Crypto basics
Plain-English guides to what cryptocurrency is, what gives it value and why crypto prices move so much.
12 guides
Start with: What Is Cryptocurrency? A Beginner’s Guide
Crypto Academy
Crypto Academy is Coinmama's free library of plain-English guides to cryptocurrency. It covers crypto basics, Bitcoin, Ethereum, altcoins and stablecoins, wallets and security, blockchain, DeFi and NFTs, and the rules, identity checks and taxes that can apply when you buy. New to crypto? Follow the step-by-step path below, from what cryptocurrency is to how a first purchase works. Or browse by topic, and look up unfamiliar words in the glossary. Coinmama is a cryptocurrency exchange. These guides are general information, not financial advice.
Start here: 7 steps to your first purchase
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What Is Cryptocurrency? A Beginner’s Guide
Cryptocurrency is digital money that runs on a blockchain, a shared record kept by many computers instead of a bank.
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What Is Bitcoin? A Beginner’s Guide
Bitcoin is a digital currency that runs on a public network of computers instead of a bank.
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What Is a Crypto Wallet? Everything Beginners Need to Know
A crypto wallet is software or a device that stores the keys that control your crypto.
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Public Keys vs Private Keys: What’s the Difference?
A private key is a secret number that lets you spend crypto by signing transactions.
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KYC and AML in Crypto: Why You Verify Your ID Before Buying
KYC (Know Your Customer) is the identity check a crypto service carries out before letting you buy crypto.
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Is Bitcoin Safe to Buy?
Bitcoin's network has had a strong security record since it launched in 2009, but buying bitcoin still carries real risks.
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How to Buy Bitcoin: A Step-by-Step Guide
To buy Bitcoin, set up a Bitcoin wallet and back up its recovery phrase.
Topics
Bitcoin
How Bitcoin works: the network, the 21 million supply, satoshis, privacy and the risks to weigh before you own any.
18 guides
Start with: What Is Bitcoin? A Beginner’s Guide
Buying & selling crypto
How to buy and sell crypto step by step: payment methods, identity checks, fees, wallet addresses and staying safe.
9 guides
Start with: How to Buy Crypto: A Beginner’s Guide
Wallets & security
How crypto wallets work: keys, recovery phrases, hot and cold storage, and how to send and receive crypto safely.
7 guides
Start with: What Is a Crypto Wallet? Everything Beginners Need to Know
Ethereum
What Ethereum and ETH are, how gas fees and smart contracts work, and what to check before you buy ETH.
6 guides
Start with: What Is Ethereum? A Beginner’s Guide
Altcoins
What altcoins are, how coins such as XRP, Cardano, Litecoin and Chainlink work, and how to check an altcoin's risks.
16 guides
Start with: What Are Altcoins? A Beginner’s Guide
Stablecoins
How stablecoins such as USDT and USDC try to hold a steady value, how they differ, why the network matters when you send one, and what can go wrong.
5 guides
Start with: What Is a Stablecoin?
Blockchain & mining
How blockchains record transactions, how mining and proof of stake add new blocks, and why confirmed transfers are very hard to reverse.
11 guides
Start with: What Is Blockchain and How Does It Work?
DeFi, NFTs & Web3
Decentralized finance, NFTs and Web3 explained: how DEXs, lending apps, NFTs and airdrops work, and the scams to watch for.
14 guides
Start with: What Is DeFi? Decentralized Finance Explained
Rules, KYC & taxes
Why crypto services check your identity, what the travel rule means for transfers, and the basics of crypto tax in the US and the UK.
5 guides
Start with: KYC and AML in Crypto: Why You Verify Your ID Before Buying
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