Web3 & Blockchain
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How Crypto Is Taxed in the US: The Basics for 2026
Which crypto moves trigger tax, how gains and income are calculated, and the IRS forms you'll see in 2026, including the new Form 1099-DA from brokers.
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Web3 & Blockchain
Tokenization, stablecoins and blockchain use cases beyond the hype.
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Web3 & Blockchain
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How to Accept Crypto Payments for Your Business
A step-by-step guide to taking crypto at checkout: choosing a processor, converting to dollars, booking sales correctly and keeping the tax records the IRS expects.
Web3 & Blockchain
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Blockchain and Digital Identity: How Decentralized ID Works
How decentralized ID works in plain English: verifiable credentials, DIDs, digital wallets, what role blockchain actually plays and where governments and businesses are piloting it.
Web3 & Blockchain · topic
6 guidesBlockchain basics
What Is a DAO? Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Explained
A DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) is a group that coordinates and manages shared funds using rules written in smart contracts on a blockchain. Members usually vote with governance …
Proof of Work vs Proof of Stake: How Blockchains Agree
Proof of work secures a blockchain by making miners spend electricity and hardware to solve puzzles, as Bitcoin does. Proof of stake secures it by making validators lock …
What Is Web3? Meaning, Examples, and Criticisms
Web3 is the idea of an internet where users own their data, money and digital items through blockchains instead of relying on big platforms. It uses crypto wallets, …
Layer 1 vs Layer 2 Blockchains Explained: Rollups, Fees and Trade-Offs
A layer 1 is a base blockchain such as Bitcoin or Ethereum that records and secures transactions itself. A layer 2 is a separate network built on top …
What Is Blockchain? A Plain-English Explanation
A blockchain is a shared digital ledger copied across many computers. New records are grouped into blocks, each linked to the previous one with a cryptographic fingerprint, and …
Public vs Private Blockchain: Key Differences
A public blockchain, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, lets anyone read it, submit transactions and help validate blocks. A private (permissioned) blockchain, such as one built on Hyperledger …
Web3 & Blockchain · topic
6 guidesCrypto and digital assets
How Crypto Is Taxed in the US: The Basics for 2026
The IRS treats crypto as property, not currency. Selling it, swapping it for another coin or spending it is a taxable disposal that creates a capital gain or …
How to Accept Crypto Payments for Your Business
The simplest way to accept crypto payments is through a crypto payment processor or your existing payment provider, which shows customers a wallet checkout and converts the payment …
What Is a Stablecoin and How Does It Work?
A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value, usually $1. Most are reserve-backed, meaning the issuer holds cash and short-term Treasury bills and promises to …
Hot Wallet vs Cold Wallet: How Crypto Wallets Work and How to Store Keys Safely
A hot wallet is connected to the internet, such as a phone app or browser extension, which makes it convenient for frequent use but more exposed to hacking. …
What Are NFTs? How They Work Beyond the Hype
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are unique digital tokens on a blockchain that record who owns a specific item, such as a piece of art, a ticket or a membership. …
What Is DeFi? Decentralized Finance Explained
DeFi, short for decentralized finance, is a set of financial apps that run on public blockchains through smart contracts instead of banks or brokers. People use DeFi to …
Web3 & Blockchain · topic
5 guidesEnterprise blockchain
What Is a CBDC? Central Bank Digital Currency Explained
A CBDC, or central bank digital currency, is a digital form of a country's money issued directly by its central bank, much like paper cash. It differs from …
Blockchain and Digital Identity: How Decentralized ID Works
Decentralized identity lets people hold digitally signed credentials, such as a license or diploma, in a wallet on their own device and share only what's needed. Verifiers check …
Does Your Business Need a Blockchain? A Decision Guide
Most businesses don't need a blockchain. You might need one only if several organizations that don't fully trust each other must write to the same records, no trusted …
Blockchain in Supply Chain: Real Uses and Limits
