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Digital assets and currencies

Understand assets, networks and trading mechanics with sources you can check.

Banking

2009 United Kingdom bank rescue package

A second bank rescue package totalling at least £50 billion was announced by the British government on 12 January 2009, as a response to the 2008 financial crisis. The package was designed to increase the amount of money that banks could lend to businesses and private individuals. This aid came in two parts: an initial £50 billion made available to big corporate borrowers, and a second u

Assets

AAX (cryptocurrency exchange)

Atom Asset Exchange (AAX) was a cryptocurrency exchange that was based in Hong Kong.

Trading basics

Agricultural finance

Agricultural finance is a branch of finance which comprises financial services for agricultural production, processing and marketing, leasing (both land and equipment), and crop and livestock insurance.

Banking

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton

Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton (27 October 1774 – 12 May 1848) was a British politician, diplomat and financier. A member of the Baring family, he was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet.

Assets

Alexander Browder

Alexander Browder (born 2009) is a British student and financial crime researcher. He is the founder of the Global Cryptocurrency Laundering Database and the author of a 2026 report, published by the Henry Jackson Society, on the alleged use of cryptocurrency networks by sanctioned states to evade Western sanctions. In June 2026, at the age of 17, he was placed on an entry-ban list by th

Banking

Bank of Amsterdam

The Bank of Amsterdam or Wisselbank (Dutch: Amsterdamsche Wisselbank, lit. 'Exchange Bank of Amsterdam') was an early bank, vouched for by the city of Amsterdam, and established in 1609. It was the first public bank to offer accounts not directly convertible to coin. As such, it has been described by some as the first true central bank, even though that view is not uniformly shared. The

Banking

Bank of North America

The Bank of North America was the first chartered bank in the United States, and served as the country's first de facto central bank. It was chartered by the Congress of the Confederation on May 26, 1781, and opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 7, 1782.

Banking

Banking in Egypt

Banking in Egypt is regulated by the Central Bank of Egypt. Egypt’s banking sector has undergone major reforms since the 1990s, resulting in a liberalized and modernized system aligned with international standards. Financial inclusion has expanded, with 74.8% of Egyptians aged 15 and above using financial accounts, reaching 52 million users by 2024. Usage spans banks, Egypt Post, mobile

Trading basics

Big Bang (financial markets)

The phrase Big Bang, used in reference to the sudden deregulation of financial markets, was coined to describe measures, including abolition of fixed commission charges and of the distinction between stockjobbers and stockbrokers on the London Stock Exchange and change from open outcry to screen-based electronic trading, effected by UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986.

Payments & settlement

Bills of credit

Bills of credit are documents similar to banknotes issued by a government that represent a government's indebtedness to the holder. They are typically designed to circulate as currency or currency substitutes. Bills of credit are mentioned in Article One, Section 10, Clause One (also known as the Contract Clause) of the United States Constitution, where their issuance by state governme

Assets

BitFlyer

bitFlyer is a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in Tokyo. It was founded in 2014 and is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in Japan.

Assets

Bitkub

Bitkub is a Thailand-based cryptocurrency exchange operated by Bitkub Online Co., Ltd. (Thai: บริษัทบิทคับ ออนไลน์ จำกัด) under its parent group Bitkub Capital Group Holdings (Bitkub Capital Co., Ltd.). The company was founded in 2018 by Jirayut Srupsrisopa and was among the first exchanges to receive a digital asset license from Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 201

Trading basics

Bitstamp

Bitstamp is a Luxembourg-based cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2011. Considered the world’s longest-running cryptocurrency exchange, its business operations are conducted from its registered headquarters in Luxembourg City, with a satellite office in Ljubljana.

