Best Indulgence to Sell Tokens and Cryptocurrencies

What is the mission of your non-profit organization? Most non-profits and nonprofits exist to spread the word about an important cause or raise money to meet a need. Promotional products can serve as an important part of your strategy in several ways. Promotional product objectives generally fall into one of the following categories:

– Increase name recognition

– Advertising of a product or service

– Thanks to customers or contributors

– Dissemination of information

– Raise funds

– Raise support for a cause

Here are some specific ways your nonprofit can use promotional products.

Increase name recognition

Getting your name and your cause recognized is often one of the first items on your nonprofit’s agenda. This often involves participating in local events such as information fairs, street festivals and conferences. The type of promotional products that many companies use as trade show giveaways work just as well to increase your agency’s name recognition. Printed travel mugs and sports bottles, car stickers and other generic items are widely used and spread your name.

Advertising a product or service

More specific items can be more effective when combined with a slogan that runs on the item itself. Although your product or service may not be “for sale,” your organization still needs to sell it to the public. The same methods used by retailers and businesses will bring in “customers” for your nonprofit’s services and products

Thank you or appreciation gifts

One of the more effective ways to increase goodwill for your cause is to thank contributors and participants. Whether you send small tokens to those who contribute, large gifts to those who volunteer in substantial ways, or free “gifts” to those who respond to calls to action, promotional items are a low-cost way to say “thanks” for helping out.

Some examples:

– Give a free appointment calendar to any woman who comes in for a free mammogram – and mark when the next month is due

– All promotional gifts used in the campaign must mention the campaign slogan as well as the name of the corporate sponsors.

– Send cheap promotional products as thank you gifts to all contributors. Give big gifts to those who contribute big

Disseminate information

Turn to companies that specialize in promotional products to help you design and create the flyers and leaflets you’ll hand out to spread the word. If your message is short, you can put it in a variety of promotional products that you can use to spread the word. The latest technology offers more ways to disseminate information. Keep important presentations on a USB flash drive to make a real impression. Their prices have come down dramatically, making them a great combination promo tool and gift for those important potential contributors.

fund raising

Promotional products are also great for fundraising campaigns. Whether you’re selling car stickers to raise a few hundred bucks, or mounting a charity event with a much larger goal in mind, the key is publicity. You can sell printed products, offer promotional apparel for sale, or pledge high billing to corporate sponsors on conference folders, event banners, and promotional conference bags at charity events. The possibilities are endless.

October is the traditional month for breast cancer awareness. You will find pink ribbons, pink t-shirts, all kinds of pink clothing worn by both men and women.

In fact, this year in 2010, professional football teams in the National Football League incorporated the color pink into their football uniforms. Burley linemen and linebackers put pink cleats on their football shoes; Quarterbacks and receivers wear pink wristbands and carry pink towels as part of their gear.

Why pink? How did the pink ribbon movement start? And most importantly, does it really help women who already have breast cancer? Or make them feel bad?

How pink got into the cancer business

Ribbons have been used to express the wearer’s solidarity with identified causes from the early to late 20th century. Yellow ribbons are used for soldiers in war. Red ribbon for AIDS victims. Pink ribbons (and the color pink) express support for breast cancer survivors.

In the fall of 1991, Alexandra Penney, editor-in-chief of Self, a women’s health magazine, and Evelyn Lauder of the cosmetic company Estée Lauder, had the idea to create a ribbon. The cosmetics giant distributed those ribbons to stores in New York City.

Charlotte Hailey, who battled the disease, created the peach-colored ribbon. She sold ribbons to help prevent cancer. After discussing the opportunity with Lauder, Hailey and their lawyers, they chose a “new” color, pink, which has become an international symbol for awareness.

Does pink really help women with breast cancer?

Criticism has been loud about the “pink month” and its long-term implications for fighting breast cancer.

