Cryptocurrency is a breakthrough technology that enables people to transfer value online without the need for a bank or government middleman. It’s based on an open-source system, which means anyone can use it, and no single company or country controls it. It’s also secure because all transactions are vetted by a technology called a blockchain, which is like a giant global balance sheet or ledger. The blockchain records and verifies every single transaction using a cryptocurrency. This is made possible by decades of computer science and mathematical innovations.
Many people use crypto to make investments, buying it in the hopes that its price will rise. It’s similar to buying stocks, though it’s often riskier because cryptocurrencies can go up and down in price very quickly. In general, wealth managers recommend that clients hold a small percentage of their portfolio in crypto as part of a diversified investment strategy.
Some people use crypto to pay for things, such as online games or virtual real estate. For example, the Ethereum blockchain powers a popular virtual world called Decentraland, which lets users buy land, avatar clothing and other stuff while partying in nightclubs or hanging out at art galleries. Crypto enthusiasts say the technology could eventually power a whole new economy, from storing medical records to tracking music rights to offering peer-to-peer lending.
Others believe in the technology for its intrinsic value. They like that cryptocurrencies are fungible (every unit of a given currency is identical) and durable, thanks to their finite supply and blockchain transparency. And they like that unlike most other financial assets, crypto has very low correlations with traditional stock and bond markets.
Finally, there are some who simply love spending crypto, feeling a sense of pride in supporting an exciting new financial system and in the hope that doing so will encourage more businesses to accept it. And then there are the speculators, who buy and sell crypto solely to make money, often on margin (borrowing funds from other investors).
Cryptocurrency experts warn that you should only invest in it with money you can afford to lose. The price of a cryptocurrency can drop suddenly and dramatically, and it’s not backed by any government or financial institution, so you won’t get your money back if you lose it. That said, many people have made enormous fortunes in crypto, and the crypto boom has created an affluent new class of millionaires whose riches are rivaling those of the tech bust of 2000.
The crypto world is a wild ride, with its own culture and language. It’s full of Lamborghini-driving Bitcoin bros and dogecoin millionaires, and some surveys have found that high-earning white men are overrepresented among its biggest winners. It’s also a community with a range of ideological viewpoints, from right-wing Bitcoin maximalists who think the currency will liberate them from government tyranny to left-wing Ethereum fans who want to overthrow the big banks.