Trading basics

Bond market

The bond market (also debt market or credit market) is a financial market in which participants can issue new debt, known as the primary market, or buy and sell debt securities, known as the secondary market. This is usually in the form of bonds, but it may include notes, bills, and so on for public and private expenditures. The bond market has largely been dominated by the United States

Securities & exchanges

Bremen Exchange

The Bremen Exchange (German: Bremer Börse) in Bremen was one of the eight German Regional stock exchanges until 2007. In 2000 it ceased to use the Open outcry method and in 2007 the last operative units were closed. The property of exchange's holding company went to the newly established Foundation of the Bremen Stock Exchange (Stiftung Bremer Wertpapierbörse), a non-profit organisation

Trading basics

Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and its use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically in several stages and is defined by a number of constituent elements: private property, profit motive, capital accumulation, competitive markets, commodification, wage labor, and an emphasis on inn

Payments & settlement

Checkout.com

Checkout.com (legally incorporated as Checkout Ltd.) is a financial technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It provides payment processing services, operating as a payment gateway, acquirer, and processor for enterprise clients in sectors such as e-commerce, technology, and media. In 2022, It had a valuation of $40 billion making it the most valuable European fintech

Finance

Chicago Options Associates

Chicago Options Associates (COA) is a finance company in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in trading options and futures contracts. It was founded in 1987 by Oliver R. W. Pergams and Michael E. Davis. In 1994 Davis was its chief executive officer, hiring then-graduate student Jimmy Wales as research director; Wales served in this position until 1998.

Banking

China Consortium

The China Consortium, also referred to as banking consortium or financial consortium or four-, five-, or six-power consortium depending on context, refers to two successive cooperative arrangements formed by foreign banks under their respective governments' directions in the early 20th century, to coordinate lending to the Chinese government. These initiatives were resented by Chinese na

Assets

Coincheck

Coincheck is a Japanese bitcoin wallet and exchange service headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded by Koichiro Wada and Yusuke Otsuka. It operates exchanges between bitcoin, ether and fiat currencies in Japan, and bitcoin transactions and storage in some countries.

Assets

CoinEx

CoinEx was a cryptocurrency exchange based in Hong Kong. Before shutting down its operations in 2026, it operated in Iran and facilitated transfers of more than US$3.8 billion in cryptocurrency linked to Iranian entities.

Finance

Committee on Banking (Sweden)

The Standing Committee on Banking [and Currency] (Swedish: Bankoutskottet, BaU) was a Swedish parliamentary committee that operated from 1672 to 1970. Originally created to supervise the newly established Riksbank, it evolved into a permanent institution with constitutional status by 1809. Its early duties focused on reviewing the bank's condition and reporting to the estates, but over t

Banking

Copper Panic of 1789

The Copper Panic of 1789 was a monetary crisis of the early United States that was caused by debasement and loss of confidence in copper coins that occurred under the presidency of George Washington. Following the American Revolutionary War, several U.S. states began minting their own coins, largely using copper. As copper was relatively easy to counterfeit, counterfeiters in states whic

Trading basics

Cuban convertible peso

The convertible peso (sometimes given as CUC$ and informally called a cuc or a chavito) was one of two official currencies in Cuba, the other being the Cuban peso. It had been in limited use since 1994, when its value was pegged 1:1 to the United States dollar.

Trading basics

Cuban peso

The Cuban peso (peso cubano in Spanish, ISO 4217 code: CUP) also known as moneda nacional (Spanish for 'national currency'), is the official currency of Cuba.

Fiat currencies

Decimalisation

Decimalisation or decimalization (see spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by powers of 10.

Fiat currencies

Della Moneta

Della Moneta (On Money) is a 1751 book written by Ferdinando Galiani, and is one of the first specific European treatises on economics, especially monetary theory, preceding Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations by twenty-five years.

Fiat currencies

Dishoarding

In economics, dishoarding is the opposite of hoarding. In the case of hoarding emphasized most by macroeconomics, someone increases his or her holdings of money as an asset. People may hoard for safety, expected returns, irrationality, or to diversify assets, rather than using money simply as a medium of exchange for buying goods and services. Thus, dishoarding refer to the reduction of

Fiat currencies

Early American currency

Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. John Hull was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony (the willow, the oak, and the pine tree shilling) in 1652.

