized Order Book
- A decentralized order book is a trading mechanism where buy and sell orders are matched through a distributed network of nodes, rather than being centralized in a single location or controlled by a single entity.
- DRC-20
- DRC-20 is a token standard on the Dogecoin network that allows developers and users to create fungible assets within Dogecoin's ecosystem. It is similar to ERC-20 on Ethereum.
- Decentralized Autonomous Initial Coin Offerings (DAICO)
- A method for decentralized funding of projects that introduces a form of governance in the ICO process, allowing backers to vote for the return of their funds if certain conditions are met.
- DeFi Aggregator
- A DeFi aggregator brings together trades across various DeFi platforms into one place.
- Daedalus Wallet
- Daedalus Wallet is a multi-platform, open-source, hierarchical-deterministic wallet that lets you generate an endless number of keys from a single seed.
- Darknodes
- RenVM is driven by Darknodes, a decentralized network of computers. In exchange for compensation, they offer their computing power and storage space to everyone with certain conditions.
- Decentralized Governance
- Decentralized governance refers to the procedures through which a platform's disintermediated, equitable management is carried out for blockchain networks and dApps.
- DAO Summoning
- DAO summoning is the act of creating or forming a DAO. The term is typically used in the context of forming a new Moloch DAO, though it can also refer to the formation of any new DAO.
- Dual Governance
- Dual governance refers to a two-pronged system of decision-making in a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), where two distinct parties are involved in running the organization rather than one larger body.
- Diversified Proof of Stake
- Diversified Proof of Stake is a variation of the popular PoS consensus mechanism that allows multiple assets to be staked on a single blockchain.
- Distributed Ledger
- Distributed ledgers are ledgers in which data is stored across a network of decentralized nodes. A distributed ledger does not necessarily involve a cryptocurrency and may be permissioned and private.
- Dusting Attack
- An attack that aims to uncover the identity of a wallet’s owner, information that can subsequently be used in phishing scams.
- Demurrage
- Demurrage is a fee charged for using an asset beyond a certain time period.
- Dominance
- A measure of Bitcoin's value in the context of the larger cryptocurrency market.
- Delayed Proof of Work (dPoW)
- Delayed Proof of Work (dPoW) is a second-layer consensus security mechanism, designed to protect blockchains from 51% attacks threatening the integrity of the network.
- Digital Asset
- A digital asset refers to the digital representation of something of value.
- Deep Web
- The "deep web" is the part of the internet that is hidden from regular search engines.
- Dust Transactions
- Miniscule amounts of Bitcoin in a wallet — with a value that would be outweighed by the cost of a transaction fee.
- DeFi
- A movement encouraging alternatives to traditional, centralized forms of financial services.
- Digital Commodity
- A commodity that exists digitally, as opposed to in “meatspace.”
- Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)
- A way of structuring data, often used for data modelling, and increasingly as a consensus tool in cryptocurrencies.
- Digital Identity
- Information used by a person or entity to identify themselves to a computer or network.
- Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
- A database that is shared by multiple participants, in multiple places. The basis for blockchains.
- Decentralized Exchange (DEX)
- A peer-to-peer exchange allowing users to trade cryptocurrency without the need for an intermediary.
- Digital Currency
- A currency that exists only in digital form, as opposed to traditional physical currencies.
- Delegated Proof-of-Stake (dPOS)
- An alternative to the Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-Work consensus algorithms.
- Decentralized
- Decentralization refers to the property of a system in which nodes or actors work in concert in a distributed fashion to achieve a common goal.
- Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO)
- A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is founded upon and governed by a set of computer-defined rules and blockchain-based smart contracts.
- Dump
- A sudden sell-off of digital assets.
- Data Validation
- Data validation is the process of clarifying the accuracy, integrity and quality of a set of data before it is used.
- Decentralized API (dAPI)
- API services that are intrinsically interoperable with blockchain technology are known as decentralized application programming interfaces (dAPIs). This is an invention of the API3 protocol.
- Day Trading
- Day trading is the practice of frequently buying and selling assets in order to make a profit on intraday changes in their price.
- Distribution Phase
- The distribution phase is the opposite of the accumulation phase. In this phase, the market moves sideways and is range-bound after experiencing an extended uptrend.
- dPoSec (Distributed Proof of Security)
- dPoSec (Distributed Proof of Security) is a consensus mechanism designed to ensure that the blockchain network continues to operate even if a third of the nodes are compromised. It addresses the key challenges faced by the existing distributed network of nodes and validators.
- DYOR
- The acronym of Do Your Own Research — encouraging investors to complete due diligence into a project before investing.
- Dharma Protocol
- An open-source stack for building debt markets on Ethereum.
- Drawdown
- The maximum reduction in value from the peak value for an investment or fund that has occurred over a period of time.
- Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA)
- Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) is a signature algorithm, not an encryption algorithm, and uses public-key cryptography to generate digital signatures.
- Desktop Wallet
- A desktop wallet is a type of software wallet that is usually non-custodial.
- Decentralization Maximalism
- Decentralization maximalism refers to the belief that decentralization is the best approach and lifestyle to such a degree that any form of regulation does not need to exist.
- Decentralization Ratio
- The Decentralization Ratio (DR) is the ratio of collateral value that is decentralized over the total stablecoin supply backed for those assets.
- Discord
- Discord is a web-based communication tool or application primarily built to enable communication between gamers.
- Digital Dollar
- The term "digital dollar" refers to a possible digital currency issued by the US central bank (CBDC).
- Decentralized Currency
- Decentralized currency refers to bank-free methods of transferring wealth or ownership of any other commodity without needing a third party.
- Decentralized Stablecoin
- Decentralized stablecoins are fully transparent, non-custodial with no or partial third-party control.
- Death Cross
- A death cross is a bearish technical trading indicator that occurs when the 50-day moving average falls below the 200-day moving average, indicating a big sell-off.
- Data Scraping
- Data scraping or web scraping is the process of extracting information from a website into a spreadsheet or a local file on your computer or database.
- Decentralized Marketplace
- A decentralized marketplace, built on blockchain technology, allows traders or investors to trade with each other while eliminating middlemen. They are available globally and require no intermediaries to make trades possible.
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E
- ERC 7512
- ERC-7512 aims to standardize how audit reports are represented directly on Ethereum's blockchain.
- E-Signature
- An electronic signature, or e-signature, is any electronic mark (sign, sound, symbol, etc.) used in place of a physical signature in signing a document or contract.
- ERC-721
- A token standard for non-fungible Ethereum tokens.
- ERC-948
- ERC-948 is a new Ethereum token protocol that is designed to connect subscription businesses with customers and allows for subscription-based transactions.
- Effective Proof-of-Stake
- Effective Proof-of-Stake is Harmony’s version of the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism that aims for both security and decentralization.
- Epoch
- One entire run of the training dataset through the algorithm is referred to as an epoch in machine learning.
- ERC-223
- ERC-223 is an Ethereum token standard that is powered by smart contracts that enable users to securely transfer tokens to a digital wallet.
- Edge Nodes
- In computer science, an edge node is a computer that serves as an end-user gateway to form a connection with other nodes.
- Erasure Coding
- Erasure coding is a method of storing data at multiple locations after doing its segmentation, expansion, and encoding with redundant information.
- Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA)
- A group of organizations and companies working together to further develop the Ethereum network.
- Equity
- Equity is the funds that would be returned to a company's shareholders if all of the company's assets were dissolved and all debts were paid off in the event of liquidation.
- ERC-884
- ERC-884 facilitates the creation of tradable ERC-20 tokens, each of which symbolizes a numberless share issued by a Delaware corporation.
- ERC-827
- ERC-827 is an ETH token standard that addresses the existing limitations of ERC 20 when it comes to the implementation of calls in transfers and approvals in particular.
- Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP)
- Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) describe standards for the Ethereum platform, including core protocol specifications, client APIs, and contract standards.
- Exit Scam
- An exit scam is a trick where projects disappear (or shut down) after accumulating investors’ money. In other industries, this event occurs when a business stops shipping orders even if it is receiving payment for the new ones.
- ERC-777
- ERC-777 is a tradable token standard spun out from ERC-20 to enable a new way to engage with a token contract while staying backward compatible.
- ERC-1155
- ERC-1155 digital token standard was created by Enjin and offers more security in comparison to older token standards. It can be used to create both fungible and non-fungible assets on the Ethereum network.
- Enterprise Blockchain
- Enterprise blockchain is the use of distributed ledger technology for non-speculative business purposes. Tailored for the needs of enterprises, these chains may be private or public.
- Electrum Wallet
- A Bitcoin wallet for Windows, macOS and Linux with a simple interface.
- Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)
- A Turing-complete virtual machine that enables execution of code exactly as intended; it is the runtime environment for every smart contract. Every Ethereum node runs on the EVM to maintain consensus across the blockchain.
- EIP-1559
- EIP-1559 is an upgrade to the Ethereum network that simplified the fee market mechanism.
- Ethereum Difficulty
- Ethereum difficulty plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability and security of the network, especially in the context of Ethereum's transition to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.
- ETH/BTC
- ETH/BTC is a popular cryptocurrency trading pair that denominates the price of Ethereum in Bitcoin.
- Exchange
- Businesses that allow customers to trade cryptocurrencies for fiat money or other cryptocurrencies.
- Ether
- The form of payment used in the operation of the distribution application platform, Ethereum.
- Encryption
- Encryption is a method through which information can be made into code.
- ERC-20
- Tokens designed and used solely on the Ethereum platform.
- Ethereum Request For Comment (ERC)
- Ethereum Request for Comment (ERC) is the protocol to introduce new improvements to the network by developers.
- Event Triggers
- When a transaction is mined, smart contracts can emit events and write logs to the blockchain which the frontend can then process.
- Ethash
- Ethash is the algorithm utilized for the proof of work mining Ethereum and ETH-based cryptocurrencies.
- Economic Utility
- Economic utility is a term in economics that refers to the total satisfaction that a person can derive from consuming a good or service.
- EMA (Exponential Moving Average)
- Exponential moving average (EMA) is a technical indicator that highlights the recent price changes and data points of an asset/stock/cryptocurrency while keeping the older chart observations intact.
- Esports
- Electronic sports, commonly known as e-sports, is a term used for digital gaming competition, in which players battle against each other in an individual or team-based format often in a competition or event that offers huge monetary rewards to the winners. Some e-sports games are also available in a single-player mode.
