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How does USDC work?

USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin launched in 2018 by Centre, a consortium founded by Circle and Coinbase. USDC is open source, which means anyone can...

What is optimism?

Ethereum (ETH), the largest smart contracts blockchain, has a scalability problem. As more users join Ethereum, the network becomes more expensive and slower. In response to Ethereum's...

Crypto Bear Market Opportunities_ Make the Most of a Crypto Downturn

The crypto markets are in a bear market. There is no glossing over the fact that crypto markets are having a difficult year. However, there is...

What is a credential?

An important element of the development of blockchain technology is consensus mechanisms. After the development of the original Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and Proof-of-Work (PoW) methods, other consensus...

What is Tether? How USDT works and what supports its value

Tether issues one of the most popular and widely used cryptocurrencies in the crypto market, a stablecoin called Tether (USDT). The Tether protocol is closely related to...

Everything you always wanted to know about the Metaverse (but were afraid to ask)

Depending on how you feel about video games and artificial intelligence (AI), the metaverse can evoke fears of a dystopian future or a happy virtual reality. You...

What is the crypto travel rule and what does it mean for you?

Nearly three years after the Financial Action Tax Force (FATF) issued its controversial "travel rule" guidance, regulators and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) are still grappling...

What is the "merger" and why did it take so long?

The "merge" is intended to move the Ethereum blockchain from the current proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to a proof-of-stake (PoS) model that is supposed to be...

Proof-of-Work vs. Proof-of-Stake: What's the difference?

If you're new to the world of cryptocurrencies, you've probably heard of proof-of-stake and proof-of-work. These two concepts are essential for cryptocurrency transactions and security. They...

What we know so far about SHIB_ The Metaverse

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is primarily a meme coin. However, since its introduction, it has grown to create a swap meet, ShibaSwap, and is now adding additional...

How to transfer NFTs between wallets

If you own or have received a non-fungible token (NFT), you may want to transfer that NFT from one crypto wallet to another, either for trading...

What is DeFi?

DeFi is short for "decentralized finance," an umbrella term for a variety of cryptocurrency or blockchain financial applications that aim to disrupt financial intermediaries. DeFi is inspired...

The entry into the sandbox

Gaming and cryptocurrencies are increasingly mixed with terms like "metaverse" and "play-to-earn." If you want to try out this new world but don't know where to...

Getting started with DESK_ How to set up your wallet

If you registered for Consensus 2022, you are eligible to receive DESK, CoinDesk's newly launched social token. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to claim the...

What can you actually do in the metaverse in 2022?

The metaverse is often described in such futuristic terms that it is difficult to understand how you can participate in it today. In truth, however, metaverse-like...

NFTs in the Metaverse_ How to Make Money with Unique Assets

The term "metaverse" was first coined in 1992 in Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash and is more or less defined as a virtual world...

Hard Fork vs. Soft Fork

Forks, or the threat of forks, seem to be a staple of the cryptocurrency landscape. But what are they? Why are they such a big deal?...

What is DESK? The social token from CoinDesk, explained

At CoinDesk, we're not just reporting on the business model transformation that digital assets and the blockchain have enabled - we're actively participating in it. At last...

Decentraland for beginners_ How to get started with Decentraland

If you want to visit Decentraland for the first time, you first need to navigate to the official website and click "Start Exploring" in the top...

Location, Location, Location_ Real Estate Investment in the Metaverse.

For Metaverse real estate investors, the fact that online real estate is worth more than real estate in the real world isn't too hard to imagine,...

How to invest in the Metaverse

In 1992, author Neal Stephenson published his third novel, titled Snow Crash. In it, Stephenson's characters interact in an entirely digital environment where appearances can be...

The Fall of Terra_ A timeline of the meteoric rise and fall of UST and LUNA.

The terra network and its leader Do Kwon rose to the highest levels of the crypto world thanks to big investors, only to fall apart in...

What is a consensus mechanism?

The blockchain is a distributed database that records data and allows users to exchange and store value in the form of cryptocurrencies. To coordinate and maintain...

What is Bitcoin Pizza Day?

Bitcoin Pizza Day has an appropriate name for this celebration. The occasion commemorates an early user of cryptocurrencies who bought two pizzas with Bitcoin on May...

Crypto Savings Accounts_ What You Need to Know

Blockchain protocols do not, by default, pay interest to the holders of their currencies - unlike interest on a traditional savings account or a dividend paid...

What is a node?

In computer science, the term "node" simply means a device that plays a role in a larger network. In the context of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain, a...

What are BIPs and why they are important for the future of Bitcoin

Bitcoin, the world's oldest and largest blockchain, has been around since 2011, but despite being around for more than a decade, it hasn't changed much. That's because...

3 signs of an impending crypto crash, according to experts

Cryptocurrency markets are notoriously volatile. Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of $550 billion, is down 47% at the time of writing from...

Algorithmic Stablecoins_ What they are and how they can go horribly wrong

Cryptocurrencies are known for their volatility; they can rise and fall in the double digits. However, one form of cryptocurrencies, called stablecoins, aims to provide a...

A crypto must-know: public vs. private keys

If you've been looking for a crypto wallet, you may have heard that it comes with one key. In fact, it comes with two keys: a...

What is NFT Lending?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a red-hot asset class in the crypto world, with billions of dollars worth traded every month. But NFTs aren't just for buying,...

4 Things to Do in a Crypto Bear Market

The crypto market is posting double-digit percentage losses, with bitcoin (BTC) briefly falling below $30,000 on May 9, 2022 for the first time since July 2021....

What you need to know about 401(k) accounts with bitcoin

Fidelity Investments, the largest 401(k) wealth management company in the United States, recently made national headlines with the announcement that it will offer direct Bitcoin (BTC)...

What are LUNA and UST? A Guide to the Terra Ecosystem

Luna (LUNA) and TerraUSD (UST) are two native tokens of the Terra Network, a blockchain-based project developed by Terra Labs in South Korea. The Terra blockchain is...

New to crypto? Get up to speed quickly with CoinDesk's Crypto Unlocked webinars.

There's never been a better time to learn about cryptocurrencies, as major institutions continue to fraternize with the space, countries around the world issue their own...

How can you split an NFT? Fractional NFTs explained

NFTs stand for non-fungible tokens; they are not interchangeable, unlike fungible cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), where a Bitcoin is always a Bitcoin. But is there a...

Crypto Mortgages_ How to Buy a Home with a Crypto Loan

The recent crypto boom has made fortunes for many, and some of them want to buy real estate with their new wealth. There are many examples of...