ERC-20 Tokens
What are ERC-20 tokens? ERC-20 tokens are tokens designed and used solely on the Ethereum platform and follow the ERC-20 token standard. Smart contracts are responsible for creating the tokens, handling transactions, and keeping track of the balances. There are…
Ether (ETH)
How is ether (ETH) different from bitcoin (BTC)? When launching the sale of Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH), co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated, “Ether is a product, NOT a security or investment offering. Ether is simply a token useful for paying…
Ethereum (blockchain)
What is Ethereum? Launched in July of 2015, Ethereum is one of the world’s leading programmable blockchains with two basic functions: a blockchain that can record transactions, and a virtual machine that can produce smart contracts. This programmability allows developers…
Ethereum 2.0 (Serenity)
What is Ethereum 2.0? When asked about the future of Ethereum, co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated, “scalability is a big bottleneck because the Ethereum blockchain is almost full. If you’re a bigger organization, the calculus is that if we join, it…
Ethereum Classic (ETC)
What’s the difference between Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC)? In 2016, hackers exploited a flaw in the smart contract code of the DAO—a decentralized autonomous organization built on the Ethereum blockchain, resulting in the theft valued at the time…
Gas Limit and Gas Price
When you send an Ethereum transaction, you specify your gas price, typically denominated in Gwei, and a gas limit. The gas price you set determines how much you’re willing to pay per unit of gas. Whereas, the gas limit determines…
Gossip Protocol
Gossip protocol refers to a type of peer-to-peer (P2P) communication between computers and digital devices in a decentralized network. As decentralized networks do not have a centralized register of all members of the network, gossip protocol ensures information is disseminated…
Hosted Wallet
A Hosted wallet is an online service where a user’s bitcoins are stored, and they can send and receive bitcoins from this service. Coinbase, Bitflyer, and Mt Gox are examples of hosted wallets. In their Interpretive Letter #1172, the Office…
ISO 20022
ISO 20022 is an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for exchanging electronic messages on payments data between financial institutions across the world. Cryptos that are ISO 20022 compliant or in the process of becoming compliant are Ripple (XRP), Xinfin Network…