CRYPTOCURRENCY- Explained briefly

Hi readers,
Today I decided to explain the basics of cryptocurrency.
So here is some of my study on it! :)

A cryptocurrency is a electronic money designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency.Cryptocurrencies are a subset of alternative currencies, or specifically of digital currencies.

Bitcoin was the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009.Since then, numerous cryptocurrencies have been created. These are frequently called altcoins, as a blend of bitcoin alternative. Bitcoin and its derivatives use decentralized control as opposed to centralized electronic money/centralized banking systems.The decentralized control is related to the use of bitcoin's blockchain transaction database in the role of a distributed ledger.

The security of cryptocurrency ledgers is based on the assumption that the majority of miners are honestly trying to maintain the ledger, having financial incentive to do so.

Most cryptocurrencies are designed to gradually decrease production of currency, placing an ultimate cap on the total amount of currency that will ever be in circulation, mimicking precious metals. Compared with ordinary currencies held by financial institutions or kept as cash on hand, cryptocurrencies are less susceptible to seizure by law enforcement. Existing cryptocurrencies are all pseudo-anonymous, though additions such as Zerocoin and its distributed laundry feature have been suggested, which would allow for true anonymity.

As of July 2016, there were over 700 digital currencies in existence. Entry into the marketplace is undertaken by so many due to the low cost of entry and opportunity for profit making through the creation of coins.

cryptocurrencies are used primarily outside existing banking and governmental institutions, and exchanged over the Internet. While these alternative, decentralized modes of exchange are in the early stages of development, they have the unique potential to challenge existing systems of currency and payments. As of June 2017 total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies is bigger than 100 billion USD and record high daily volume is larger than 6 billion USD.
source-https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency

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