- ELI5
- Short for “explain like I’m five” — a plea for simplicity when crypto concepts are being explained.
- Elliott Waves
- The Elliott Wave Theory is an essential tool for many stock and crypto market traders.
- Email Spoofing
- Email spoofing is a technique that is used in order to trick users into thinking that a message actually came from a different person.
- Emission
- The speed at which new coins are produced and released.
- Escrow
- A financial instrument where assets or cash are held by a third party while a buyer and a seller complete a deal.
- Ethereum Transaction
- Ethereum transaction are cryptographically signed instructions to initiate a transaction to update the state of the Ethereum network.
- Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)
- A security that tracks a basket of assets such as stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies but can be traded like a single stock.
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F
- Flatcoin
- Flatcoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to the cost of living, rather than fiat or commodity.
- Fungible
- In cryptocurrency, fungibility is when a coin or token can be replaced by any other identical coin or token.
- Fraud Proof
- A fraud proof is a technological method that functions as a bond in a decentralized environment that uses Optimistic Rollups (ORs), which are sidechains that aim to reduce the costs and latency that dApps might encounter on a blockchain platform.
- FOMO
- An acronym that stands for "Fear of Missing Out."
- Flippening
- A hypothetical scenario where Ethereum's market cap overtakes Bitcoin's.
- Front Running
- Front running is when you place a transaction in a queue when you have knowledge of a future transaction.
- Fully Diluted Value (FDV)
- FDV is the total worth or market cap of a cryptocurrency if the entire supply of tokens were in circulation.
- Fully Homomorphic Encryption
- Fully homomorphic encryption is a type of scheme where one can perform arbitrary computations on encrypted data and generate the same results as when performing those computations on the plaintext.
- Fee Tiers
- Fee tiers refer to the fee structure that determines the amount charged when investors deposit or withdraw money and execute trades on a crypto exchange.
- Fan Token
- A fan token is a cryptocurrency issued by a specific sports team and allows its holders to participate in the governing activities and attain exclusive rewards & discounts.
- Flash Loan
- A flash loan is a transaction in which a specific quantity of liquidity is borrowed and repaid in the same transaction or block.
- Fakeout
- A fakeout is a sudden and temporary move in a market that tricks traders into thinking that a trend is emerging when, in fact, it is not.
- Fiat On-Ramp
- A fiat-on ramp is a way to get cryptocurrency from fiat, or regular money.
- Flash Loan Attack
- Flash loan attacks are when malicious actors exploit a smart contract.
- Fork Choice Rule
- The fork choice rule is a mechanism in Ethereum that allows nodes to agree on a canonical chain when the network splits into competing forks.
- Fundamental Analysis (FA)
- Fundamental analysis is a method of evaluating the underlying economic and financial factors that affect the value of an asset.
- Full Node
- Nodes that download a blockchain’s entire history in order to observe and enforce its rules.
- Flashbots
- Flashbots was launched as an independent research and development organization with an aim to lessen the adverse effects of the Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) extraction.
- Futo
- Futo is an organization that develops and invests in decentralized technologies and companies.
- Flipping
- An investment strategy where you buy something with the goal of reselling for a profit later, usually in a short period of time.
- Fiat-Pegged Cryptocurrency
- A coin, token or asset issued on a blockchain that is linked to a government or bank-issued currency.
- Faucet
- A cryptocurrency reward system usually on a website or app, that rewards users for completing certain tasks.
- Futures
- A futures contract is a standardized legal agreement to buy or sell a particular commodity or asset at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future.
- First-Mover Advantage (FMA)
- The first-mover advantage refers to the launch of an innovative product or service which provides a head-start to a company by creating brand loyalty and penetrating markets before their future competitors.
- Fork (Blockchain)
- Forks, or chain splits, create an alternate version of the blockchain, leaving two blockchains to run simultaneously.
- Fiat
- Fiat currency is “legal tender” backed by a central government, such as the Federal Reserve, with its own banking system, such as fractional reserve banking. It can take the form of physical cash, or it can be represented electronically, such as with bank credit.
- Field Programmable Gate Array
- Field Programmable Gate Array is an integrated circuit that allows customers or designers to reconfigure as per requirement after the manufacturing process.
- Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a federal regulatory bureau of the United States Treasury.
- Falling Wedge
- Falling wedges, also known as descending wedges, have a distinct downward slope and a bullish bias in comparison to symmetrical triangles, which have no discernible slope and no bias.
- Fibonacci Retracement Level
- The Fibonacci retracement method uses a set of key numbers called Fibonacci ratios to identify the support and resistance levels of an asset/stock/cryptocurrency.
- Falling Knife
- A falling knife refers to the price dive of an asset and denotes a downward momentum of the financial market.
- FATF Travel Rule
- The FATF Travel Rule requires virtual asset service providers to regulate information sharing for certain large transactions.
- Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
- The FATF is a global organization that sets global standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT).
- Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC)
- The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) of Canada is the nation’s financial intelligence agency.
- First In, First Out
- First in, First Out (FIFO) is an inventory method used to specify your cost-basis when calculating your taxes.
- Fish
- Someone who has a small crypto investment.
- Flash Crash
- A flash crash is a market condition where an asset’s price falls very rapidly within a very brief time interval.
- Flash Loans
- Flash loans are a type of uncollateralized lending used in decentralized finance (DeFi).
- Fork (Software)
- When an entirely new program has been developed from source code, taken from an open source software.
- Fractional Stablecoins
- A fractional stablecoin is one that is backed in two ways: collaterally-backed and algorithmically modified.
- FUD [2021]
- An acronym that stands for “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.” It is a strategy to influence perception of certain cryptocurrencies or the cryptocurrency market in general by spreading negative, misleading or false information. *see FUDster.
- FUDster
- Someone that is spreading FUD.
- Funding Payments
- Funding payments are periodic payments between traders. These are designed to reduce the discrepancy between the perpetual market price and the spot market price.
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G
- Gold-Backed Cryptocurrency
- A coin or token issued that represents a value of gold; for example, one physical gram of gold equals one coin.
- Game Channels
- Game channels are the newest technological advancement in the world of blockchain gaming, as they enable fast gameplay by removing the wait time for block confirmations. With game channels, games and dApps can run off-chain securely, individually, and in near real-time.
- Group Mining
- As opposed to solo mining, group mining is when multiple people mine together.
- Gas
- A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to a unit of measuring the computational effort of conducting transactions or smart contracts, or launch DApps in the Ethereum network. It is the “fuel” of the Ethereum network. *see Gas Limit and Gas Price.
- Goguen Phase
- The Goguen phase of Cardano allows the development of smart contracts and DApps.
- Geth
- Geth, short for Go Ethereum, is a command-line interface that allows developers to run full Ethereum nodes, mine the cryptocurrency and execute smart contracts.
- GameFi
- GameFi, better known as play-to-earn (P2E) games, is a rather new term in the field of both gaming and cryptocurrency industries. It references games that are designed with economic and financial aspects of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, enabling players to exert full control over their in-game assets to generate revenue.
- Gas Limit
- A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to the maximum amount of gas the user is willing to spend on a transaction.
- Geotagged NFT
- Geotagged non-fungible tokens (NFT) feature 3D versions of the street art alongside the corresponding geo-location. They allows art aficionados to own both the virtual and physical artwork without the need to remove the actual infrastructure it was originally painted on.
- Gas Price
- A term used on the Ethereum platform that refers to the price you are willing to pay for a transaction.
- Governance Token
- A governance token is a token that can be used to vote on decisions that influence an ecosystem.
- GPG Encryption
- GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) is a popular OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) implementation. It is an open-source alternative to PGP that encrypts and signs communications and data securely.
- Web
- The denomination used in defining the cost of gas in transactions involving Ether.
- Genesis Block
- The first block of data that is processed and validated to form a new blockchain, often referred to as block 0 or block 1.
- Gains
- Gains refer to an increase in value or profit.
- Governance
- In the world of cryptocurrencies, governance is defined as the people or organizations that have decision-making powers regarding the project.
- Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)
- More commonly known as a graphics card, it is a computer chip that creates 3D images on computers, but has turned out to be efficient for mining cryptocurrencies.
- Gray Swan Event
- Gray swan is a significant event whose occurrence could be predicted, but the likelihood is low.
- Green Candle
- A green candle is an indication of the price closing higher than the opening price. The green candle is an indication that the overall sentiment of the market at the time of trading was bullish, or positive. A wide body with a small tail on top indicates a strong bullish movement in the market.
- Gas Station Networks (GSN)
- Gas Station Networks (GSN) allows you to build decentralized applications (dApps) which provide payment for transactions, so users do not need to hold Ether or ETH to pay for gas, easing their onboarding process and improving user acquisition and experience.
- Greater Fool Theory
- The greater fool theory was first discussed by professor Burton Malkiel. It suggests that there is always a “greater fool” that you can sell an overvalued asset to.
- Game Theory
- Game theory is a way of creating a simplified interactive environment (a ‘game’) that allows researchers to model how people and entities will respond to certain actions.
- Google Authenticator
- Google Authenticator is a software-based verification system that generates unique one-time codes that are time-based on your mobile phone.
- Golden Cross
- A golden cross is a bullish technical trading indicator that emerges when the 50-day moving average crosses the 200-day moving average, signaling an imminent price rise of the asset/stock/cryptocurrency.
- Gavin Wood
- Gavin Wood is the co-founder of Parity Technologies, and one of the founders of Ethereum.
- Gems
- Gem is a term for relatively unknown low-cap coins that have immense potential or are grossly undervalued.
- GitHub
- GitHub is one of the most popular code hosting platforms, allowing developers to collaborate on various projects.
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H
- Honeypot
- A honeypot is a scam used in the crypto industry to trap victims and steal their assets or sensitive information.
- Howey Test
- A test used to determine whether or not an asset is a security.
- Hal Finney
- Hal Finney was a cryptographer and programmer who pioneered Bitcoin’s development and worked with Satoshi Nakamoto.
- Hard Fork Combinator
- A hard fork combinator (first designed by IOHK) is a tool to combine protocols specifically on the Cardano blockchain after a hard fork has occurred.
- Hard Fork (Blockchain)
- A type of protocol change that validates all previously invalid transactions, and invalidates all previously valid transactions.
- Hosted Wallet
- A wallet managed by a third-party service.
- Hardware Wallet
- A hardware wallet is a wallet for cryptocurrencies that usually resemble a USB stick.
- Hot Storage
- The online storage of private keys allowing for quicker access to cryptocurrencies. *see Cold Storage.