Finance

Economic capital

In finance, mainly for financial services firms, economic capital (ecap) is the amount of risk capital, assessed on a realistic basis, which a firm requires to cover the risks that it is running or collecting as a going concern, such as market risk, credit risk, legal risk, and operational risk. It is the amount of money that is needed to secure survival in a worst-case scenario. Firms a

Trading basics

Éric Cantona bank run call (2010)

The Éric Cantona bank run call of 7 December 2010 was initiated by Yann Sarfati and Arnaud Varnier, quickly joined by Géraldine Feuillien, following their viewing of an interview on the Presse-Océan website with former French football player Éric Cantona, who spoke on 6 October 2010 about “How to make a Revolution”. Relayed in France and in several other countries by groups of internet u

Trading basics

Export Bonus Scheme

The Export Bonus Scheme (EBS) was a dual exchange rate system implemented by the government of Ayub Khan from 1959 to 1972. It was introduced to address foreign exchange shortages and support industrialization. In practice, it amounted to an effective devaluation of the Pakistani rupee for selected sectors. Although the EBS increased manufactured exports, it was later criticized for crea

Finance

Financial deepening

Financial deepening is a term used by economists to refer to increasing provision of financial services. It can refer both a wider choice of services and better access for different socioeconomic groups. Financial deepening can have an effect on both individuals' and societies' economic situations.

Finance

Financial Revolution

The Financial Revolution was a set of economic and financial reforms in Great Britain after the Glorious Revolution in 1688 when William III invaded England. The reforms were based in part on Dutch economic and financial innovations that were brought to England by William III. New institutions were created: a public debt (first government bonds were issued in 1693) and the Bank of Englan

Trading basics

Fobaproa

Fobaproa (from the Spanish: Fondo Bancario de Protección al Ahorro, lit. 'Savings Protection Banking Fund') was a contingencies fund created in 1990 by the Mexican government, led by then dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), to attempt to resolve liquidity problems of the banking system. The contingencies fund was applied in 1995 during the Mexican peso crisis to protect Mex

Trading basics

Halle aux blés (Paris)

The Halle aux blés (Wheats Exchange or Grains Exchange) was a circular building in central Paris used by grain traders built in 1763–1767, with an open-air interior court that was capped by a wooden dome in 1783, then by an iron dome in 1811. In a major reconstruction in 1888–1889 much of the structure was replaced and the building became the Bourse de commerce.

Payments & settlement

Hawala

Hawala or hewala (Arabic: حِوالة, romanized: Ḥawāla, lit. 'transfer, trust'), originating in India as havālā (Hindi: हवाला) or huṇḍī (Hindi: हुण्डी, romanized: Huṇḍī, Sanskrit: हुण्डिका, romanized: Huṇḍikā, lit. 'bill of exchange, draft, or promissory note'), also known as ḥavâleh in Persian, and xawala or xawilaad in Somali, is a popular and informal value transfer system based on the p

Banking

Hope & Co.

Hope & Co. was a Dutch bank that existed for two and a half centuries. The bank was located in Amsterdam until 1795; originally it concentrated on Great Britain. In the second half of the 18th century, it was the most powerful merchant bank of Amsterdam, and thus Europe, as Amsterdam was at that time Europe's leading financial centre. From 1750 it played a major part in the finances of t

Banking

Hottinguer family

Hottinger first appears in the annals of the town of Zöllikon, near Zurich, in 1362. The town had recently joined the Swiss Confederation, and was poised to become a thriving center for trade. In 1401, three members of the Hottinger family were named Grand Burghers of the city. Their names Hans, Heinrich and Rudolf – or, in their French variants, Jean, Henri and Rodolphe – have marked th

Assets

Independent Reserve

Independent Reserve is an Australian-based digital currency exchange founded in 2013. They are an order book exchange and an OTC desk.

Payments & settlement

Klarna

Klarna Group plc is a Swedish financial technology company and digital bank. Founded in 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden, Klarna provides digital payments, short-term consumer credit, cards, banking services and merchant tools for online and in-store commerce. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is best known for buy now, pay later payment products.

Banking

Libor

The London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (Libor LY-bor) was an interest rate average calculated from estimates submitted by the leading banks in London. Each bank estimated what it would be charged were it to borrow from other banks. It was the primary benchmark, along with the Euribor, for short-term interest rates around the world. Libor was phased out at the end of 2021, with market partic

Trading basics

London Metal Exchange

The London Metal Exchange (LME) is a futures and forwards exchange in London, United Kingdom with the world's largest market in standardised forward contracts, futures contracts and options on base metals. The exchange also offers contracts on ferrous metals and precious metals. The company also allows for cash trading. It offers hedging, worldwide reference pricing, and the option of ph

