Key cryptocurrency terms and what they mean

Bitcoin’s worth reaching a brand new excessive of $120,000 (£89,000) – buoyed by US President Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly stance – has saved the buzzy world of cryptocurrencies within the highlight.

But it surely additionally accommodates complicated phrases comparable to ETFs, blockchains and chilly wallets, that may make the subject considerably difficult to navigate.

Fear not.

When you’re listening to these for the primary time, or just want a refresher, listed here are a couple of key phrases and what they imply.

Whereas many might wrestle with the finer factors of crypto, just about everybody has heard of its most well-known product: Bitcoin. However what really is it?

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is to say a sort of digital foreign money. Not like conventional currencies, Bitcoin shouldn’t be managed by centralised monetary establishments.

This makes it widespread for individuals who assume decentralisation can carry monetary freedom, but it surely additionally makes it extraordinarily risky with it rising and falling in worth on the whim of Bitcoin patrons and sellers.

Donald Trump has pledged to make the US the “crypto capital of the world” – backtracking on his earlier declare that Bitcoin was a “rip-off”.

Its worth topped a much-awaited threshold of $100,000 in December 2024.

In mid-July 2025, the value rose to $120,000 as US politicians ready to start debating payments that may regulate digital belongings.

However its worth has been recognized to plummet simply as shortly because it spikes.

Blockchain is the know-how underpinning all cryptocurrencies, and lots of associated merchandise like non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In essence, it’s a digital spreadsheet on which all of the shopping for and promoting of crypto is recorded. They’re organized in blocks linked collectively in a large chain – therefore the title.

Each cryptocurrency transaction is individually recorded onto the blockchain by an enormous community of volunteers verifying its authenticity by utilizing pc programmes.

The motivation to do that for Bitcoin’s community is that the primary individual to validate transactions is rewarded in Bitcoin. This probably profitable course of, generally known as mining, can also be controversial due to the incredible amount of energy used as individuals the world over race to be the primary to efficiently replace the blockchain.

The blockchain is sustained by rewarding so-called “miners” – whose job it’s to validate transactions – by paying them with the cryptocurrency.

Nevertheless, in contrast to another digital currencies, there’s not an infinite provide of Bitcoins. The quantity that may be mined is capped at 21 million, and most are already in circulation.

So roughly each 4 years – or when the Bitcoin blockchain reaches a sure measurement – the variety of bitcoins rewarded to those that efficiently validate transactions is lower in half. The latest Bitcoin “halving” (or “halvening”) occasion passed off on 20 April 2024, decreasing the reward for miners from 6.25 bitcoins to three.125.

This ensures Bitcoin’s provide is drawn out for longer whereas demand, in idea, goes up over time. However with fewer rewards for miners, it will probably additionally lead some to think about whether or not it’s financially worthwhile for them to proceed the expensive operation of operating their highly effective computer systems.

A crypto alternate is the digital platform the place traders should buy, promote and commerce cryptocurrencies.

Much like conventional investing, a crypto alternate acts as a brokerage the place individuals can switch conventional cash, like kilos or {dollars}, in alternate for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. Most transactions are accompanied by charges.

A crypto pockets is a spot the place traders maintain their cryptocurrency. There are two varieties, a sizzling pockets and a chilly pockets.

Sizzling wallets are linked to the web, and thus extra accessible for fast transfers and quick access.

Chilly wallets are bodily units like specifically designed USB sticks that retailer crypto offline sometimes for safer and long run storage.

Ethereum is used to explain each the second largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, represented by the Ether token, and the blockchain underpinning it. This helps an array of various functions and digital belongings, comparable to non-fungible tokens.

It capabilities in an identical option to Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies, however in 2022 switched to a greener operating system requiring less computers and energy.

ETFs are portfolios that allow traders wager on a number of belongings with out having to purchase any themselves. Traded on inventory exchanges like shares, their worth relies on how the general portfolio performs in actual time. They’ll comprise a mixture of gold and silver bullion, for instance, or a mixture of shares in each know-how and insurance coverage firms.

A spot Bitcoin ETF buys the cryptocurrency instantly, “on the spot”, at its present worth, all through the day.

Whereas some ETFs already contained Bitcoin not directly, the US approved several spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024. This allowed new traders, comparable to funding administration corporations like Blackrock and Constancy, to enter the speculative world of Bitcoin with out having to fret about digital wallets or navigating crypto exchanges.

Meme cash are a type of cryptocurrency used for enjoyable and hypothesis.

They’re sometimes created to capitalise on social media tendencies or viral memes – comparable to for internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng.

However meme cash are closely criticised for his or her speculative nature and the danger concerned for traders, as they typically have little prospect of accumulating worth over time.

They can be inclined to “rug pulls” – the place promoters of a cryptocurrency attract patrons to boost the value of their coin, solely to cease buying and selling exercise and make off with the cash raised from gross sales.

Some celebrities have confronted backlash after launching meme cash.

“Secure” is the important thing phrase right here – this cryptocurrency differs from others as it’s intends to be much less risky in worth.

This sometimes works by the value being linked to an current asset, as an example currencies just like the US greenback or pound sterling, which in idea ought to make them extra secure in worth than cryptocurrencies that aren’t backed by belongings.

Stablecoins themselves are normally managed by firms that present them, with transactions recorded on digital ledgers. Whereas held up by some as the way forward for finance, high profile price collapses of stablecoins have alerted regulators to dangers for traders and prompted scrutiny over their supposed stability.

XRP is a cryptocurrency utilized by a platform referred to as the XRP Ledger. It was created by the co-founders of economic companies firm Ripple Labs in 2012 as a less expensive, quicker different to Bitcoin.

The cryptocurrency has a set provide of 100 billion cash, which have been created when it launched. A lot of it’s held by Ripple and periodically launched into circulation.

Not like cryptocurrencies comparable to Bitcoin, transactions made utilizing XRP are verified via consensus – whereby nearly all of validators on its peer-to-peer community should agree whether or not or not a transaction is legitimate earlier than it’s added to its blockchain.

This has been credited with permitting many transactions to happen concurrently, at excessive velocity and low value – making it interesting to monetary establishments or for processes like cross-border funds. However as with different cryptocurrencies, XRP has received regulatory scrutiny and seen sudden, sharp declines in value.