- Haskell Programming Language
- The Haskell programming language is a standardized, general-purpose, statically-typed, purely functional programming language that came into existence in 1990.
- Hydra (Cardano)
- Hydra is a layer-two scaling solution for the Cardano blockchain that aims to increase the transaction processing capacity of the network by allowing multiple heads or channels.
- Hot Wallet
- A cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the internet for hot storage of cryptoassets.
- HODL
- A type of passive investment strategy where you hold an investment for a long period of time, regardless of any changes in the price or markets. The term first became famous due to a typo made in a Bitcoin forum, and the term is now commonly expanded to stand for “Hold On for Dear Life.”
- Hedge Fund
- A hedge fund is pooled investment fund that employs a number of investment strategies in a variety of liquid asset classes.
- Hard Cap
- A hard cap is the absolute maximum supply of a digital asset.
- Human-Readable Names
- In computer programming, human-readable refers to making information able to be read naturally by humans and stands in opposition to machine-readable format - i.e binary.
- Hash
- A hash is the output result of a hashing algorithm, which creates a unique, fixed-length string to encrypt and secure a certain selection of arbitrary data.
- Hyperinflation
- Hyperinflation is defined as unrestricted growth in prices for goods and services in an economy. It happens when resources become limited, such as gas or food, and prices rise as demand outstrips supply.
- Higher Low
- A higher low is when the price of a cryptocurrency closes at a level that is higher than the close of the previous day.
- Higher High
- A higher high is when the price of a cryptocurrency closes higher than the previous day, which itself closed at a high.
- Hashgraph Consensus Mechanism
- The hashgraph consensus is an advanced and up-to-date version of the technology that enables consensus mechanisms.
- Hashed Timelock Contract (HTLC)
- A hashed timelock contract (HTLC) is an agreement between two parties that requires no trust between two users by offering special features to reduce risk.
- Hostage Byte Attack
- A Hostage Byte Attack is a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against a user that stored its data on a malicious storage node and is asked to pay ransom to retrieve its data.
- Huobi BTC (HBTC)
- Launched by Huobi, Huobi BTC or HBTC is a standard ERC-20 token pegged to BTC on a 1:1 ratio.
- Hedge Contract
- A hedge contract is a form of insurance that investors use to hedge against the risk of financial loss. Typically, a hedge is designed to protect against price fluctuations in the market.
- Hard Peg
- A hard peg is an exchange rate policy, where a currency is set at a fixed rate against another currency.
- Hacking
- Hacking is the process of using a computer to manipulate another computer or computer system in an unauthorized fashion.
- Hardware Security Module
- A hardware security module is a type of computing device that secures digital keys and encrypts data.
- Hash Function
- Any function used to map data of arbitrary size to data of a fixed size. *see Cryptographic Hash Function.
- Hash Power / Hash Rate
- A unit of measurement for the amount of computing power being consumed by the network to continuously operate.
- Hidden Cap
- Hidden cap is an unknown limit to the amount of money a team elects to receive from investors in its initial coin offering (ICO). The purpose of a hidden cap is to even the playing field by letting smaller investors put in money, without the large investors forming an accurate understanding of the total cap and adjusting their investment as a result.
- Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet (HD Wallet)
- A wallet that uses Hierarchical Deterministic (HD) protocol to support the generation of crypto-wallets from a single master seed using 12 mnemonic phrases. *see Deterministic Wallet.
- Honeyminer
- Honeyminer is a cryptocurrency mining app available for download on multiple devices.
- Hybrid PoW/PoS
- A hybrid PoW/PoS allows for both proof-of-stake and proof-of-work as consensus distribution algorithms on the network. This approach aims to bring together the security of PoW consensus and the governance and energy efficiency of PoS.
- Hyperledger (Hyperledger Foundation)
- Hyperledger is an umbrella project of open source blockchains and blockchain-related tools started by the Linux Foundation in 2015 to support the collaborative development of blockchain-based distributed ledgers.
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I
- Impermanent Loss
- Impermanent loss is when a liquidity provider has a temporary loss of funds because of volatility in a trading pair.
- Immutable
- A property that defines the inability to be changed, especially over time.
- Initial Coin Offering (ICO)
- Short for Initial Coin Offering, an ICO is a type of crowdfunding, or crowdsale, using cryptocurrencies as a means of raising capital for early-stage companies.
- Inflation
- A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.
- Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC)
- Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) is a communication protocol that allows different blockchains to relay messages to each other.
- Infinite Mint Attack
- An infinite mint attack occurs when an unwanted entity or hacker mints an absurd ("infinite") amount of tokens within a protocol.
- Initial Exchange Offering
- A type of crowdfunding where crypto start-ups generate capital by listing through an exchange.
- Infinite Approval
- Pre-approving smart contracts to enable the platform to spend any amount of your coins.
- Institutional Investor
- An Institutional Investor is an organization or a legal entity that trades in the market on behalf of its clients that may be retail investors.
- Initial Dex Offering (IDO)
- An initial dex offering (IDX) is an alternative to an initial coin offering (ICO).
- Isolated Margin
- This mode is useful for traders who want to take speculative positions, and where there is a probable chance of their speculation turning out to be incorrect. In such a situation, the user will be better protected as compared to cross-margin mode because only their isolated margin balance will face liquidation, instead of their entire margin balance. The downside of using isolated margin is that your exposure will be limited to one position in a particular market.
- Initial NFT Offering (INO)
- A crypto crowdfunding solution where projects can raise funds by listing a set of NFTs via a launchpad.
- Initial Game Offering (IGO)
- Initial game offerings (IGOs) provide individuals with an opportunity to invest in gaming projects at an early stage that have the potential to offer huge returns after their launch.
- Initial Farm Offering (IFO)
- Initial Farm Offering (IFO) helps DeFi projects raise capital through the farming feature offered by decentralized exchanges.
- Initial Stake Pool Offering (ISPO)
- The Initial Stake Pool Offering (ISPO) is a comparatively new crypto fundraising method exclusive to the Cardano ecosystem. Unlike existing fundraising models, ISPOs are more inclusive, decentralized, equitable, and secure.
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
- An integrated development environment (IDE) is a type of software that helps you develop apps by merging many development tools into a single graphical user interface (GUI).
- Input-Output Hong Kong (IOHK)
- Now Input-Output Global, Input-Output Hong Kong (IOHK) was launched in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson to provide a blockchain infrastructure to research & engineering companies.
- Intellectual Property (IP)
- Intellectual property (IP) is a type of property that can be legally protected from being copied or sold – it includes intangible creations that result from human thinking such as a book, song, design, business method, or software.
- Internet Layer
- Internet layer is the third layer in the TCP/IP model and is responsible for the transportation of network packets.
- Internal Transaction
- An internal transaction, also known as a "message," is a byproduct of an EOA interaction with a contract address that results in Ether being transferred.
- Internet Memes
- A meme is an image, a video, or a piece of text that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users. They are typically humorous but can also be critical as well.
- IP Address
- IP addresses are unique numeric addresses assigned to devices connected to the internet or a local network.
- Internet Service Provider (ISP)
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are commercial entities that provide end-users with access to the internet.
- Interoperability
- Blockchain interoperability, or cross-chain interoperability, is the ability to see and share information across multiple blockchains.
- Instant Settlement Network Layer
- Instant settlement network allows participants to exchange digital assets in real-time from anywhere in the world.
- Investment Vehicles (Crypto-tied)
- Investment vehicles are the assets (classes) in which investors put their money with hopes to increase the value of their portfolio in the future.
- In-the-Money / Out-of-the-Money
- In-the-money and out-of-the-money are options trading mechanisms that allow investors to benefit from additional tools to work with the market.
- Initial Bounty Offering (IBO)
- A novel way of launching a project that focuses on people contributing skills to a platform rather than money.
- Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- An initial public offering (IPO) is the process of a company offering shares for purchase on the stock market for the first time.
- Initial Token Offering (ITO)
- ITOs are similar to initial coin offerings — but have more of a focus on offering tokens with intrinsic utility in the form of software or usage in an ecosystem.
- Instamine
- When a large portion of a coin’s total supply is distributed to investors shortly after launch.
- Intermediary/Middleman
- A person or entity that acts as the go-between different parties to bring about agreements or carry out directives.
- Internet of Things
- Internet of Things (IoT) is a global interconnected network of devices, sensors and software that can collect and exchange data with each other in real-time over the Internet.
- Invest
- Investing is when you put money in a financial scheme with the intent of making a gain.
- Insider Trading
- Insider trading happens when someone purchases or sells stocks while possessing private, material information about that stock.
- Insurance Fund
- An exchange insurance fund is used to cover any unexpected losses from leveraged trading. This fund is used to prevent traders from bankruptcy in the event of liquidations.
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)
- The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is an American company founded in 2000 to purchase and operate global exchanges and clearing houses.
- Interest Rates
- A time-dependent charge or return made in proportion to the amount of money deposited, borrowed or lent.
- InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)
- The InterPlatery File System is a peer-to-peer, distributed system for storing and accessing files, as well as websites and applications, which relies on content addressing rather than location.
- Intrinsic Value
- The intrinsic value of an asset depicts the asset’s actual worth based on a complex financial calculation rather than its current price.
- IOU
- An IOU, acronym for “I owe you,” is a document stating that one party owes a debt to another party.
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J
- JOMO
- Joy of missing out (JOMO) is the opposite of having a fear of missing out (FOMO.)
- Jager
- The smallest denomination of Binance Coin (BNB) is called Jager.
- Java
- Java is a general-purpose, class-based as well as object-oriented programming language.
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K
- Know Your Customer (KYC)
- Short for Know Your Customer, these are checks that crypto exchanges and trading platforms must complete to verify the identity of their customers.
- Klinger Oscillator
- The Klinger volume oscillator is a volume-based technical indicator that compares volume to price to forecast price reversals in the financial markets.
- Keylogger
- A keylogger or keystroke logging software is a spying tool often used by hackers to record keystrokes made by users.
- Kimchi Premium
- Kimchi premium is a phenomenon occurring in South Korean crypto exchanges, making valuations appear higher than on other international exchanges.
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L
- Leased Proof of Stake (LPoS)
- Leased Proof of Stake (LPoS) is a consensus mechanism that allows cryptocurrency holders to lease their coins to nodes on a network.
- Liquid Proof of Stake (LPoS)
- Liquid proof of stake (LPoS) is an improvement over traditional proof of stake (PoS) that allows users to stake assets without fully locking them up.