Trading basics

London Platinum and Palladium Market

The London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM) is an over-the-counter trading centre for platinum and palladium and a commodity trading association. London has always been a centre for the research in and development of most of the platinum group metals. Trade was established in the early 20th century, typically by existing dealers of gold and silver. The LPPM has been involved in fixin

Banking

Merchant bank

A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage, it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodities, particularly cloth merchants. Historically, merchant banks' purpose was to facilitate or finance the production and trade of commodities,

Finance

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance (Iran)

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance' is a ministry of the Iranian government that oversees treasury, commerce, industry, financial markets and labor in Iran. Its functions include:

Finance

Ministry of Economy and Finance (Peru)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (Spanish: Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, MEF) of Peru is the government ministry responsible for the planning and execution of economic policies of the Peruvian government with the goal of optimizing the economic and financial activities of the state, establish macroeconomic activity, and achieve the sustainable growth of the nation's economy.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Belarus)

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Міністэрства фінансаў Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Ministerstva finansaŭ Respubliki Bielaruś; Russian: Министерство финансов Республики Беларусь) is the Belarusian government ministry which coordinates state financial policy and oversees the regulation of securities in Belarus.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Portugal)

The Ministry of Finance, officially the Ministry of State and Finance, is a Portuguese government ministry.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Russia)

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation (Russian: Министерство финансов Российской Федерации), also known as MinFin (Минфин России), is a ministry of the Government of Russia responsible for financial policy and general management in the field of finance.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Ukraine)

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Міністерство фінансів України) is the ministry of the Government of Ukraine charged with developing and implementing national financial and budget policies, and with defining national policies in customs and taxation. The ministry is responsible for ensuring that the state has enough resources to perform its functions and that financial poli

Finance

Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (Ghana)

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is the government ministry responsible for the economic and monetary health of Ghana. The Ministry is involved with economic planning, fiscal policy, national accounting, the national budget, and creating an environment for investment and growth.

Fiat currencies

Monetae cudendae ratio

"Monetae cudendae ratio" (also spelled "Monetæ cudendæ ratio"; English: "On the Minting of Coin" or "On the Striking of Coin"; sometimes, "Treatise on Money") is a paper on coinage by Nicolaus Copernicus (Polish: Mikołaj Kopernik). It was written in 1526 at the request of Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland, and presented to the Prussian Diet.

Fiat currencies

Monetary reform

Monetary reform refers to proposals to change a country's monetary system, including how money is created, regulated, and distributed. Such reforms seek to address perceived problems with current monetary schemes, like financial instability, wealth inequality, or inflation. Monetary reform movements grow during economic crises, proposing alternatives to prevailing systems.

Trading basics

Nepalese rupee

The Nepalese rupee (Nepali: नेपाली रुपैयाँ; sign: रु; code: NPR) is the official currency and legal tender of Nepal. It is also sometimes informally abbreviated as N₨ or Re./Rs. Each rupee is subdivided into 100 paisa, although coins of lower denominations are rarely used today. It is issued and regulated by the Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal.

Assets

Neptune's Brood

Neptune's Brood is a science fiction novel by British author Charles Stross, set in the same universe as Saturn's Children, but thousands of years later and with all new characters.

Securities & exchanges

Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns

The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange (also Bourse) and Rostral Columns, located in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Federation, are significant examples of Greek Revival architecture. Designed by French architect Thomas de Thomon, and inspired by the Greek Temple of Hera at Paestum, the stock exchange was constructed between 1805 and 1810. The rostral columns erected on either side of

Finance

Overdraft

An overdraft occurs when something is withdrawn in excess of what is in a current account. For financial systems, this can be funds in a bank account. In these situations the account is said to be "overdrawn". In the economic system, if there is a prior agreement with the account provider for an overdraft, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft limit, then interest i

Banking

Peel's Bill

Peel's Bill, or the Resumption of Cash Payments Act 1819 (59 Geo. 3. c. 49) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that marked the return of the British currency to the gold standard, after the Bank Restriction Act 1797 (37 Geo. 3. c. 45) saw paper money replacing convertibility to gold and silver under the financial pressures of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Banking

Prudential Regulation Authority

The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is a United Kingdom financial services regulatory body, formed as one of the successors to the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The authority is responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms. It sets standards and supervises financial institutions at t