Critics say the promotion of the pink ribbon as a symbol has not been credited with saving any lives. Others believe that the pink ribbon will fade from popular use and become just a fad. October has become a month when “pink” sales explode. Companies that sell pink merchandise and make a token donation to a related charity

Gail Sulick, a medical sociologist, wrote Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women’s Health. She found that the “pink ribbon culture” that brought illness too much attention in the United States did not improve women’s health. Based on eight years of research, analysis, and hundreds of interviews with women with the disease, Ms. Sulick found that cancer rates are rising, the cancer industry is thriving, corporations are profiting from the disease, and those who have this cancer are stigmatized by pink ribbons.

How does looking pink make women with cancer feel about themselves?

How does any woman feel when she has a serious illness and everything around her says, “Be aware of breast cancer.” After Cheryl was diagnosed with DCIS in October, 2009, a stage 0 stage. October was a difficult month. Pink was everywhere and she was very aware of cancer. He has diagnosed it.

Yes, early detection was very important because we had less severe symptoms to deal with. Still, the awareness month itself did little to support him. Whenever Cheryl went shopping, pink was everywhere. He felt horrible, as if he couldn’t get a break to live a normal life. The reminder was everywhere, that she wasn’t normal – she had this cancer. He just wanted to hide.

Writing notes of support, using words of affirmation, and spending more time together did more for her soul than pink ribbons and t-shirts. Using a treasuring mindset and perspective helped Cheryl feel loved, appreciated and valued within.

So, my question to you, dear reader: What does October Breast Cancer Awareness Month mean to you? How do you treasure women with illnesses? What would you write or say to them? And if you yourself had breast cancer, would you want the important people in your life to write or tell you?

In today’s “gig economy,” Fiverr has quickly become a more obvious opportunity for young people.

Its ease of use, huge audience and huge pool of highly talented providers make it a go-to solution for entrepreneurs of all abilities, allowing people to do everything from making a decent living to huge full-time income.

To that end, if you’ve heard of Fiverr, or are looking for ways it can potentially help you make the most of your time and skills – it’s definitely an opportunity worth looking into. This tutorial is going to explain what Fiverr is, how it works and what it means for job providers around the world.

Founded in 2012, Fiverr has grown to over 3 million listings, headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. The company’s name derives from the starting price ($5) for each of its listings – although a common misconception is that this is the “only” price you can list your services for. The reality is you can list services for up to $1,500+ The $5 price is just a token startup fee.

The approach is by empowering “providers” to list their services as “gigs”. In these gigs, providers promise to perform tasks ranging from digital marketing likes to creative writing for a nominal fee.

The customer pays the provider, the money remains with Fiverr until the job is completed. The provider then has a fixed amount of time to deliver their work to the customer. The customer can then request a review, or simply provide a “star” rating for the service they received.

The most important thing to remember about Fiverr’s business model is that it’s small and sharp. People go there for “normal” work and usually don’t pay for anything too ambitious. Although it started as a simple way to make quick money as a struggling student, it quickly grew into the huge platform we see today.

Some of the most popular services purchased on Fiverr are copywriting and creative/article writing. People want native English writers to create “perfect” copy for their product listings, websites, and general business portfolios. Providing these services on the platform gives you a direct way to earn an extra few-hundred dollars with relatively little cost.

If you are interested in how it works, here are 3 tips you can use to get ahead on the platform

1. be personal

   The most important thing (for long-term growth) is to be personal. Using your face, credentials and original portfolio is one of the most important ways to get promoted on the site. While you can make progress by being anonymous — or hiding a company name — it’s a good option to make sure you’re investing in yourself. Some of the top sellers on the site are people who just put up their credentials and offer a service

2. Do you know what to sell?

   Instead of trying to copy what other people are doing, sell what *you* know. It takes several attempts to get a gig that people will actively look for (for example, my friend was a financial guy and I set up a Fiverr gig for him to sell “cryptocurrency” articles – orders started coming in very quickly). The most important thing to say with this is that if you try to “fit in” you’ll basically end up doing things that aren’t really your strengths. Instead, you need to put your best foot forward in a really creative way (so people find you).

3. Always test/test

   Finally, you need to keep trying new gigs, new ways to promote your work, and new ways to portray what you’ve done before. There is no point in stalling as it wastes your time and ends up getting nowhere.

The most important thing to remember is that you can sell what everyone else is buying (which usually leads to short-term success). If you have real skills, you can leverage the Fiverr opportunity to enhance your underlying brand.