- LMD GHOST
- LMD GHOST (aka the GHOST Protocol) is a fork-choice rule that allows the nodes in a blockchain network to reach an agreement on the valid state of the ledger.
- Liquid Staking
- Liquid staking allows users to stake tokens and simultaneously use them in the DeFi ecosystem.
- Liquidity
- Liquidity indicates how easy it is to convert a cryptocurrency into cash quickly — and whether this can be achieved without the asset’s value suffering.
- Layer 2
- Layer 2 is the name given to a scaling solution that enables high throughput of transactions whilst fully inheriting the security of the underlying blockchain that it is built on.
- Layer 0
- Layer 0 is a network framework running beneath the blockchain. It is made up of protocols, connections, hardware, miners, and everything else that forms the foundation of the blockchain ecosystem.
- Layer-1 Blockchain
- A layer-1 blockchain is a set of solutions that improve the base protocol itself
- Liquid Staking Derivatives
- Liquid Staking Derivatives (LSDs) are tokens that represent staked assets in a DeFi protocol.
- Ledger
- A record of financial transactions that cannot be changed, only appended with new transactions.
- Long
- A situation where you buy a cryptocurrency with the expectation of selling it at a higher price for profit later.
- Light Node
- Light nodes are typically downloaded wallets and are connected to full nodes to further validate the information that is stored on the blockchain.
- Liquidation
- Liquidation refers to the conversion of an asset or cryptocurrency for fiat or its equivalents.
- Lower Low
- A lower low is when the price of a cryptocurrency closes lower than the previous day, which itself closed at a low.
- Lower High
- A lower high is when the price of a cryptocurrency closes at a high but lower than the previous day.
- Loan-to-value (LTV)
- Used by lenders, loan-to-value (LTV) is the assessment ratio of risk involved while approving a loan. Simply, it is the ratio of the loan's value to the value of the collateral.
- LINK (Chainlink)
- LINK is an Ethereum-based token that is used to pay Chainlink node operators.
- Lachesis
- The consensus mechanism of Fantom blockchain.
- Liquid Staking (Fantom)
- A staking mechanism by the Fantom blockchain that allows you to earn yield by staking tokens for a longer duration.
- Lovelace
- The smallest denomination of ADA is called Lovelace.
- libp2p
- Libp2p is an open network protocol for decentralized peer-to-peer networking.
- Law of Accelerating Returns
- The Law of Accelerating Returns is a hypothesis by Ray Kurzweil based on the observations that technologies (or any evolutionary system) tend to progress in an exponential fashion.
- Liquidity Mining
- Liquidity mining is a mechanism or process in which participants supply cryptocurrencies into liquidity pools, and are rewarded with fees and tokens based on their share of the total pool liquidity.
- Liquid Market
- A liquid market features a large number of buyers and sellers. It is a platform where all the trades are executed with ease and at a low cost.
- Large Cap
- Well-established projects and organizations having a market capitalization of $10 billion or above are called large cap or big cap projects/organizations.
- Longing (Long Position)
- A long position (longing) refers to the situation where an investor buys a cryptocurrency or any other financial instrument to sell it later when the price goes high.
- Leveraged Tokens
- In the world of cryptocurrencies, leveraged tokens give you a leveraged position in trading, meaning that your earnings and losses are multiplied.
- Laser Eyes
- Laser eyes is a viral Twitter meme that is used by Bitcoiners who attempt to push the price of BTC to its new all-time highs. It was originated with a hashtag, #LaserRayUntil100, back in February 2021.
- Lambo
- Slang for the type of car that many crypto enthusiasts aspire to buy when their digital assets “moon” — or rise in value substantially.
- Leverage
- Money that a trader borrows from a brokerage, enabling them to gain far greater exposure to a position than what their capital allows.
- Lightning Network
- A second-layer protocol that is designed to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem by allowing transactions to be processed more quickly.
- Limit Order
- A limit order is a type of order to purchase or sell a security at a specified price or a better one.
- Limit Order/Limit Buy/Limit Sell
- Tools that enable traders to automatically buy or sell cryptocurrencies on a trading platform when a certain price target is reached.
- Liquidity Bootstrapping Pool (LBP)
- A liquidity bootstrapping pool is essentially a contract that manages a core pool containing tokens to be used on an exchange.
- Liquidity Pool
- Liquidity pools are crypto assets that are kept to facilitate the trading of trading pairs on decentralized exchanges.
- Liquidity Provider
- Liquidity providers are decentralized exchange users who fund a liquidity pool with tokens they own.
- Liquidity Provider Tokens (LP Tokens)
- Liquidity provider tokens or LP tokens are tokens issued to liquidity providers on a decentralized exchange (DEX) that run on an automated market maker (AMM) protocol.
- Liveness
- A guarantee that a system will continue to provide data, and that no centralized authority can shut down its services.
- Location Swap
- Location swap allows the change of claim to the assets manifested in the form of a token with no effect on other attributes.
-
M
- Market Capitalization/Market Cap/MCAP
- Total capitalization of a cryptocurrency’s price. It is one of the ways to rank the relative size of a cryptocurrency. *see Circulating Supply.
- Mining
- Cryptocurrency mining is a process where blocks are added to a blockchain, verifying transactions. It is also the process through which new Bitcoin and *some* altcoins are created.
- Mining Rewards
- Mining rewards are the rewards that crypto miners receive for mining a new block on the blockchain.
- Memecoin
- Memecoins are the crypto tokens created as a joke or meme and claim to offer huge gains to holders.
- Mainnet
- An independent blockchain running its own network with its own technology and protocol.
- Metaverse
- A metaverse is a digital universe that contains all the aspects of the real world, such as real-time interactions and economies. It offers a unique experience to end-users.
- Maximal Extractable Value (MEV)
- Maximal extractable value (MEV) is a measure of the profit a miner can make through their ability to arbitrarily include, exclude, or re-order transactions within the blocks they produce.
- Miners
- Contributors to a blockchain taking part in the process of mining. They can be professional miners or organizations with large-scale operations, or hobbyists who set up mining rigs at home or in the office.
- Merkle Tree
- A tree structure in cryptography, in which every leaf node is labelled with the hash of a data block and every non-leaf node is labelled with the cryptographic hash of the labels of its child nodes. Hash trees allow efficient and secure verification of the contents of blockchains, as each change propagates upwards so verification can be done by simply looking at the top hash.
- Moloch DAO
- Moloch DAO can refer to the DAO framework, a description of a DAO that uses the framework, or the name of the Ethereum grant-giving DAO that originally created the framework.
- Multi-Chain
- Multi-chain is a foundational term that promotes blockchain interoperability and decentralization.
- Market Making as a Service (MMaaS)
- Market Making as a Service (MMaaS) is a technology service that enables token issuers to set their strategies in market making, allowing them to trade and manage their own liquidity.
- Money Laundering
- Money laundering is a technique used for illegal businesses to hide their money from the authorities.
- Margin Call
- When an investor’s account value falls below the margin maintenance amount.
- Mining Reward
- The income that miners receive after finding and validating a block.
- Mining Pool
- An arrangement where a number of miners pool their resources to increase their chances of finding the next block.
- MilliBitcoin
- MilliBitcoin, also known as mBTC, is a sub-unit of Bitcoin which is equivalent to the one-thousandth of a BTC, the most famous and valuable cryptocurrency in the world.
- Moving Average (MA)
- Moving Average (MA) is a technical indicator that reacts to the trends of the financial markets and is used by market experts to predict the direction of an asset's trend.
- Market
- An area or arena, online or offline, in which commercial dealings are conducted.
- Max Supply
- The best approximation of the maximum amount of coins that will ever exist in the lifetime of the cryptocurrency. *see Circulating Supply and Total Supply.
- Margin Trading
- A practice where a trader uses borrowed funds from a broker to trade a cryptocurrency.
- Metatransaction
- A metatransaction executes a transaction signed by another party on behalf of the original signer, ferrying this original transaction onto the public blockchain rather than the person having to do it themselves
- Monopoly
- Monopoly is a type of market structure in which there is only one seller of a particular good or service.
- Move (Programming Language)
- Move is a programming language initially used to build the Diem blockchain. It was created by the Diem Association, which was a tech consortium backed by Meta.
- Market Maker, Market Taker
- The maker places an order (to buy or sell at a quoted price), while a taker accepts that placed order (to execute the buy or sell at the quoted price)
- Mutual Credit Line
- Mutual credit is a multilateral exchange network in which money created endogenously within the network serves as a medium of exchange.
- Mainchain
- A mainchain is the base blockchain layer where all transactions are processed and finalized.
- Move-to-Earn
- One of the newest blockchain-powered innovations, move-to-earn is a concept that encourages users to stay physically active by incentivizing them with crypto-based rewards.
- Money
- Money is a widely used medium of exchange. It facilitates trade and gives people a way to store wealth.
- Multi-level Marketing
- Multi-level marketing is a business model that involves selling products on behalf of a company by unsalaried and hierarchical sales teams – earning commissions based on their sales and recruiting efforts.
- My Story (VeChain)
- A digital assurance system built on a blockchain by DNV and VeChain.
- Maker Protocol (MakerDAO)
- The Maker Protocol allows users to leverage their assets as collateral that are approved by the Maker governance in order to get rewarded with DAI.
- Motoko Programming Language (DFINITY)
- The programming language for developing projects to run on the Internet Computer blockchain.
- Market Balances
- Market balances refer to the outstanding amount of tokens or coins after a trade has been made on a decentralized exchange (DEX).
- Meme Economy
- Meme Economy is a satirical online subculture in which memes are addressed in financial language as if they were commodities or capital assets with varying prices.
- Metcalfe’s Law
- Metcalfe’s Law is a way of describing the use of networks and highlights that the more users a network has, the more valuable it is to each individual user.
- Marlowe
- Developed by Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), Marlowe is an easy-to-use programming language for experts with no programming expertise or knowledge, enabling them to write smart contracts for financial products.
- Mining Algorithm
- An integral component of blockchain, a mining algorithm is the set of rules or instructions that a computer follows to generate a valid block.
- Mining as a Service (MaaS)
- Cloud mining or mining-as-a-service allows users to rent the mining capacity of hardware in companies.
- Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS)
- Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS) is a novel technological solution that anyone can use to build their own metaverses. The service provider offers the necessary infrastructure to enable both developers and non-technical users to create immersive virtual experiences alongside additional features like in-game tokenomics, NFTs, play-to-earn models, and much more.
