Like all cryptocurrencies, the majors are digital assets that secure and verify transactions using computer science and complex mathematics, known as cryptography. Unlike traditional (‘fiat’) currencies, they are not currently issued or backed by a central authority such as a government. Instead, they run across a network of computers and are underpinned by blockchain technology – a permanent record of transactions that cannot be altered without the consensus of the network.
Since Binance doesn't allow for US Dollar deposits and trading, most of the volume on the exchange occurs against stablecoin pairs such as BTC/USDT, BTC/USDC, and BTC/BUSD (BUSD is Binance's native stablecoin). One other factor to note is that although Binance does have more volume than any other exchange, that volume is spread across a much larger pool of cryptocurrencies than other exchanges such as Coinbase and Kraken. Therefore, it's always important to look at the specific asset you're interested in trading in order to determine how liquid (or illiquid) it is.

Since crypto is a relatively new industry compared with others, legal clarity does not yet exist in terms of requirements for all areas of the space. Part of such clarity includes asset classification. Bitcoin and Ether are viewed as commodities, although categorization for numerous other assets remains unclear.
If there is one thing we all know about cryptocurrencies, it is that they are volatile. The stories about people making millions during a crypto upswing make the headlines frequently – but so do the stories of people who lose everything during the downswings.