People have enjoyed playing slots in casinos and trying to win at slot machines for years, this is your chance to bring one home and play whenever you want. Slot machines are great for people of all ages because they are simple, exciting and you can play free slot machine games for hours The Popeye Skill Stop Slot Machine is a perfect gift for anyone and will have them hooked in no time.

Many people these days are building game rooms in their homes with slot machines, pool tables and even poker tables for sale. This is a great idea as it creates an area for family and friends to use Your kids can enjoy it as much as you do, so by purchasing Popeye Skill Stop Slot Machine you can get a new addition to your casino slot machine collection.

The Popeye Skill Stop slot machine is easy to use, you just push a button and it spins! It is specially adapted so that no coins or slot machine tokens need to be used; You can spin it as many times as you want for free. It can be customized so that different stickers can be put on it. The machines are imported from Japan and then refurbished to such a high standard that they look brand new.

Popeye Skill Stop slot machines have all the lights and sounds you’ve enjoyed in casinos all your life, with animated displays or video screens depending on the title. If you ever have any problem with your machine you can ring the toll free customer support line who will answer any of your queries and give you the advice you need. You can easily locate the reset switch, power and volume controls as the machine has been modified to be user friendly.

The Popeye Skill Stop Slot Machine makes the ideal gift for kids to adults. The Popeye theme appeals to children and since it has been adapted so that no gambling is involved it is okay for children to use it. It makes a great novelty or retro gift for friends and family. You can buy it for any event be it Christmas, birthday or even anniversary. People eventually get bored with the same gifts they get like books and DVDs so why not buy something a little different.

The sound of slot machines in casinos is carefully programmed so that it creates a certain tone that people find uplifting and makes them happy, thus encouraging them to gamble. By playing noise in your home it has the same effect on anyone nearby. There is nothing more exciting than playing these slot machines for sale and buying this machine means that you never have to rent a machine or go to a casino and gamble to play.

Machines like this also don’t tend to depreciate, because it’s a classic when you buy it which means it’ll be a classic when you sell it. In 10 or 20 years you’ll be able to get more than you bought it for so if you’re worried about spending a lot of money on a game machine, think about the price, not to mention all the fun you’ll have. Learn how to play slot machines.

In the first edition of CRYPTO TREND we introduced Crypto Currency (CC) and answered various questions about this new market space. There is a lot of news in this market every day. Here are some highlights that give us a glimpse of how new and exciting this market space is:

The world’s largest futures exchange to create a futures contract for Bitcoin

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) President Terry Duffy said, “I think in the second week of December you’ll see us [bitcoin futures] Deal out for listing. Today you can’t short bitcoin, so that’s the only way it can go. You either buy it or sell it to someone else. So you create a two-way market, I think that’s always much more effective.”

CME intends to launch bitcoin futures by the end of the year pending regulatory review. If successful, this would give investors an effective way to go “long” or “short” Bitcoin. Some sellers of exchange-traded funds have also filed for bitcoin ETFs that track bitcoin futures.

These developments have the potential to allow investing in the cryptocurrency space without fully owning a CC or using the services of a CC exchange. Bitcoin futures could make digital assets more useful by allowing users and intermediaries to hedge their foreign-exchange risk. This could increase adoption of the cryptocurrency by merchants who want to accept Bitcoin payments but are wary of its volatile value. Institutional investors are also used to regulated futures trades, which are not plagued by money laundering concerns.

CME’s move also suggests that Bitcoin has become too big to ignore, as the exchange has appeared to discount crypto futures in the recent past. Bitcoin is the talk of the town at brokerages and trading firms, which have suffered amid a booming but unusually calm market. If one exchange’s futures take off, it will be nearly impossible for another exchange like CME to catch up, since scale and liquidity are important in derivatives markets.

“You can’t ignore the fact that this is becoming a story that won’t go away,” Duffy said in an interview with CNBC. There are “mainstream companies” that want access to bitcoin and “huge pent-up demand” from clients, he said. Duffy also thinks bringing institutional traders into the market could make Bitcoin less volatile.