- Minimum Collateralization Ratio (MCR)
- Minimum Collateralization Ratio (MCR) is the least amount of collateral that needs to be pledged against a given loan.
- Money Market
- A financial market where short-term lending or borrowing takes place.
- Minting
- Minting is the process of generating new coins using the proof-of-stake mechanism and adding them to the circulation to be traded.
- Multi-Party Computation as-a-Service
- Multi-party computation (MPC) as-a-service is a business model where consumers (enterprises and individuals) can rent MPC nodes from an MPC service provider instead of outright buying them or building them from scratch.
- Mercenary Capital
- Mercenary capital refers to the opportunistic capital provided by investors seeking to take advantage of the short-term incentive programs conducted by a platform for individual gain.
- Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
- The Monetary Authority of Singapore is the central bank managing money supply and regulating interest rates, inflation rate, and value for Singaporean currency.
- Money Transfer License
- Money transmitter businesses need to acquire MTL or Money Transmitter License to be able to operate legally.
- Money Transmitter
- A business entity that provides money transfer services or payment instruments.
- Mid Cap
- Mid cap is a measure derived from a mathematical computation that determines the market value of a cryptocurrency with a market capitalization ranging from $1 billion to $10 billion.
- Megahashes Per Second
- Megahashes per second (MH/s) is a unit of measurement that equals one million hashes per second.
-
N
- Nonce Error
- A nonce error occurs when a nonce - a number used only once - is misused or mishandled in a system.
- Name Wrapper
- Name Wrapper is a smart contract that allows all registered ENS names to be converted into NFTs, expanding their customizability.
- Node
- The most basic unit of blockchain infrastructure that stores data.
- Network
- A network refers to all nodes in the operation of a blockchain at any given moment in time.
- NFT Royalties
- NFT royalties are a way for creators to earn a percentage of the sale value each time their NFT is sold on the secondary market.
- Non-Fungible Token (NFT)
- Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cryptocurrencies that do not possess the property of fungibility.
- Nonce
- When a transaction is hashed by a miner, an arbitrary number meant to be used only once is generated, called a nonce.
- Non-fungible Assets
- The term "non-fungible assets" describes non-fungibility within a collection of similar assets being issued by a single party.
- Node.js
- Node.js is a cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that can be used for both servers and desktop apps.
- Network Latency
- Network latency refers to the amount of time it takes for a computer on one network to communicate with a computer on another network.
- Network-Enhanced Virtual Machine (NEVM)
- A Network-Enhanced Virtual Machine (NEVM) combines the best attributes of the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) networks, enabling smart contracts to leverage unprecedented levels of interoperability and scalability to support broad mass adoption.
- Notarization on Blockchain
- Notarization on blockchain simply uses the intrinsic nature and advantages of blockchain technology to let anyone create a timestamped artifact. The authorship and identity of this artifact can easily and securely be identified at any point.
- Negative Volume Index (NVI)
- The negative volume index (NVI) is a powerful technical indicator that shows how price is being influenced by low-volume timeframes.
- Newb
- A newb is someone that is new to a certain industry.
- Nick Szabo
- Nick Szabo is the inventor of Bit Gold and the use of smart contracts.
- Nifty Gateway
- Nifty Gateway is an NFT platform owned by the Winklevoss twins.
- No-Coiner
- A no-coiner is someone who has no cryptocurrency in his or her investment portfolio and firmly believes that cryptocurrency in general will fail.
- Nominators
- Nominators are one of two main actors who are involved in a blockchain network that uses the nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) consensus algorithm.
- Non-Custodial
- Usually referring to the storage of keys, in relation to wallets or exchanges, a non-custodial setup is one in which private keys are held by the user directly.
-
O
- Open Interest
- Open interest refers to the total number of outstanding derivative contracts, specifically futures and options, that are held by market participants at the end of each trading session.
- Onchain Fiat
- Onchain fiat is a first-of-its-kind, fully authorized and regulated subset of stablecoins that allows for seamless transitions between traditional bank accounts and web3.
- On-Chain
- Transactions that are recorded on the blockchain itself and shared with all of the participants are done on-chain.
- Optimistic Rollup
- An optimistic rollup is a type of layer-2 scaling solution that relies on off-chain computation to record transactions in layer 2 trustlessly.
- OpenSea
- OpenSea is a decentralized P2P platform for NFTs.
- Orphan
- A valid block on the blockchain that is not part of the main chain.
- Orphaned Block
- An orphaned block is a block where the parent block does not exist or is unknown.
- Order Book
- An order book comprises different key information regarding an asset.
- Ontorand Consensus Engine (Ontology)
- Ontorand Consensus Engine is the VBFT consensus mechanism on the Ontology blockchain.
- Ouroboros Praos
- Ouroboros Praos is a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism developed by IOHK and is an updated version of Ouroboros Classic.
- Opera Mainnet (Fantom)
- Opera (Fantom) is a permissionless, open-source framework that allows everyone to engage in the network through staking and governance.
- Odysee
- Odysee is a server-less video hosting and distribution platform built on top of the LBRY protocol.
- Optimistic Oracle
- An optimistic oracle uses a dispute/arbitration process to ensure data accuracy. This compares to a price-feed oracle, which relies on nodes to provide consistent price feed data on-chain.
- Operating System (OS)
- An operating system (OS) is a software and a resource manager that sits between the hardware and the user.
- OHM Fork
- OlympusDAO or Ohm Forks represent the upgrades to OlympusDAO’s codebase that has given birth to a variety of forked products.
- On-Chain Governance
- On-chain governance is a decentralized framework used for organizing and integrating updates/improvements to the blockchain networks.
- Off-Chain
- A transaction that is processed outside the blockchain network with an increased speed and reduced cost.
- Offshore Account
- An offshore account is defined as a foreign bank account with assets and investments set outside of your origin country or country of residence.
- Off-Chain Governance
- Off-chain governance is a type of blockchain governance in which decisions are made informally, away from the primary code base of the blockchain.
- Off-Chain Transaction
- An off-chain transaction is defined as a second-layer protocol where the transactions occur on a network and move value outside of the blockchain.
- Over-Collateralization
- Over-collateralization (OC) is the provision of collateral that is worth more than enough to cover potential losses in cases of default.
- On-Balance Volume (OBV)
- On-balance volume (OBV) is a technical trading indicator that forecasts an asset's price movements based on the volume flow.
- Off-Ledger Currency
- A currency that is created (minted) outside of the specified blockchain ledger but is accepted or used.
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
- The Office of the Comptroller (OCC) is a U.S. Treasury branch that regulates all national banks, federal savings associations, federal branches and foreign bank agencies
- Offline Storage
- The act of storing cryptocurrencies in devices or systems not connected to the internet.
- On-Ledger Currency
- A currency that is both minted on the blockchain ledger and also used on the blockchain ledger, such as Bitcoin.
- One Cancels the Other Order (OCO)
- A situation where two orders for cryptocurrency are placed simultaneously, with a rule in place to enforce that if one is accepted, the other is cancelled.
- Online Storage
- The act of storing cryptocurrencies in devices or systems connected to the internet.
- Open Source
- Open source is a philosophy, with participants believing in the free and open sharing of information in pursuit of the greater common good.
- Open/Close
- The price at which a cryptocurrency opens at a time period or the programming principle of software parts being extendable.
- Option
- A contract giving the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset or instrument at a specified strike price.
- Options Market
- A public market for options, giving the buyer an option to buy or sell a cryptocurrency at a specific strike price, on or before a specific date.
- Oracle Manipulation
- Oracle manipulation is when an oracle smart contract is manipulated by hackers.
- Oracles
- An agent that finds and verifies information, bridging the real world and the blockchain by providing data to smart contracts for execution of said contracts under specified conditions.
- Over-the-Counter (OTC)
- Over-the-counter is defined as a transaction made outside of an exchange, often peer-to-peer through private trades.
- Over-the-Counter (OTC) Trading
- Over-the-counter refers to the process of how securities are traded through a broker-dealer network as opposed to a centralized exchange.
- Overbought
- When a cryptocurrency has been purchased by more and more investors over time, with its price increasing for an extended period of time.
- Oversold
- When a cryptocurrency has been sold by more and more investors over time, with its price decreasing for an extended period of time.
-
P
- Programmable Privacy
- Programmable privacy redefines data protection in decentralized applications (dApps), offering a flexible concept that empowers users and developers to personalize privacy settings.
- Proof of Stake Authority (PoSA)
- Proof of Stake Authority is an innovative consensus algorithm that represents a hybrid of Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-Authority.
- Proof Market
- A proof market is a decentralized marketplace where users can buy and sell cryptographic proofs to verify ownership, the validity of a particular transaction and the authenticity of a piece of information or computation results.
- Permissionless
- Often used to describe blockchains, a system is said to be permissionless when there is no entity that can regulate who can use it and how it can be used.
- Private Key/Secret Key
- A piece of code generated in asymmetric-key encryption process, paired with a public key, to be used in decrypting information hashed with the public key.
- Proof-of-Stake (PoS)
- A blockchain consensus mechanism in addition to Proof-of-Work that maintains the integrity of blockchain.
- Proof-of-Authority (PoA)
- A blockchain consensus mechanism that delivers comparatively fast transactions using identity as a stake.
- Proof-of-Work (PoW)
- A blockchain consensus mechanism involving solving of computationally intensive puzzles to validate transactions and create new blocks. *see Proof-of-Stake (PoS).
- Public Address
- A public address is the cryptographic hash of a public key, allowing the user to use it as an address to request for payment.
- Proof-of-Spacetime
- In simplest terms, PoSt means that someone can now guarantee that they are spending a certain amount of space for storage.
- Pseudonymous
- Writing under a false name, such as “Satoshi Nakamoto.”
- Protocol
- The set of rules that define interactions on a network, usually involving consensus, transaction validation, and network participation on a blockchain.
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P)
- The decentralized interactions between parties in a distributed network, partitioning tasks or workloads between peers.
- Proof-of-Developer (PoD)
- Any verification that provides evidence of a real, living software developer who created a cryptocurrency, in order to prevent an anonymous developer from making away with any raised funds without delivering a working model.
- Proof-of-Validation
- Proof-of-validation (PoV) is a unique proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism that works to achieve consensus through staked validator nodes.
- Pre-Mine
- When some or all of a coin’s initial supply is generated during or before the public launch.
