Cryptocurrency refers to digital money. It means you have no bills or coins. All transactions take place online. The main feature is the absence of a third-party like banks. Unlike traditional money, you can transfer cryptocurrencies online without the go-between. Among the digital currencies, Bitcoin and Ether have risen to popularity among investors due to their high value. You can get digital currencies as a form of investment.
It is possible to buy digital currency using your credit card. Some people also get cryptocurrencies by the mining process. Like traditional currencies, you can store digital currency in a wallet. The wallet is accessible online, on a computer, or in hardware.
Cryptocurrency shot to the limelight in 2009 after an anonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin. It is the first cryptocurrency that has reached great value. Cryptocurrencies are not managed by a central agency like a bank or government. Instead, the public blockchain records of the transactions of the digital currency. The blockchain has all the information stores digitally on a database. While the digital currency may seem like shares, due to using a decentralized network, it does not have the same safety.
Is it a safe investment? No, cryptocurrency investment can strike big or fail. So it is speculative. It has a high risk of failing and becoming worthless. Out of the two thousand or more cryptocurrencies launched, only a few have become successful. While the chances of striking it rich can make digital currencies alluring, you need to understand the volatile nature. Therefore, it is prone to losses.
You can use digital currency for both legal and illegal transactions. Unfortunately, the use of digital currency is favored in the black market. But, it is also used in legal business transactions. You can ensure speedy, low-cost money transfers using cryptocurrency. It has resulted in using digital money for international money transfers popular.
Yes, you read it right. Digital currencies are virtual. So, you have no central storehouse to safeguard the currency. It makes it highly vulnerable to vanish in thin air. For instance, if a computer crash occurs and you have no backup, then it can destroy your cryptocurrency stash. Similarly, the user losing their wallet’s private key can make it impossible to recover cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency has no security as the government or banks do not support it. You need to invest it and store it at your risk. So, before investing in digital currency, you need to learn the steps to spot spam. Beware of scammers who are trying to cheat people due to the newfound interest in cryptocurrency.