What is Cryptocurrency? | Origin | Types |
Origin of Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is one of the biggest mysteries in the technological world, what is the identity of the brain behind cryptocurrency. Finally, it came in public that Satoshi Nakamoto is the computer programmer who brought the digital currency bitcoin in the world. It is because the name—Satoshi Nakamoto—is an alias. It could symbolize anything living, non-living, fiction, etc. And, since the cryptocurrency was shaped in 2008, no one knows about Nakamoto till then. Instead of finding out Nakamoto, experts agreed to convert this opportunity into income. They believed uncovering his identity could have a vast impact on bitcoin economics and politics. A nine-page paper document was published in 2008, Nakamoto published the first ever mention of bitcoin, calling it a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system.” A few months later, Nakamoto released bitcoins first program and united with computer developers and coders online to enhance it. His last communication was in April 2011, two years after the network came into existence. After that Nakamoto vanished.
What is Cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency is a digital exchange of money without involving any individual being. There’s no presence of any physical coin or bill, it’s all online. Concisely way, it is a digital currency that’s been created from computer code. Transfer of cryptocurrency is online sitting on the couch or anywhere with a good internet connection. Few cryptocurrencies, for instance Bitcoin and Ether are well-known, but new cryptocurrencies continue to be created every day in the digital space.
It is software that forms a decentralized, multicasting payment system with no central authority like the Federal Reserve or U.S. Treasury. It’s fair to call it a digital currency, but at the moment, most investors aren’t using it as currency to pay for things. Instead, they’re using it as a tentative investment to buy in the hope of turning a profit.
People might use digital currencies for quick payments and avoid transaction fees. Some invests in cryptocurrencies as an investment, in order to get high profits. Cryptocurrency can be purchased with a credit card, or through a procedure called “mining”. Mining is not a complex process; one can easily learn this technique. Cryptocurrency is stored in a digital wallet, either online, on your computer, or other hardware.
Before diving in trading, know that it does not have the same shielding as when you are using U.S. dollars. Also, know that scammers are asking people to pay with digital currency because they know that such outflows are usually not reversible.
How many types of cryptocurrencies exist?
There were over 4,381 different cryptocurrencies available. The vast majority of the remainder are relatively unknown to most individuals. However, this number is ever growing as the digital world is witnessing new cryptocurrency every day. Due to rapid expansion of the tech industry every day cryptocurrencies is increasing.
The field of cryptocurrencies is always expanding. Bitcoin is widely accepted as a pioneer in the world of cryptocurrencies. It’s common, for instance, for analysts to attribute a great deal of importance to the ranking of coins relative to one another in terms of market cap. We’ve factored this into our consideration, but there are other reasons why a digital token may be included in the list, as well.
1. Bitcoin
It’s only fitting that we kick things off with the first-ever cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. Initially released in 2009, Bitcoin now has nearly a decade of history under its belt. While it was a mostly quiet start, Bitcoin is now the standard in the crypto market. Thanks to its rise in popularity, Bitcoin has positioned itself as the go-to cryptocurrency payment method around the globe. By far, you’ll find more folks accepting Bitcoin than any other option out there.
2. Ethereum
With a start date in 2015, Ethereum has a much shorter track record than Bitcoin. Ethereum is a decentralized software platform that enables Smart Contracts and Decentralized Applications (DApps) to be built and run without any downtime, fraud, control, or interference from a third party. Ethereum is not just a platform but also a programming language running on a blockchain, helping developers to build and publish distributed applications. However, Ethereum has quickly ascended to the second-most-popular cryptocurrency in less than three years of existence. Similar to Bitcoin, Ethereum operates on an open-source blockchain platform.
3. Ripple
Ripple was discovered in 2012, it is one of the oldest cryptocurrencies out there. The original name it was given OpenCoin, it was renamed Ripple Labs in 2015. Recently the banks adopted Ripple as their payment system. Most notably, American Express partnered with Ripple in 2017 on a joint venture. The two programmers Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb founded Ripple. It is the third largest cryptocurrency in the world after Bitcoin and Ethereum.
4. Litecoin
Litecoin was founded in 2011 by a Google employee named Charlie Lee, he is an MIT graduate. The major difference between Litecoin and Bitcoin is that Litecoin has shorter block processing times, so it often has much faster transaction confirmation process. It has often been referred to as “silver to Bitcoins gold”. Litecoin is based on an open-source global payment network that is not controlled by any central authority. Although Litecoin is much similar to Bitcoin in many ways, it includes transactions, transfer, processing, etc. It uses blockchain technology to complete transactions.