Japanese village to use cryptocurrency to raise capital for municipal revitalization

The Japanese village of Nishiwakura is researching the idea of ​​holding an initial coin offering (ICO) to raise capital for the revitalization of the municipality. This is a very innovative approach, and they can seek national government support or seek private investment. Several ICOs have had serious problems, and many investors are skeptical that any new token will have value, especially if the ICO turns out to be another joke or scam. Bitcoin was definitely no joke.

Initial Coin Offering – (ICO)

We didn’t mention ICO in the first edition of Crypto Trend, so let’s mention it now. Unlike an initial public offering (IPO), where a company has an actual product or service for sale and you want to buy shares in their company, an ICO can be held by anyone who wants to start a new blockchain project with the intention of creating. A new token on their chain. ICOs are unregulated and several have been complete shams. A legitimate ICO can, however, raise a lot of cash to fund a new blockchain project and network. It’s common for an ICO to generate a high token value near the beginning and then soon drop back to reality. Because holding an ICO is relatively easy if you know the technology and have some money, there have been many and today we have about 800 tokens. All these tokens have a name, they are all crypto-currencies, and except for the very well-known tokens like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin, they are called alt-coins. CryptoTrend does not recommend participating in ICOs at this time, as the risks are extremely high.

As we said in Issue 1, this market is now the “Wild West” and we advise caution. Some investors and early adopters have made huge profits in this market space; However, there are many who have lost much or everything. Governments are considering regulations, because they want to know about every transaction so that they can all be taxed All of them have huge debts and are strapped for cash.

So far, the cryptocurrency market has avoided many government and conventional bank financial problems and pitfalls, and blockchain technology has the potential to solve many more problems.

One of the great features of Bitcoin is that the founders chose a limited number of coins that could ever be created – 21 million – thus ensuring that this crypto currency will never be inflated. Governments can print as much money (fiat currency) as they can and inflate their currency to death.

Future articles will discuss specific recommendations, however, make no mistake, the initial investment in this sector is only for your most speculative capital, money that you can lose.

Crypto trends will be your guide when you are ready to invest in this market space.

Stay tuned!

Investing in the cryptocurrency market space can be a bit daunting for traditional investors, as investing in direct cryptocurrencies (CC) requires using new tools and adopting some new concepts. So if you decide to dip your toes into this market, you need to have a very good idea of ​​what to do and what to expect.

Buying and selling CC requires you to choose an exchange that deals in the commodities you want to buy and sell, be they Bitcoin, Litecoin, or any of over 1300 other tokens. In previous editions we have briefly described the products and services available on a few exchanges, to give you an idea of ​​the various offerings. There are many exchanges to choose from and they all work in their own way. Look for things that are important to you, for example:

– Deposit policies, procedures, and costs for each procedure

– Withdrawal policy and costs

– They deal in any fiat currency for deposits and withdrawals

– The commodities they trade in, such as crypto coins, gold, silver, etc

– Transaction costs

– Where is this exchange based? (USA / UK / South Korea / Japan …)

Be prepared for the exchange setup process to be detailed and long, as exchanges usually want to know a lot about you. This is analogous to setting up a new bank account, because exchanges are brokers of value, and they want to be sure that you are who you say you are, and that you are a trustworthy person to deal with. It seems that “trust” is gained over time, as exchanges usually allow small investment amounts to start.

Your exchange will keep your CC in storage for you. Many offer “cold storage” which simply means your coins will be kept “offline” until you indicate you want to do something with them. There have been several reports of exchanges being hacked and many coins being stolen. Think of your coins as being in something like a bank account on an exchange, but remember that your coins are only digital, and all blockchain transactions are irreversible. Unlike your bank, this exchange does not have deposit insurance, so be aware that hackers are always trying to get hold of and steal your crypto coins. Exchanges typically offer password protected accounts and many offer 2-factor authentication schemes – something to seriously consider to protect your account from hackers.

