You have probably heard about cryptocurrency and bitcoin talked about in the same breath. What is the difference? Cryptocurrency is the overarching term for the entire category of digital currency. Bitcoin is the first, and still the most popular, form of cryptocurrency. Like leading brands in other industries (think Coke or Kleenex), bitcoin has become a term that is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to all cryptocurrency.
In addition to bitcoin, there are thousands of other cryptocurrencies on the market today. As of late 2020, there are north of 5,000 different types of these cryptocurrencies, referred to as “altcoins”. These coins get their name because they are an ALTernative to bitCOIN. These types of coins come in several different forms. Mining-based coins are similar to bitcoin and stablecoin are backed by a tangible asset like fiat currency to create less volatility. Other types of crypto currency include security tokens and utility tokens that function more like traditional stocks.