Blockchain in supply chain is mainly used for traceability, giving trading partners a shared, tamper-evident record of where goods came from and who handled them. It can cut …
Blockchain in Healthcare: Promise vs Practice
Blockchain in healthcare works best as a shared, tamper-evident log between organizations, for example tracking drug packages, sharing provider directory data or proving a record hasn't changed. It's …
Web3 & Blockchain · topic
4 guidesRegulation and security
Crypto Regulation in the US: Who Regulates What in 2026
No single US agency regulates crypto. The SEC oversees crypto assets that are securities, the CFTC oversees commodity markets and derivatives, Treasury handles anti-money laundering, sanctions and taxes, …
How to Avoid Crypto Scams: Common Schemes and Red Flags
To avoid crypto scams, never send crypto to someone you only know online, ignore anyone promising guaranteed returns, and only use exchanges and apps you find yourself through …
The GENIUS Act Explained: What US Stablecoin Rules Mean for Businesses
The GENIUS Act is the US federal law, signed July 18, 2025, that regulates payment stablecoins. Only licensed issuers may issue them, backed 1-to-1 by cash, Treasury bills …
KYC and AML in Crypto: What Businesses Need to Know
In the US, crypto exchanges, brokers and other businesses that transmit crypto for customers are usually money services businesses under the Bank Secrecy Act. They must register with …
Web3 & Blockchain · topic
4 guidesSmart contracts and development
What Is a Blockchain Oracle? How Off-Chain Data Reaches Smart Contracts
A blockchain oracle is a service that brings outside information, such as asset prices, weather or sports results, onto a blockchain so smart contracts can act on it. …
What Is a Smart Contract? Examples and Limitations
A smart contract is a program stored on a blockchain that runs automatically when preset conditions are met, such as releasing payment once delivery is confirmed. It removes …
What Is a Smart Contract Audit and What Affects Its Cost?
A smart contract audit is an independent security review of blockchain code before it goes live, combining manual line-by-line analysis with automated tools to find bugs that could …
Solidity for Beginners: Write and Deploy Your First Smart Contract on a Testnet
To write your first Solidity smart contract, open the browser-based Remix IDE, create a .sol file, write a small contract, compile it with a current 0.8.x compiler and …
Glossary
Full glossary Web3 & Blockchain terms explained
Bitcoin
The first decentralized cryptocurrency, launched in 2009, which uses a public blockchain and proof of work to record transactions.
BlockchainA shared, append-only digital ledger in which records are grouped into blocks that are cryptographically linked in sequence.
Central Bank Digital CurrencyA digital form of a country's official currency, known as a CBDC, issued and backed directly by its central bank.
CryptocurrencyA digital currency secured by cryptography and typically recorded on a decentralized blockchain rather than issued by a central bank.
DeFiDecentralized Finance: financial services such as lending, borrowing, and trading built on blockchains using smart contracts.
EthereumA programmable blockchain platform, launched in 2015, that runs smart contracts and has its own cryptocurrency called Ether.
Gas FeeThe transaction fee paid to process an operation or run a smart contract on a blockchain network such as Ethereum.
Non-Fungible TokenA unique digital token recorded on a blockchain that represents ownership of a specific item, such as artwork, a collectible, or a ticket.
Proof of StakeA blockchain consensus mechanism in which validators lock up cryptocurrency as collateral to earn the right to propose and confirm blocks.
Proof of WorkA blockchain consensus mechanism in which miners compete to solve computational puzzles to add new blocks and secure the network.
Smart ContractA program stored on a blockchain that automatically executes predefined actions when its conditions are met.
StablecoinA cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, usually by being pegged to a fiat currency such as the US dollar.
WalletSoftware or hardware that stores the private keys needed to access and manage cryptocurrency and other blockchain assets.
Web3A vision of an internet built on blockchains, where users own their data, identity, and digital assets rather than relying on central platforms.
Yield FarmingA DeFi strategy in which users lend or stake crypto assets in protocols to earn rewards, often in the form of additional tokens.
Zero-Knowledge ProofA cryptographic method that lets one party prove a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the fact that it is true.