Given that hackers like to prey on exchanges and your account, we always recommend that you use a digital wallet for your coins. Moving coins between your exchange account and your wallet is relatively easy. Be sure to choose a wallet that handles all the coins you want to buy and sell. Your wallet is the device you use to “spend” your coins with merchants who accept CC for payment. The two types of wallets are “hot” and “cold”. Hot wallets are very easy to use but they leave your coins exposed to the internet, but only on your computer, not the exchange servers. Cold wallets use offline storage media, such as special hardware memory sticks and simple hard copy printouts. Using cold wallets makes transactions more complicated, but they are the most secure

Your wallet contains “private” keys that authorize all transactions you wish to initiate You have a “public” key that is shared across the network so that all users can identify your account when engaging in transactions with you. When hackers get your private key, they can move your coins wherever they want and it’s irreversible.

Despite all the challenges and wild volatility, we are confident that the underlying blockchain technology is a game changer, and will revolutionize how transactions are conducted going forward.

Statistics can no longer be ignored. Once the tokens are on crypto exchanges, after the frenzy and ‘FOMO’ of joining the crowdsale wears off, most ICOs tank and stay tanked.

Most observers who have been keeping an eye on the ICO phenomenon universally agree that post-crowdsale prices for ICOs in the past few months have tended to lose, with many buyers waiting in vain for their pledges to ‘moon’, once cryptocurrency exchanges hit the portal.

However, what is not being discussed is why we are witnessing this phenomenon, and why participants in a crowdsale, including the rating companies we rely on to make a choice, must be wrong in picking the most valuable ICO, or when the crowdsale ends. The price has the best potential for growth.

While there are many reasons one can legitimately propose for this phenomenon, there is one fact that I think is probably more responsible for it than other competing reasons: ICO token evaluation and ‘blockchain experts’, ‘misplaced emphasis on ICO advisors’ or ‘Technical whizkids’ for erc20 tokens.

I’ve always thought that the need for blockchain technology experts or ICO technical consultants is exaggerated, or even completely misplaced, when a project is judged by that criteria, unless the project is actually trying to create a new coin concept. For most ERC20 tokens and copycat coins, the real important consideration should be the business plan behind the token and the managerial antecedents and executive profiles of the team leaders.

As anyone involved in the industry should know, generating ERC20 tokens from Ethereum or similar tokens from other cryptocurrencies doesn’t require great technical skills or an overrated blockchain advisor (in fact, with new software out there, an ERC20 token can be generated in less than 10 minutes Can be done by a complete technical novice.

So shouldn’t be a big deal for technical tokens). The original business plan should be; level of business experience; The skills of project leaders and fundraising are key to the company’s business marketing strategy.

Frankly, as an attorney and business consultant for over 30 years in various companies worldwide, I don’t understand why people are looking for some Russian or Korean or Chinese ‘crypto whiz’ or ‘crypto advisor’ to determine the strength of an ICO. A crowdfunding campaign for a business idea is basically for…

I am of the strong opinion that this is one of the main reasons why most ICOs do not live up to their pre-launch hype. In an age where there is an abundance of token creation software, platforms, and freelancers, the disproportionate focus on blockchain experience or technical skills of promoters is mostly misplaced. It’s like trying to value a company’s potential success based on the ability of its employees to create a good website or app. That train left the station long ago with the proliferation of tech hands on freelancing sites like Guru; Upwork, Freelancer and even Fiverr.

People seemed to get too caught up in the hype and technical prowess of people promoting ICOs, especially ERC20 Ethereum based tokens, and then wonder why a technologically superior Russian, Chinese or Korean guy couldn’t give the company its business end after the fundraising campaign.

Even many of our ICO rating companies assign a disproportionate number of points to team members’ crypto experience, how many crypto advisors they have, and the underlying business model for their team’s ICO success experience. To be made with funds raised

Once one realizes that more than 90% of cryptos and ICOs are simply tokens created to raise crowdfunding for an idea, and not just tokens for token sake, the public’s emphasis will shift from the technical angle to the more relevant work of valuation. The business concept itself, and the corporate business plan.

