Metal (MTL) is the native currency of Metal Pay, Metal X, and Metal Vault. Designed to make cryptocurrency payments fast and easy, users pay zero fees when sending, receiving, buying, or selling MTL. Additionally, users pay substantially less fees...
What is a smart contract? Smart contracts are computer programs that run on the blockchain. They are digital agreements encoded or written, with specific sets of rules that govern how and when the contracts will be signed, much like traditional contracts that are...
What is a node? A node is essentially a computer on the blockchain that runs network software to recognize and broadcast valid transactions. Nodes communicate which each other and reach consensus, or a common agreement, as to which transactions are legitimate. When we...
Proof-of-Work is the original consensus mechanism that is utilized by the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin’s decentralization refers to the global network of nodes and miners that is responsible for broadcasting and confirming valid transactions; they are not controlled by...
Proof-of-Stake (PoS) was developed as an alternative consensus mechanism to Proof-of-Work. Proponents of PoS typically say that PoW is too energy and resource intensive. As a response, they developed Proof-of-Stake which aims to solve these issues inherent to PoW. In...
The term decentralization, when talking about blockchains, describes the network architecture. It infers that the network is not localized to central server-based computation. Blockchains are typically a globally distributed network of nodes and/or miners. Emergent...
Immutability is a major value proposition of the blockchain. Traditional, centralized computing often presents hackers with multiple security vulnerabilities they can exploit to alter and/or access user records. In decentralized computing, data can be hashed onto the...
Trustlessness, contrary to how it may sound, actually refers to the high degree of trust we can have when using the blockchain. Due to the blockchain’s reliance on cryptographic signing, users across the network can be assured that transactions will always arrive at...
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are pegged 1:1 to local fiat currency, such as the US Dollar. This peg is maintained by collateralized assets held as crypto or fiat in traditional bank accounts.
What is cryptography? Cryptography is the study of secure communications. The etymology, or word origin, reveals much of the meaning behind the word. “Crypto”- is the Latin prefix for hidden or secure, while “graphy” means writing. In computer science, cryptography...
What is a blockchain? Distributed ledger technologies are based on a concept known as blockchain. The term “blockchain” refers to the basic structure that is a chain of blocks. The “block” in a blockchain is where transaction records or various pieces of information...
What is money? Money is a technology that has been as essential to the development of civilization as the wheel itself. Money is any good that is widely accepted as a medium of exchange during the transaction of goods and services. It facilitates commerce by serving...
The value of TrueUSD (TUSD) is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, acting as a stable currency for digital exchange. TUSD is the first independently-verified digital asset fully collateralized by US Dollars. The ERC20 stablecoin uses multiple escrow...
Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a cryptocurrency designed to improve the digital advertising industry. BAT is used within the Brave Internet Browser, a privacy-centered and open-source web browser that blocks malicious software content while...
Stellar was launched on July 31, 2014 by Jed McCaleb who had previously worked on the Ripple blockchain. In fact, the Stellar codebase was forked from that of Ripple’s. While Ripple was headed in a direction towards adoption by incumbents in legacy...
BNB is the native asset of Binance Chain. It was launched in July of 2017 as an ERC-20 token after raising $15m in an ICO from investors who participated from across the globe using the Ethereum blockchain. The ERC-20 token BNB was swapped for its...
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) forked from Bitcoin on August 1, 2017 as a result of a consensus dispute over the path to scalability. While Bitcoin (BTC) devs insisted on keeping block size small and scaling using Layer 2 solutions such as Lightning Network,...
Litecoin (LTC) is a cryptocurrency designed to function as an actual currency – allowing individuals and vendors to send and receive payments lightning fast. LTC offers a near-zero cost for sending funds anywhere in the world, providing a new way...
Ethereum (ETH) is an open-source platform that allows anyone to create a project based on the Ethereum blockchain that reliably executes whatever code it was designed with. Many other cryptocurrencies are built on the Ethereum blockchain, making...
Bitcoin launched on January 3, 2009 when an anonymous figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block, or what is otherwise known as the “Genesis Block”. Satoshi introduced Bitcoin to other individuals over the web through forums, and thus,...
Users on DeFi platforms can access loans pegged in stablecoins by collateralizing their crypto holdings. This enables people access to the USD value of their crypto holdings without having to sell their assets. When they are able to pay back the loan, their assets are...
Decentralized finance, or DeFi, enables crypto lending, ability to earn interest on crypto holdings, and the creation of stablecoins.
What is a consensus mechanism? Consensus refers to the act of coming to an agreement among individuals or groups. A consensus mechanism is the method by which decentralized networks agree on which transactions are valid before being confirmed as legitimate across the...