Best Cryptocurrency Resources

In this post, I’ve put together a curated collection of cryptocurrency resources.

To find more resources, check out some of the other lists I’ve linked to at the end of this post (or click here).

What Is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a new form of money that allows anyone to store, send, and receive it without intermediaries (e.g., banks, credit card companies, payment processors).

It has managed to remove these intermediaries by solving the problem of double-spending. In a nutshell, double-spending is where multiple transactions are made with the same funds. It’s the equivalent of having £100 in your pocket and somehow managing to give that same £100 to more than one person.

Resolving this problem is a stunning, game-changing innovation.

Before bitcoin, you were forced to rely on banks to accurately keep track of how much money everyone had and ensure that no one spent money they didn’t really have.

You can opt-out of this system with bitcoin.

To learn more about bitcoin, check out these resources:

• Bitcoin Whitepaper (by Satoshi Nakamoto) – The original whitepaper by the anonymous person(s) behind bitcoin. This is a short and surprisingly well-written paper that I thoroughly recommend everyone reads at least once.
• Bitcoin Whitepaper (with annotations) – The same whitepaper, but with annotations that might help you follow along with what’s being said a bit better.
• FAQ About Bitcoin (Bitcoin.org) – List of many common questions that people have about bitcoin.
• Bitcoin Explained (Upfolio) – This is a simple, easy-to-read overview of what bitcoin is, how it works, and why it’s important.
• Bitcoin for Beginners (Andreas Antonopoulos) – Video playlist which goes through everything a beginner would need to know about bitcoin and blockchain. I highly, highly recommend this.
• Beginner’s Guide to Bitcoin (What Bitcoin Did) – Collection of podcast episodes from ‘What Bitcoin Did’ featuring interviews that walk through everything a beginner needs to know. Another resource which I highly recommend.
• The Bitcoin Standard (Saifedean Ammous) – A popular book that explores the history and mechanics of money, as well as the properties which make Bitcoin (BTC) awesome. If you do pick this up, give yourself permission to skip chapters 4 through 7.
• Banking on Bitcoin (Documentary) – An informative and entertaining documentary that was released in 2016. It covers the basics (i.e., what is bitcoin, how does it work), as well as the history of it. It’s about 1hr 20mins long. If you prefer, here’s a YouTube link.
• Bitcoin Course (Khan Academy) – Free course which goes a little more in-depth to the components of what bitcoin is and how it works. Shouldn’t take more than about 2-3 hours to go through.

Bitcoin Wallets

When you buy bitcoin, you’ll sometimes have the option to leave it in an online wallet which the cryptocurrency exchange or broker controls (i.e., a custodial wallet).

This is easier and more convenient, but it has some critical downsides. Top of the list is that you don’t have direct control of your bitcoin without control of the private keys that hold it. If they wanted to, the entity that’s holding it on your behalf can confiscate it or restrict your access to it.

If you do leave your funds in the control of an exchange or broker, then you’re missing out on some of bitcoin’s biggest benefits – including the ability to transfer value to others without needing the permission of an intermediary.

But it’s not all daffodils and roses. If you hold your own private keys, then you are responsible for the security of them. Make a mistake and you might lose everything. This means that it’s critical you understand what you’re doing.

Here are some of my favourite bitcoin wallets:

• Hardware Wallets – Little devices dedicated to securely storing your cryptocurrencies. The Ledger Nano S and Trezor One are affordable and popular options, but I particularly like the Coldcard (a bitcoin-only wallet).
• Electrum – Simple wallet that can be installed on your desktop wallet or Android devices. Has everything you need and is easy to use.
• Samourai – Privacy-focused bitcoin wallet which is available on Android devices. Love it.
• Blue Wallet – Good-looking bitcoin wallet that’s packed full of features and available for download on Android, iOS, and macOS. Notably, this includes support for the lightning network.

You can find many more options here. There’s also this spreadsheet that compares the features included in various popular bitcoin wallets.

Buy Bitcoin

It’s easier, quicker, and cheaper to buy bitcoin than ever before in the UK.

Unfortunately, regulations now force cryptocurrency exchanges and brokers to verify your identity and confirm your address before they’re able to sell bitcoin to you. If you don’t want to (or can’t) do this, then it will be much more difficult and expensive to buy bitcoin.

But anyway. If you’re looking to buy bitcoin, here are the best resources I have on this site:

• Cheaply Buy Bitcoin – This guide details how you can buy bitcoin in the UK without paying high fees. I’ve included everything I think you’d need to know (so it is a bit long) and consider and keep it regularly updated.
• Where Can You Buy Bitcoin – This is a short, concise list of my favourite places where you can buy bitcoin in the UK.
• Popular Cryptocurrency Exchanges – This is a top-level overview of popular cryptocurrency exchanges that can be used by UK residents.

