Blockchain Technology

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There are several types of cryptocurrency:

• Crypto Coins - Coins are assets on their native blockchain.

Ex: Bitcoin (BTC); Ethereum (ETH); LiteCoin (LTC)

• Crypto Tokens - Tokens are assets foreign to the blockchain they live on.

Ex:   Maker (MKR); Basic Attention Token (BAT); ZRX

• Utility Tokens

Utility tokens are those tokens that can give you the ability to buy a product or    service. Utility tokens are traded with the expectation to get some utility.  Examples for utility tokens are the Basic Attention Token and the Golem Token.

• Security Tokens

The other types of crypto tokens are the security tokens. Securities are tradable assets where an investment is made with expectations of profit. Unlike crypto coins and utility tokens, these cannot be purchased from the normal crypto exchanges such as Coinbase or Binance.  Examples for security tokens can be found by looking for security token offerings

(STOs): icoholder.com, coincodex.com, SolarStake and L’Osteria

• Equity Tokens - Equity tokens are a form of security tokens that allow the holders to have some ownership rights. 

• Asset-backed Tokens - The tokenization of assets makes them tradable. Instead of trading the asset itself, you trade the token. 

• Stablecoins - Stablecoins are digital representations of fiat currencies. They fall into three groups:
  1. Fiat-collateralized: The crypto-currency is backed by fiat currency. Examples are Tether (USDT) and the Gemini Dollar (GUSD).
  2. Crypto-collateralized: The crypto-currency is backed by a crypto-currency.
  3. Non-collateralized stablecoins rely on a smart contract to buy/sell the stablecoin in order to keep the price constant.

• Non-Funigble Tokens (NFTs) - All coins and most tokens are interchangeable. If you have one dollar, it does not matter which one you use to pay for a snack. However, if you buy collectibles such as art, comics, stamps, or baseball cards, it matters which one you have.  NFTs can be created on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC-721, ERC-1155).

Categorization of the top 30 cryptocurrencies + some chosen ones. Image by Martin Thoma