Once we move into this era of evaluation before deciding to buy or invest in cryptocurrencies, we will then begin to evaluate the future potential or value of our tokens based on sound business considerations such as:

– Swot analysis of the company and its promoters

– Managerial skills and experience of team leaders

– Solidity of business idea beyond creating a token

– The company’s marketing plan and strategy to sell those ideas

– Ability to deliver underlying products to the market

– Customer base for products and services produced by the company

– and the basis for adoption in the market place

What most people fail to realize is that the potential for their tokens to increase in value post ICO is not so much dependent on anything technical but on the good things the fundraiser has done in the company and the perceived increase in the company’s valuation. It develops its business plan and delivers its business products.

Of course, buying cryptocurrency is not buying stock, and it is not buying a security of a company. We get it, but tokens react the same way stocks react to good news or bad news about a company. The only difference is that in the case of cryptos, the effect is magnified 100 times.

So, when a company meets some financial or business milestone, the price of its token on the exchange will go up… and when nothing good is happening it will go down quickly. So, what the company will do after the ICO and how it will do it should be of utmost importance for anyone who doesn’t want their token to drop in value and stay down forever.

Of course, most tokens will drop when tokens hit crypto exchanges after the ICO, because of those who want to take immediate profits, but whether it will return to give you the expected multiple digit profit will always depend on the criteria. As I already outlined above. After you buy a token, the value of ‘crypto advisor’s’ and ‘technical whizkids’ goes to zero with the probability of your token mooning.

Following this reality, I think a smart crypto buyer or investor should focus less on how many crypto advisors a project has or how technically sound the team is (unless the company’s underlying business is technical in nature) and focus more on managerial, Marketing and raising funds through an ICO to the company’s potential customer base.

In other words, assign more points to the business and management side of the ICO than the technical terms that won’t help your token in the market while raising money!

In the early days of its launch in 2009, hundreds of thousands of bitcoins were used to buy a pizza. Since then, after the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise to US$65,000 in April 2021, it fell nearly 70 percent to around US$6,000 in mid-2018, much to the chagrin of many people – cryptocurrency investors, traders or just plain curious people who boat. Miss.

How it all started

Remember that dissatisfaction with the current financial system gave rise to the development of digital currencies. The development of this cryptocurrency is based on the blockchain technology of Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym apparently used by a developer or group of developers.

Despite many opinions predicting the death of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin’s performance has inspired many other digital currencies, especially in recent years. The success of crowdfunding due to blockchain fever has also attracted them so that they can defraud the unsuspecting public and this has caught the attention of regulators.

Beyond Bitcoin

Bitcoin has inspired the launch of many other digital currencies, with over 1,000 versions of digital coins or tokens currently in existence. They are not all the same and their values ​​vary widely, as does their liquidity.

Coins, Altcoins and Tokens

Suffice it to say at this point that there are subtle differences between coins, altcoins, and tokens. Altcoins or alternative coins usually describe other than the pioneer Bitcoin, although altcoins such as ethereum, litecoin, ripple, dogecoin and dash are considered in the ‘main’ category of coins, meaning they are traded on more cryptocurrency exchanges.

Coins act as a currency or store of value whereas tokens use resources or utilities, an example being a blockchain service to manage supply chains to validate and track wine products from wineries to consumers.

One thing to note is that lower value tokens or coins offer upside opportunities but don’t expect the same meteoric rise as Bitcoin. Simply put, lesser-known tokens can be easy to buy but hard to sell.

Before getting into a cryptocurrency, start by studying the commercial strategies such as value proposition and technical considerations outlined in the white paper that accompanies each initial coin offering or ICO.

For those familiar with stocks and shares, this is not the same as an initial public offering or IPO. However, IPOs are issued by companies with tangible assets and a business track record. It is all done in a controlled environment. On the other hand, an ICO is based entirely on an idea proposed in a white paper by a business – still operational and without assets – that is looking for start-up funding.

Unregulated, so buyer beware

The ‘unknown that no one can control’ probably sums up the situation with digital currencies. Regulators and regulations are still trying to catch up with cryptocurrencies which are constantly evolving. The golden rule in the crypto space is ‘caveat emptor’, let the buyer beware.

