transaction copy and the history of the smart contract. To handle the

exchange, as a user performs certain actions, the nodes in the network come

together to an agreement. Sharding is one of the features of Ethereum,

which makes sure that every node is not involved in the data verification

and transaction processing, and that is the reason why the blockchain is

divided into shards. The processing speed is improved upon, and this leads

to the part of the state to be stored by the node. The challenges associated

with Ethereum are broadly classified into two categories which include

scalability issues and obstacles to mass adoption. Another cryptocurrency

that is widely used is Bitcoin. Token systems and decentralized file storage

are the application areas of Bitcoin. One of the applications of Bitcoin,

which includes the digital tokens present on the blockchain and that

reference particular assets, is Bitshares, for instance, specific commodities

or currencies. To earn interest in these commodities, the token holders get

unique features and abilities.

Conclusion

This chapter introduced you to the electronic money cryptocurrency that is

digital cash designed to be quicker, cheaper, and more reliable created with

technology. The technology controls its creation and protects transactions

while hiding the identity of its users.

We discussed the evolution of money for facilitating the exchange of goods

and services. Money is the entity that stores wealth and savings and makes

transactions. We discussed cryptocurrencies appeal to their supporters for a

variety of reasons.

We further discussed the different views of cryptocurrency in different

countries together with the volume and scale of the transaction.

Next, we discussed crypto exchanges, which are the financial intermediaries

needed to link together different cryptocurrencies while offering clients a

Web-based centralized gateway to manage funds. They are secure online

marketplaces in which users can exchange one kind of digital asset for

another based on the market value of the given assets.

We also list the active companies in this domain together with the 20 best

cryptocurrency exchange software companies and top white-label

software/ top open-source software.