Cryptocurrencies

Let’s look at the previous attempts to create digital currencies that made Bitcoin possible.

Ethereum was first outlined by its creator Vitalik Buterin in an official whitepaper that arrived in 2013.  Having first taken interest in Bitcoin two years earlier, Buterin quickly became an expert on the new technology, learning all he could while…

A fork in cryptocurrency occurs when software updates need to be implemented. The more far-reaching the changes, the more controversial the fork. As with any metaphorical fork in the road, at some point there needs to be a decision on…

Blockchains are designed to operate without the need of a middleman, with each recorded transaction requiring every node operating on the network to verify and confirm that it’s correct. Understanding who made the transaction is simple – with the use…

The proof of activity consensus protocol combines the best features of both proof of work (PoW) and proof of stake (PoS) in order to increase the security of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.  Created in 2014, the protocol begins by instructing…

A fork is a collectively agreed upon software update to a cryptocurrency built on blockchain. In order for a proposed update to any cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to be implemented, there must be consensus among members of the Bitcoin community,…

If you’ve been around the cryptocurrency space for a while, you may have seen dips and spikes of more than 10% in the price. This is because, compared to other assets such as gold, which has been around for centuries…

As the name suggests, the Lightning Network is a second-layer blockchain that sits on top of Bitcoin and helps make the transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain faster by processing multiple transactions at once. First proposed in 2015, the Lightning Network…

A node is simply any computer that runs a copy of the Bitcoin software and is used to verify transactions on the blockchain.

Cryptocurrency investors argue that Bitcoin is the digital equivalent of investing in gold, in the sense that it is a hedge against inflation and turbulence in the financial markets. In other words, investors have long invested in gold as a…

A Schnorr signature is a type of digital signature used to verify and authorise transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. Think of a digital signature as an electronic version of a physical signature that is virtually impossible to fake. It was…

Taproot makes it possible to process transactions in batches. This helps to improve Bitcoin’s network speed, privacy, security features, and scalability.