Fiat currencies

Quantity theory of money

The quantity theory of money (QTM) is a hypothesis within monetary economics which states that the general price level of goods and services is directly proportional to the amount of money in circulation (i.e., the money supply), and that the causality runs from money to prices. This implies that the theory potentially explains inflation. It originated in the 16th century and has been pr

Finance

Regulatory capitalism

Regulatory capitalism suggests that the operation maintenance and development of the international political economy increasingly depends on administrative rules outside the legislatures and the courts. In other words, it tells us that capitalism is a regulatory institution – one that is being constituted, shaped, constrained and expanded as a historically woven patchwork of regulatory i

Trading basics

Revolut

Revolut Group Holdings Ltd, known as Revolut, is a British multinational neobank and financial technology company headquartered in London, England. It was founded in July 2015 by Nik Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. The company offers free and subscription‑based digital banking services, primarily through a mobile app.

Banking

Robert Morris (financier)

Robert Morris Jr. (January 20, 1734 – May 8, 1806) was a British-born American merchant, investor, and politician, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Morris served in the Pennsylvania legislature, the Second Continental Congress, and the United States Senate. He was one of only two individuals (along with Roger Sherman) to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Arti

Finance

Russo-Iranian Bank

The Russo-Iranian Bank (RIB), Russian: Русско-иранский банк, Persian: بانک روس و ایران), also known a Rusiranbank (Русиранбанк), known before 1935 as Banque Russo-Persane (Русско-персидский банк) or Ruspersbank (Русперсбанк), was a Soviet-sponsored bank headquartered in Tehran.

Trading basics

Secular stagnation

In economics, secular stagnation is a condition when there is negligible or no economic growth in a market-based economy. In this context, the term secular means long-term (from Latin "saeculum"—century or lifetime), and is used in contrast to cyclical or short-term. It suggests a change of fundamental dynamics which would play out only in its own time. The concept was originally put for

Assets

ShapeShift

ShapeShift AG was a cryptocurrency exchange which operated from 2014 to 2021 and was headquartered in Switzerland.

Banking

Silver standard

The silver standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed weight of silver. Silver was far more widespread than gold as the monetary standard worldwide, from the Sumerians c. 3000 BC until 1873. Following the discovery in the 16th century of large deposits of silver at the Cerro Rico in Potosí, Bolivia, an international silver standard came into e

Banking

Single-tier banking system

A single-tier banking system is a policy framework under which all credit institutions coexist without distinction about the quality of their liabilities, or in other words, there is no distinction between central bank money and broad money. This setting is generally associated with communist economic systems.

Banking

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet

Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet (18 April 1740 – 11 September 1810) was a British merchant, banker and politician. A member of the Baring family, he became the first of the Baring baronets.

Assets

Thodex

Koineks Teknoloji A.Ş., known online as Thodex, was a Turkey-based cryptocurrency exchange founded by Faruk Fatih Özer.

Finance

United States Department of the Treasury

The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The treasury executes currency circulation in the domestic fiscal system, collects all federal taxes through the Internal Revenue Service, manages U.S. government debt, licenses and supervises banks and

Fiat currencies

United States dollar

The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States (U.S.) and several other countries. The U.S. Coinage Act of 1792 established the dollar as the base unit, with each dollar divided into 100 cents (symbol: ¢). U.S. banknotes are issued in the form of Federal Reserve Notes, popularly called greenbacks due to their predominantly green col

Assets

Upbit

Upbit is a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017. It is operated by Dunamu, which is one of the highest-valued startups in South Korea.

Payments & settlement

Zilch (company)

Zilch Technology Limited (known as Zilch) is a British multi-national direct-to-consumer payments network. Since April 2020, Zilch has been regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), obtaining a consumer credit license through the Regulatory Sandbox Programme. Zilch has its headquarters in London, UK, an office in Miami, US, and a technology hub in Krakow, Poland.

Assets

Zondacrypto

Zondacrypto (formerly BitBay) was a European cryptocurrency exchange. Originally founded in Poland in 2014 by Sylwester Suszek, it grew to become one of the largest digital asset trading platforms in Central and Eastern Europe. Suszek disappeared in March 2022, and the site went offline in April 2026, leaving client assets stranded.