- Public Sale
- A public sale is the final stage of an ICO in which a company offers its token to the public at a significant discount before the token is listed on cryptocurrency exchanges.
- Pyramid Scheme
- A pyramid scheme is a scam with a hierarchical top-down structure.
- Ponzi Scheme
- A fraudulent investment involving the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors.
- Proof of Reserves (PoR)
- Proof of Reserves (PoR) is a method of using cryptographic verification to demonstrate possession of digital assets.
- Phishing
- When a scammer pretends to be a trusted institution or person to trick people into revealing sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, passwords, banking details, etc., often through a malware link disguised as legitimate.
- Pair
- Trade between one cryptocurrency and another, for example, the trading pair BTC/ETH.
- P2P DEX
- P2P DEX, or peer-to-peer decentralized exchange, is a blockchain-based application that supports P2P trading.
- P2P Bridge
- A P2P bridge is a feature on decentralized exchanges (DEX) that enables two users to swap the same cryptocurrency across two blockchain protocols without involving a third party.
- P2P Trading
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) trading involves decentralized transactions where two users swap cryptocurrencies directly with each other. Both buyers and sellers interact without the involvement of a third party.
- Portfolio Tracking
- The act of tracking the movement and performance of assets of your financial holdings is termed portfolio tracking. This monitoring activity can cover stocks, commodities, mutual funds, ETFs, cryptocurrencies and NFTs
- Proof-of-Time (PoT)
- Proof-of-Time (PoT) is a decentralized, scalable, verifiably secure, and environmentally-friendly consensus algorithm that checks event data by choosing validators based on their ranking scores and a fixed stake.
- Position Size
- Position size is a vital part of a trading strategy, since it is directly related to one’s potential profit or loss. Sizing a position also plays an important role in risk management as knowing when to execute larger or smaller trades, and when to increase or reduce the size of a position impacts profitability.
- Plutus (Cardano)
- The scripting language used on Cardano blockchain for smart contract development.
- Politeia (Decred)
- A decentralized governance platform that allows Decred stakeholders to submit, track and discuss proposals for suggestion and implementation of new ideas.
- Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS)
- Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS) is Algorand’s consensus mechanism that allows random selection of validators based on the consistency of their stakes.
- Procedural Programming
- Procedural programming refers to a series of instructions that inform a computer what it should do step-by-step to achieve the task.
- Proof-of-History (PoH)
- Proof of History (PoH) nodes have internal clocks that validate events and time. The incoming events are hashed using a verifiable delay function, also known as VDF, that increases the speed and scalability of a blockchain.
- Play2Earn (Play-to-Earn)
- The play-to-earn business model supports the notion of an open economy and gives financial rewards to players who bring value to its metaverse.
- Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement
- A profit and loss (P&L) statement is a financial document that gives that sum up the earnings, costs, and expenditures incurred during a specified period.
- Protocol Layer
- A protocol layer of the blockchain is defined as the rules and processes that govern how the network will operate. This is where we can find the different algorithms that determine how consensus is achieved and who gets to create new blocks.
- Proof-of-Immutability (PoIM)
- Proof-of-Immutability (PoIM) is a novel blockchain architecture designed to protect data privacy in a distributed network. PoIM enables the blockchain to persist data in a decentralized and provably immutable manner, without having to distribute the data among nodes.
- Public-Key Infrastructure
- A public key infrastructure (PKI) is a collection of roles, rules, hardware, software, and processes for creating, managing, distributing, using, storing, and revoking digital certificates, as well as managing public-key encryption.
- Public-Key Cryptography
- Public-key cryptography is a collection of algorithms-based cryptographic procedures that are used to jumble secret data and make it look randomized.
- Participation Node
- Participation nodes are present in the Algorand platform to help in conducting the Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS) consensus process.
- Paper Trading
- Paper trading or simulated trading is the practice of using a virtual transactional environment to simulate trading without the use of real capital.
- Proof of Attendance Protocol
- Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) refers to a business offering to use the ERC-721 NFT protocol on Ethereum to ascribe individuals a unique, non-fungible blockchain-based identifier that only the person can access
- Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending
- Crypto P2P lending refers to a practice of lending assets without the involvement of a middleman. Such loans rely on collateral material originally owned by borrowers.
- Put Option
- A put option contract offers an owner the opportunity, but not the compulsion, to buy an underlying security at a certain price within a given time frame.
- Play-to-Earn (Play2Earn)
- The play-to-earn business model supports the notion of an open economy and gives financial rewards to players who bring value to its metaverse.
- Paper Wallet
- A physical document containing your private key or seed phrase.
- Parachain
- Parachains are application-specific data structures that run in parallel to each other within Polkadot.
- Password Manager
- A password manager is a tool or software that stores all sorts of passwords needed for online applications and services.
- Payee
- A payee is a party within an exchange of goods or even services that can receive payment.
- Peg
- A “peg” is a specified price for the rate of exchange between two assets.
-
Q
- Quant Zone (FTX Exchange)
- A tool to create and share trading strategies on the FTX exchange.
- Quantum Bit (Qubit)
- A unit of measurement for the number of bits in quantum information, and is also called a "qubit."
- Quasar Smart Contract (OMG Foundation)
- A smart contract by OMG Network to solve layer-2 blockchain problems.
- QR Code
- A machine-readable label that shows information encoded into a graphical black-and-white pattern.
- Quantum Computing
- A computer that harnesses phenomena from quantum mechanics in order to perform much more efficient computations than older, classical computer technologies are capable of.
- Quorum (Governance
- A quorum is the minimum number of members of an assembly or group that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
-
R
- Real World Assets (RWAs)
- Real World Assets are off-chain assets, which are tokenized and brought on-chain for use in DeFi. Tokenization involves converting an asset's value into a digital token for representation and transactions on the blockchain.
- Rough Consensus
- Rough consensus, in its bare essence, refers to a method of decision-making that doesn't necessarily require unanimity.
- Replicated Security (RS)
- Replicated Security (RS) is a new technology that lets a Cosmos blockchain share its economic security with another using the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC).
- Regenerative Finance (ReFi)
- Regenerative Finance can be defined as a system that regenerates its resource capacity over time.
- Ring Signature
- A cryptographic digital signature that obfuscates the identities of two parties within a transaction.
- DIRECT
- A shorthand slang for “wrecked,” describing a bad loss in a trade.
- Rug Pull
- A rug pull is a type of scam where developers abandon a project and take their investors' money.
- Recursion
- Recursion refers to when a function calls on itself directly or indirectly in a circular loop(s).
- Recovery Seed
- A recovery seed is a cryptographically derived security code composed of a list of random words, typically ranging between 12 and 14.
- Resistance (Line/Level)
- The highest price level of an asset during a specific period.
- Ruby (Programming Language)
- Ruby is a high-level programming language designed with a focus on simplicity and code readability.
- Regenerative Economy
- A regenerative economy is a circular economic system that benefits the environment and society as a whole.
- Reverse ICO
- In a reverse ICO, an already-established company raises funds by selling tokens to shift its structure to decentralization.
- rain
- Regen, like degen, is a term used to describe a crypto user who jumps into ReFi communities or invests in tokens that use blockchain technology to advance positive environmental impact.
- Redundancy
- The term refers to something that is in excess of that required for normal operation.
- Rage-quit
- Rage-quit is the process where a member of a DAO exits part or all of their stake, leaves with a proportional share of the assets in the DAO’s treasury, and quits their participation.
- Renewable Energy
- Renewable energy is derived from solar, wind, and other ‘indefinite’ resources or operations that are renewed on a regular basis.
- Ring Miners
- Ring miners are network participants in the Loopring protocol who manage order rings and ensure trades are completed for all parties involved.
- Relay Nodes
- Relay nodes help block-producing nodes communicate by guaranteeing that the authenticity of the core nodes and the blockchain is preserved, even if one or more relays are hacked.
- Regulatory Compliance
- Regulatory compliance is a set of mandates that every company or industry is required to follow to track accountability at work.
- Rebalancing
- Rebalancing is the process of realigning the weightage of a portfolio of assets, that involves buying or selling assets periodically to maintain a targeted level of asset allocation and risk.
- Regional/Local/Community Currencies
- A local currency is one that is spent in a certain geographical location. A regional currency refers to a local currency utilized in a larger area, and a community currency is often used within a specific community as a means of exchange.
- Rehypothecation
- Rehypothecation is the practice where banks, and even the brokers themselves, use assets that have been posted as collateral by their clients for their own purposes.
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a type of technology that uses radio waves to passively identify a tagged item or individual.
- Raiden Network
- An off-chain scaling solution aiming to enable near-instant, low-fee and scalable payments on the Ethereum blockchain, similar to Bitcoin's proposed Lightning Network.
- Rank
- The relative position of a cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
- Ransomware
- Ransomware is a type of malware used by hackers to steal or encrypt their victims’ files to extort them for a ransom in exchange for file decryption or restoration.
- A fox
- A token designed so that the circulating supply adjusts automatically according to price fluctuations.
- Regulated
- Regulation is when something is controlled by a specific set of rules.
- Relative Strength Index (RSI)
- A form of technical analysis that serves as a momentum oscillator, measuring the speed and change of price movements.
- Relay Chain
- The Relay Chain is the central chain that is used by the Polkadot network.
- Repair Miners
- Repair miners are a proposed type of mining node within the Filecoin network.
- Replay Attack
- Replay attacks are network security attacks where the comms between a sender and receiver is intercepted.
- Replicated Ledger
- A copy of a distributed ledger in a network that is distributed to all participants in a cryptocurrency network.
- Retargeting
- A retargeting algorithm, also referred to as a difficulty adjustment algorithm, is used on proof-of-work blockchains, such as Bitcoin.
- Revenue Participation Tokens
- Revenue participation tokens are a two token system that uses one participation token and one payout token.
- Reverse Indicator
- A person whom you may use as an indicator of how not to place buy or sell orders because they are always wrong at predicting price movements of cryptocurrencies.
- Ring CT (Confidential Transactions)
- RingCT is how transaction amounts are hidden in Monero.
- Roadmap
- A roadmap is a high-level visual summary that helps map out the vision as well as the direction of a specific product.
- Roger Ver
- Roger Ver, also known as Bitcoin Jesus, has been a long-term proponent of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.
- ROI
- Short for “Return on Investment,” the ratio between the net profit and cost of investing.
- Roth IRA
- Roth IRAs are generally the best investment option when you think your taxes will be higher in retirement than they are now.