Some countries are keeping an open mind to adopt a hands-off policy for cryptocurrency and blockchain applications, and are keeping a direct eye on scams. Yet regulators in other countries are more concerned with the harms than the benefits of digital money. Regulators generally recognize the need to strike a balance, and some are looking at existing securities laws to try to get a handle on the many flavors of cryptocurrency worldwide.

Digital Wallet: Step One

A wallet is essential for getting started in cryptocurrency. Think e-banking but minus the legal protections of virtual currency, so security is the first and last consideration in the crypto space.

Wallets are digital type. There are two types of wallets.

• Internet-connected hot wallets that put users at risk of being hacked

• Cold wallets are not connected to the internet and are considered secure.

In addition to the two main types of wallets, it should be noted that there is a wallet for cryptocurrency only and another for multi-cryptocurrency. There is also the option of having a multi-signature wallet, a bit like having a joint bank account.

The choice of wallet depends on the user’s choice whether to be purely interested in Bitcoin or Ethereum, as each currency has its own wallet, or you can use a third-party wallet that includes security features.

Wallet note

Cryptocurrency wallets contain a public and private key with private transaction records. The public key includes a reference to the cryptocurrency account or address, not unlike the name required to receive a check payment.

The public key is available for all to see but transactions are confirmed only after verification and validation based on the consensus process relevant to each cryptocurrency.

The private key can be considered as a PIN which is commonly used in e-financial transactions. It follows that the user should never disclose the private key to anyone and should back-up this data which should be stored offline.

It makes sense to have minimal cryptocurrency in a hot wallet while larger amounts should be in a cold wallet. Losing private keys is as good as losing your cryptocurrency! The usual precautions about online financial transactions apply, from having strong passwords to being wary of malware and phishing.

Wallet format

Various types of wallets are available to suit individual preferences.

• Hardware wallets made by third parties that must be purchased. These devices act somewhat like USB devices that are considered secure and are only connected when the Internet is needed.

• Web-based wallets offered by crypto exchanges are considered hot wallets, putting users at risk.

• Software-based wallets for desktop or mobile are mostly available for free and may be provided by currency issuers or third parties.

• Paper-based wallets can be printed in QR code format with relevant data about the cryptocurrency owned by the public and private keys. These should be kept in a safe place until needed during crypto transactions and copied in case of accidents such as water damage or printed data fading over time.

Crypto exchanges and marketplaces

Crypto exchanges are trading platforms for those interested in virtual currencies. Other options include websites for direct transactions between buyers and sellers as well as brokers where there is no ‘market’ price but is based on an agreement between the transacting parties.

Hence, there are many crypto exchanges in different countries but the security practices and infrastructure standards are different. These range from allowing anonymous registration that only requires an email to open an account and start trading. Still there are some that require users to comply with international identity verification, known as Know-Your-Customer, and anti-money laundering (AML) measures.

The choice of crypto exchange depends on the user’s preferences but may have restrictions on the level of anonymous trading allowed or may be subject to sudden new regulations in the exchange’s country of residence. Minimal administrative procedures with anonymous registration allow users to start trading quickly while KYC and AML processes take longer.

All crypto trades must be properly processed and verified, which can take minutes to hours, depending on the coin or token being traded and the volume of the trade. Scalability is known to be a problem with cryptocurrencies and developers are working on ways to find a solution.

Cryptocurrency exchanges are in two categories.

• Such fiat-cryptocurrency exchanges offer the purchase of fiat-cryptocurrency by direct transfer from banks or credit and debit cards, or in some countries through ATMs.

• Cryptocurrencies only. Crypto exchanges there only deal in cryptocurrencies, meaning customers must already own a cryptocurrency – such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, – to ‘exchange’ for other coins or tokens based on market rates.

Fees are charged to facilitate the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. Users should research the various rates charged by different exchanges to determine the fees they are comfortable with while being satisfied with the infrastructure and security measures.

Don’t expect a normal market price for the same cryptocurrency with difference exchanges It may be worthwhile to spend time researching the best prices for the coins and tokens you are interested in.

Online financial transactions carry risks and users should be aware of precautions such as Two Factor Authentication or 2-FA, keeping updated on the latest security measures and phishing scams. A golden rule of phishing is to not click on provided links, no matter how authentic a message or email is.