Worth noting: Once upon a time, cryptocurrency mining was a potentially lucrative side business for those with the resources to invest in power- and hardware-intensive mining operations.
Each asset holds a value, often priced in U.S. dollars, which leads to another use case: trading and investing. Aside from stablecoins — which seek to stabilize the instability of cryptocurrencies by pegging an asset to something else, such as the U.S. dollar — most cryptocurrencies constantly fluctuate in price. You can trade between cryptocurrencies and national currencies (called fiat currencies) on exchanges, depending on the trading pairs available on the platform of choice.

The difference between a digital currency and a cryptocurrency is that the latter is decentralised, meaning it is not issued or backed by a central authority such as a central bank or government. Instead, cryptocurrencies run across a network of computers. Digital currencies have all the characteristics of traditional currencies but exist only in the digital world. They are issued by a central authority.
Cryptocurrency has become a worldwide phenomenon, with governments and banks being among the first to recognise its importance. But with so much volatility in the marketplace, new currencies being created daily and plenty of crypto naysayers about, where do you start when you’re new to the industry? We’ve created dedicated guides that look at Bitcoin, altcoins and stablecoins. You can explore the purpose, benefits and risks of each coin and keep up-to-date with how they’re performing in the market. How are crypto prices determined? Let's look at the different factors that affect the value of cryptocurrency