- Rust
- Rust is a multi-paradigm programming language, similar to C++.
- Ryuk Ransomware
- Ryuk ransomware is a ransomware attack first discovered in August 2018.
-
S
- Solana Virtual Machine (SVM)
- The Solana Virtual Machine, or SVM, is the system powering Solana's ability to handle thousands of transactions per second.
- Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP)
- Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP) is a token system that works on top of Bitcoin Cash. It allows users to create their own tokens to represent anything they can dream of.
- Shard Chain
- In the world of cryptocurrencies, sharding can reduce the network congestion as well as increase transactions per second through the creation of new chains
- Succinct Proofs of Random Access (SPoRA)
- Succinct Proofs of Random Access (SPoRA) is a consensus mechanism used to confirm transactions and validate blocks on the Arweave decentralized network.
- Subnet
- A subnet is a smaller network within a larger network. Think of all the computers, printers and other devices that make up a network as pieces of a huge jigsaw puzzle. A subnet is like a chunk of that jigsaw; it collects nodes that all have something in common.
- Stacking Sats
- "Stacking sats" refers to the practice of accumulating small amounts of Bitcoin, typically expressed in "satoshis," the smallest unit of a Bitcoin.
- Seed Funding
- Seed funding is a type of funding that provides capital to startups in exchange for equity in the company.
- Stock-to-Flow Ratio
- The stock-to-flow ratio is a metric used to measure the scarcity of a commodity, particularly precious metals and cryptocurrencies.
- Support Level
- A support level in crypto is when the price of a crypto asset stops depreciating because of increased supply from buyers that wish to buy at a certain price.
- Smart Money
- Smart money refers to the funds invested by individuals or entities with extensive financial experience, knowledge, and a keen eye for lucrative opportunities. T
- Symmetric Key Cryptography
- Symmetric key cryptography is a type of cryptography that uses a single key to both encrypt and decrypt data.
- Secure Proof of Stake (SPoS)
- Secure Proof of Stake (SPoS) is a consensus mechanism used to secure blockchain networks. It is an evolution of the traditional proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm
- Staking
- Staking is a form of participation in a proof-of-stake (PoS) system to put your tokens in to serve as a validator to the blockchain and receive rewards.
- Stablecoins
- A cryptocurrency with extremely low volatility, sometimes used as a means of portfolio diversification. Examples include gold-backed cryptocurrency or fiat-pegged cryptocurrency.
- Satoshi Nakamoto
- The individual or group of individuals that created Bitcoin.
- Seed Phrase
- A single starting point when deriving keys for a deterministic wallet.
- Smart Contract
- A smart contract is a computer protocol intended to facilitate, verify or enforce a contract on the blockchain without third parties.
- Segregated Witness (SegWit)
- A Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) that aimed to fix transaction malleability on Bitcoin.
- Spot
- A contract or transaction buying or selling a cryptocurrency for immediate settlement, or payment and delivery, of the cryptocurrency on the market.
- Sharding
- Sharding is a scaling approach that enables splitting of blockchain states into partitions containing states and transaction history, so that each shard can be processed in parallel.
- Shanghai Upgrade
- The Shanghai Upgrade will allow users to unstake and withdraw their ETH from the network.
- Surge (Ethereum)
- The Ethereum Surge is a development stage of the Ethereum network. It includes a set of upgrades, most notably sharding.
- Security Token Offering
- A security token offering (STO) is a public offering where tokenized digital securities are sold.
- Sybil Attack
- Sybil attacks undermine an online network by creating many IDs, accounts or nodes to upset the balance of power.
- Spyware
- Spyware is a malware that records all of the activities on an electronic device.
- Satoshi (SATS)
- The smallest unit of bitcoin with a value of 0.00000001 BTC.
- Symbol
- The ticker of a cryptocurrency; for example, Bitcoin's symbol is BTC.
- Soft Fork (Blockchain)
- A protocol upgrade where only previously valid transactions are made invalid, with most soft forks requiring miners to upgrade their mining software.
- Silk Road
- An online black market that existed on the dark web, now shut down by the FBI.
- Short
- A trading technique in which a trader borrows an asset in order to sell it, with the expectation that the price will continue to decline. In the event that the price does decline, the short seller will then buy the asset at this lower price in order to return it to the lender of the asset, making the difference in profit.
- Second-Layer Solutions
- A set of solutions built on top of a public blockchain to extend its scalability and efficiency, especially for micro-transactions or actions. Examples include Plasma, TrueBit, Lightning Network and more.
- Stale Block
- A block which was successfully mined but not included on the current longest blockchain, usually because another block at the same height was added to the chain first.
- Spot Market
- A public market in which cryptocurrencies are traded for immediate settlement. It contrasts with a futures market, in which settlement is due at a later date.
- Shielded Transaction
- A shielded transaction is essentially a transaction that is between two shielded addresses.
- Shilling
- The act of enthusiastically promoting a cryptocurrency or ICO project.
- Slashing
- Slashing is a form of penalty on Proof of Stake (PoS) networks implemented to ensure accountability.
- Series B Funding
- A Series B funding round is the second round of funding a business.
- Spot Trading
- Spot trading involves the immediate exchange of a financial instrument at the current price.
- Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU)
- SAFU is the acronym for the "Secure Asset Fund for Users," an insurance fund established by Binance for emergency cases.
- Shitcoin
- A coin with no obvious potential value or usage.
- Storage Node
- Storage nodes are the principal part of the Storj decentralized cloud storage network.
- Smart Treasury (Balancer)
- Smart treasury is a mechanism for automatic buyback of project tokens in the DeFi industry.
- Scripting Programming Language
- A scripting language is a programming language that does not require the compilation step. It uses a high-level construct to carry out one command at a time.
- Stagflation
- Stagflation is a period during which an economy sees simultaneous stagnant growth and rising inflation (in other words, growth and inflation move in opposite directions).
- Sidechain
- A sidechain is a separate blockchain, tied to its parent blockchain via a two-way peg.
- Stroop
- A stroop is the smallest unit of Lumen (XLM).
- Shamir’s Secret Sharing
- Shamir’s Secret Sharing is a scheme to securely share highly sensitive information such as encryption keys by splitting the information into multiple parts called shares.
- Short Squeeze
- A short squeeze is an unusual market condition that causes the price of a coin to rise quickly, encouraging traders (who are betting against the price of the token) to buy it to avoid losses.
- Simple Agreement for Future Token (SAFT)
- A Simple Agreement for Future Token (SAFT) is a contractual agreement at the time of launch of a token creating ownership rights for token investors at a future date. It is treated by market participants as financial security and hence is regulated by the relevant government institutions.
- Shiba Inu Token (SHIB)
- The Shiba Inu token (SHIB), is a decentralized memecoin based on the Ethereum network.
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T
- Tokenization
- The process by which real-world assets are turned into something of digital value called a token, often subsequently able to offer ownership of parts of this asset to different owners.
- Ticker Symbol
- The ticker symbol is the unique combination of letters assigned to stocks or cryptocurrencies that makes them distinguishable on exchanges and other trading applications.
- Turing Completeness
- Turing completeness refers to the capability of a system or programming language to solve any problem that can be solved by a machine created by mathematician Alan Turing.
- Tokenomics
- Tokenomics is the science of token economy which consists of a set of rules that governs a cryptocurrency's issuance and supply.
- Trading Volume
- Тrading volume refers to the total number of shares (or tokens/coins) that have been exchanged between buyers and sellers of a given asset during trading hours of a certain day.
- Testnet
- An alternative blockchain used by developers for testing.
- Tamper-Proof Ledger
- A tamper-proof ledger is essentially any system of records that has the fundamental properties of a blockchain distributed ledger.
- Transactions Per Second (TPS)
- Transactions per second (TPS) is a measure of a computer system's (or network's) capacity to perform transactions or calculations in a second.
- Token Lockup
- Token lockup refers to a time period during which cryptocurrency tokens cannot be exchanged or traded.
- Token Issuance
- Token issuance is the process of creating new tokens and adding them to the total token supply of a cryptocurrency.
- Terahashes Per Second
- Terahashes per second (Th/s) is equivalent to 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) hashes per second, a unit that indicates the power of a computer or mining machine.
- T-Address (Zcash)
- T-addresses are one of the two types of addresses available for the privacy-focused cryptocurrency, Zcash, used when transparency is desired.
- Token Sale
- A token sale refers to the initial offering of a cryptocurrency token to a private pool of investors before it officially goes on the market.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) is method of access that requires two different forms of authentication.
- Total Value Locked (TVL)
- Тotal value locked represents the number of assets that are currently being staked in a specific protocol.
- Token
- A digital unit designed with utility in mind, providing access and use of a larger crypto economic system.
- The DAO
- The DAO is the first decentralized autonomous organization, which was created by a group of developers in April 2016.
- The Barbell Strategy
- A method in which investors put their money in two extremes of high-risk and no-risk assets while ignoring the middle-risk assets.
- Throughput
- Throughput is how many actions can be completed in a given time frame.
- Tendermint
- Tendermint is a consensus mechanism that allows applications to launch across different machines securely and consistently.
- Token Swap
- Token swap refers to the direct exchange of a certain amount of one cryptocurrency token for another between users facilitated by a special exchange service. It can also be defined as the migration of a cryptocurrency token built on top of one blockchain platform to a different blockchain.
- Tumbler
- A mixing service that helps make cryptocurrency funds and transactions more anonymous.
- Trustless
- An environment where there is no centralized authority.
- Typosquatting
- Typosquatting is a deceptive practice used by scammers to trick people into entering a counterfeit website and compromising their private information.
- Token Generation Event (TGE)
- The time at which a token is issued.
- Technical Indicators
- A technical indicator is a statistical algorithm or pattern-based indication based on a security's or contract's historical price, volume, and/or open interest.
- TRC-10 (TRON)
- TRC10 is a technological token standard that does not require the TRON Virtual Machine and is backed by the TRON blockchain network (TVM).
- Take Profit
- A take-profit order is an act of selling cryptocurrency to secure profits. It is usually executed at a predetermined price when the trade is in profit.
- Transaction ID (TXID)
- A transaction ID (TXID) is the unique identification number of each blockchain transaction.
- Tardigrade (Storj)
- Tardigrade is the decentralized cloud storage service provided by the Storj platform.
- The Merge (Ethereum 2.0)
- The merge is a planned network upgrade that will combine the Ethereum mainnet and the Beacon Chain to transition from the proof-of-work consensus mechanism to the proof-of-stake system.
