Cryptocurrencies
Coins, wallets, keys and stablecoins: how they work, without price talk.
Stories from the desk
Explainer, 8 min read (sample)
The 21 million limit is written into the software that every node runs. Here is how it is enforced, and why it says nothing about what a coin is worth.
Explainer, 7 min read (sample)
Twelve or twenty-four ordinary words can rebuild a whole wallet. What they are, where they come from and why nobody should ever ask you for them.
Explainer, 8 min read (sample)
Some coins are designed to track a currency such as the dollar. The three designs, what backs each one and what has gone wrong before.
Deep dive, 12 min read (sample)
If a company holds your keys, it holds your coins. The trade-offs between convenience and control, set out side by side.
Brief, 4 min read (sample)
Who runs it, where it is registered, who holds the keys, how you get support and what happens if it closes.
Desk editor
Ana Ruiz
Cryptocurrencies desk (sample)
Writes the wallets and keys guides and answers most reader questions.
Words to know
Blockchain
A shared record that many computers keep, where new entries are added in linked blocks.
Wallet
Software or a device that holds the keys to coins; the coins themselves stay on the chain.
Seed phrase
Twelve or twenty-four words that can rebuild a wallet. Never share them.
Gas
The fee paid to the network for a transaction or for running a smart contract.
Our rule
We explain how crypto works and what the arguments are. We never tell you what to buy, sell or expect, and nobody pays us for coverage. Nothing on this site is financial advice.
The weekly explainer: one topic, explained in plain words, every Sunday morning (sample).