- Tokenized Carbon Credits
- Tokenized carbon credits represent carbon that has been avoided or removed from the environment. One metric tonne of carbon verifiably avoided or removed translates to one carbon credit.
- TRC-20 Token
- The TRC-20 token standard allows for tokens to be created on the TRON network.
- TypeScript Programming Language
- TypeScript programming language is a more advanced version of JavaScript that includes more functionality.
- Time-weighted Average Price (TWAP)
- The time-weighted average price (TWAP) is a trading indicator based on weighted average price, which shows the average price of an asset as it rises and falls during a given or specific time period.
- Transaction Triggers
- Triggers can be set up on a blockchain, which group various transactions together to be executed when the designated conditions are met.
- The Cantillon Effect
- Developed by Richard Cantillon, The Cantillon Effect is a change in relative prices resulting from a change in the money supply.
- Technical Analysis/Trend Analysis (TA)
- An evaluation method involving statistical analyses of market activity, such as price and volume. Charts and other tools are used to identify patterns to underpin and drive investment decisions.
- TokenSets (Set Protocol)
- TokenSets is a Set Protocol-based decentralized platform for crypto portfolio management.
- Type Checking
- A process in programming languages to verify whether or not each operation in the program is in accordance with the type declaration rules of the language.
- Time-Weighted Automated Market Maker (TWAMM)
- Time-Weighted Automated Market Maker (TWAMM) aims to help traders execute large orders with minimal slippage and low gas fees without negatively affecting the price.
- Truffle
- For blockchains using EVM, truffle acts as a development environment and a testing framework, a widely used tool for blockchain application development.
- Treasury Bond (T-Bond)
- The treasury bond is a debt security issued by the United States government that is backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Treasury Department.
- TradingView
- TradingView is an online web-based platform that provides investors and traders with a user-friendly interface to analyze financial markets using charts and technical indicators.
- Total Exchange Volume
- Total exchange volume is a measure of the total value that has been traded on an exchange(s).
- Tokenized Stocks
- Tokenized Stocks are the digital assets that are traded on exchanges using blockchain technology.
- Token Migration
- Token migration refers to the process of moving tokens from one blockchain to another as a result of a change in the blockchain.
- Token Economy
- An economy of goods and services that can run without intermediaries and third parties with the help of the blockchain technology.
- Trust
- A trust is a fiduciary relationship in which one party, known as a trustor, gives another party, the trustee, the right to hold title to property or assets for the benefit of a third party, the beneficiary.
- Taint
- The percentage of cryptocurrency in an account that can be traced to another account.
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U
- Unit of Account
- A unit of account is a standardized unit of measurement used in accounting to record and track financial transactions.
- Unpermissioned Ledger
- A public ledger that is open to anyone, without being controlled by a single owner.
- Unconfirmed
- A state in which a transaction has not been appended to the blockchain.
- Utility Token
- Tokens that are designed specifically to be able to help people use something.
- Utility Mining
- Utility mining is a mechanism that allows for the distribution of tokens based on user activity and active participation. This allows crypto projects to distribute flexible yields attached to any specified on-chain interaction.
- Unbanked
- Unbanked refers to those that are either unable to access banking services, or choose not to.
- Uncle Block (Ommer Block)
- Uncle Block (Ommer Block) refers to the discarded block in the phenomenon when two blocks are simultaneously created, resulting in one block being omitted from the blockchain.
- Unrealized Profit & Loss
- Unrealized profit and loss occur when you have a position open in a security that has appreciated or depreciated in value.
- UNI Token
- A native governance token of Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange at the time of writing.
- United States House Committee on Financial Services
- The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees all components of the US’s financial and housing services.
- Unregulated
- Something that isn’t controlled by a centralized authority or a governing intuition.
- Use Case
- A use case is a description of the interactions between an actor (human or system) and a system that leads to an event.
- User Interface
- The user interface is the user’s interaction with a website or application using a digital device.
- Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO)
- A transaction that is left unspent after being completed, similar to leftover change after making a purchase.
- Unstoppable Domains
- Unstoppable Domains is the name of a San-Francisco based company that provides blockchain-based domain names to users.
- US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
- The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department.
- UTC time
- Coordinated Universal Time.
-
V
- Vaporware
- A cryptocurrency project that is never actually developed.
- Virgin Bitcoin
- A Bitcoin that has never been spent.
- Validator
- A participant on a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain, involved in validating blocks for rewards.
- Volatility
- A statistical measure of dispersion of returns, measured by using the standard deviation or variance between returns from that same security or market index.
- Virtual Commodity Association (VCA)
- The virtual commodity association is a non-profit organization of cryptocurrency exchanges and custodians with an aim to build a self-regulatory organization (SRO) for the U.S. virtual currency industry.
- Vesting Period
- The act of restricting the sale of a token for a particular period of time.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that creates a safe and encrypted network from a public internet connection – giving you anonymity and privacy.
- Vanity Address
- A cryptocurrency public address with custom letters and numbers, usually picked by its owner.
- Venture Capital
- A form of private equity provided to fund small, early-stage firms considered to have high growth potential.
- Verification Code
- A verification code is a security protection method that is used to avoid internet bots from abusing or even spamming various online services.
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Virtual reality (VR) technology is used to simulate an immersive artificial world that can mimic or transcend reality. V
- Virus
- Computers are usually infected with a virus when a user unknowingly installs it via a downloaded file.
- Vitalik Buterin
- Vitalik Buterin is one of the creators of Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin.
- Volume
- How much cryptocurrency has been traded over a set period, such as the past 24 hours.
- Virtual Automated Market Makers (vAMMs)
- A virtual Automated Market Maker (vAMM) is a system that provides synthetic (or virtual) liquidity, allowing traders to buy and sell derivatives entirely on the blockchain.
-
W
- Wash Trade
- A form of market manipulation in which investors create artificial activity in the marketplace by simultaneously selling and buying the same cryptocurrencies.
- White Label Staking
- In white-label staking, the crypto holders get their validator node explicitly created for them. This is then managed entirely on their behalf by a third-party operator.
- Wallet
- A place where cryptocurrency users can store, send and receive digital assets.
- When Moon
- A phrase used to ask when the price of cryptocurrencies will explode.
- Web 3.0
- Web 3.0 is the coming generation of the internet.
- Whitepaper
- A document released by a crypto project that gives investors technical information about its concept, and a roadmap for how it plans to grow and succeed.
- Whitelist
- A list of interested participants in an initial coin offering, who registered their intent to take part or purchase in a sale.
- Watchlist
- A watchlist is a feature of the website where users can create their own lists of cryptocurrencies to follow.
- Weak Hands
- An investor prone to panic selling at the first sign of a price decline.
- Watcher (OMG Foundation)
- A Watcher on OMG Foundation is a computer that observes the child chain and block producer and makes sure network transactions are correctly confirmed.
- White Swan Event
- A white swan is an easily predictable event that is anticipated based on current information and forecasting.
- Wasabi Wallet
- Wasabi is an open-source and privacy-focused wallet for Bitcoin, available for Windows, Linus and macOS.
- Whale
- A term used to describe investors who have uncommonly large amounts of crypto, especially those with enough funds to manipulate the market.
- White Hat Computer Hacker
- White hat hackers use their skills to improve security by exposing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers (known as black hat hackers) can detect and exploit them.
- Watchdog Organization
- Non-profit organizations that critically monitor the activities of governments or other entities on behalf of the public.
- WebSocket
- WebSocket enables two-way communication between a client (e.g., a web browser) and a server (which can be either an HTTP server or another WebSocket server).
- Wallstreetbets (WSB)
- Wallstreetbets, otherwise known as /r/wallstreetbets or WSB, is a subreddit for participants to discuss stock and options trading.
- WannaCry Ransomware
- WannaCry is a piece of ransomware that can infect and spread rapidly through a number of computer networks.
- Web 1.0
- Web 1.0 is a term that is often used to describe the early version of the internet.
- Web 2.0
- Web 2.0 describes the current state of the web, which supports more user-generated content and stability for front-end users than its predecessor, Web 1.0
- Web3 Foundation
- The Web3 Foundation was created to foster new technologies and applications in the field of decentralized web software protocols.
- Wei
- The smallest fraction of an Ether, with each Ether to 1000000000000000000 Wei.
- What Is the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)?
- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a U.S. bureau that analyzes financial transactions to prevent financial crimes.
- When Lambo
- A phrase referring to when cryptocurrency holders will become rich enough to afford the purchase of a Lamborghini.
- White Label
- White Labeling allows a company to customize an existing product framework in order to rebrand and resell this product as their own.
- Winding Down
- Winding down is the process of unwrapping tokens back to their original form in DeFi.
- Winding Up
- In decentralized finance (DeFi), winding up essentially means wrapping crypto tokens through various projects in order to find the best yield.
-
X
- XBT
- XBT is the lesser-known ticker symbol for Bitcoin.
- x86 Virtual Machine (Qtum)
- X86 Virtual Machine enables Qtum developers to write smart contracts in a language of their choice.
-
Y
- Yield Farming
- Yield farming involves earning interest by investing crypto in decentralized finance markets.
- Yield Sensitivity
- Yield sensitivity or interest rate sensitivity is a measure of how much a fixed income asset’s price changes due to the fluctuation in interest rates.
- Yield Curve
- The yield curve is a line that plots the relationship between yields and maturities of fixed income securities.
- YTD
- Stands for Year to Date.
-
Z
- zkOracle
- zkOracles utilize Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) as a trustless medium through which data can pass freely whilst retaining a robust standard of security, privacy and cost-efficiency.
- Zero Knowledge Rollups
- A zero-knowledge rollup is a Layer 2 blockchain solution that performs computations and storage off-chain while funds are held in a smart contract.
- Zk-SNARKs
- A proof that allows one party to prove it owns certain information without revealing it.
- Zero-Knowledge Proof
- In cryptography, a zero-knowledge proof enables one party to provide evidence that a transaction or event happened without revealing private details of that transaction or event.
- Zero Confirmation Transaction
- Alternative phrasing for an unconfirmed transaction.
- Zero Confirmation/Unconfirmed Transaction
- A zero confirmation or unconfirmed transaction is defined as an exchange that has not yet been recorded or verified on the blockchain
- Zero Knowledge Rollup
- A zero knowledge rollup is a type of layer 2 scaling solution that relies on zero knowledge cryptography
- Zero Knowledge Proof
- Proving certain information or data is true without revealing it.