For a real-time comparison of bitcoin prices across various popular places in the UK, then BittyBot is a useful resource to have bookmarked.

You’ll usually pay the lowest fees when using a cryptocurrency exchange (e.g., Coinbase Pro or Binance). However, they’re more difficult to use and understandably a bit intimidating if you’ve never seen anything like it before.

It seems like most exchanges have poor customer support too. If you have a problem, this means it can take a while to get it sorted.

If you don’t fancy that, then you can use a cryptocurrency broker. These places usually have simpler, easier to use interfaces geared towards beginners – with much better customer support (if you need it). While they’re more expensive than an exchange, the prices aren’t crazy if you choose the right place.

Communities

Here are a few of the more popular communities you can join. For more options, check out this and this.

• BitcoinTalk – Popular forum with space to discuss anything cryptocurrency-related.
• Reddit – The two main cryptocurrency subreddits are /r/Bitcoin and /r/Cryptocurrency, but I also like checking out /r/BitcoinMarkets. You can sometimes also find a subreddit for a specific cryptocurrency (e.g., /r/Ethereum).
• BitcoinUK Discord – A UK-focused Discord channel where you can discuss bitcoin and cryptocurrency with other British folks. If you’re from the UK, make sure you subscribe to /r/BitcoinUK too.
• Crypto Twitter – Whatever your feelings about Twitter, it’s a great way to keep on top of what’s happening in the wonderful world of bitcoin. There are various lists that you can follow, but this one and this one are good.
• Bitcoin Meetup Groups – Wherever you are in the world, you can use this site to find local meetups to attend near you. You can also use this to find virtual meetups.

News Sites

There are numerous cryptocurrency news sites, but only a few that I consistently check out and recommend to others.

• CoinDesk – Largest cryptocurrency-focused news site around. They’ve also just started up CoinDesk TV, which has daily and weekly shows.
• Bitcoin Magazine – Established in 2012, this is a long-established site that publishes news and articles about bitcoin. Over the years, it’s published some fantastic stuff.
• Messari – Publishes news and research pieces, but much of this is locked behind a subscription paywall. Regardless, it’s still worth bookmarking.
• CryptoPanic – Popular (and my favourite) news aggregator, which provides a real-time feed of information from multiple places. The style isn’t for everyone.

Newsletters

There is an incredible amount that’s happening in the cryptocurrency space. It’s easy to miss important cryptocurrency-related news and updates from projects you care about. Newsletters are a simple way to keep on top of things.

Unfortunately, many of my favourite ones have stopped publishing in the last year!

Anyhow, below are a few you might like. For more options, check out my list of the best cryptocurrency newsletters.

• The Node (CoinDesk) – Published each weekday, this is packed full of all the latest cryptocurrency news. They have other excellent newsletters you might like to try out too.
• CoinMarketCap Daily (CoinMarketCap) – Published every weekday, this newsletter provides quick summaries of the most important cryptocurrency news. There will likely be some overlap if you subscribe to The Node too.
• Crypto Trader Digest (BitMEX) – Contains the interesting musings of Arthur Hayes (Co-Founder of BitMEX) and recent work from the people over at BitMEX Research. Seems a little sporadic.

Podcasts

Like newsletters, cryptocurrency-focused podcasts are a great way of keeping up with what’s going on in the space. And there are a lot of options to choose between.

Below are three of my current favourites. Check out this and this for more options.

• What Bitcoin Did (Peter McCormack) – Launched in 2017, this is now one of the most popular bitcoin podcasts around. Features interviews with experts within the crypto-space. It’s published twice a week, with each episode clocking in at around 1 hour (most of the time).
• Unchained (Laura Shin) – Launched in 2016, this is a popular cryptocurrency podcast that features interviews with prominent people working in the cryptocurrency space. There’s only one episode a week, with each one running for about 1 hour.
• The Breakdown (Nathaniel Whittemore) – This daily podcast usually puts out episodes that are quite short (up to 20 minutes) and cover macroeconomics, bitcoin, and geopolitics. There are sometimes longer episodes (usually interviews).

YouTube Channels

Although there are some god-awful crypto-related YouTube channels, there are also some great ones that can help you learn more about cryptocurrencies and keep up with the latest news – without the bullshit.

Here are three that I like:

• Andreas Antonopoulos – If there’s one channel you consume in its entirety, it’s this one. This is a popular education-focused channel (more than 240k subscribers) from the author of Mastering Bitcoin, Mastering Ethereum, and The Internet of Money. Recent uploads include presentations he’s previously made and FAQ videos.
• DataDash – A popular channel (more than 350k subscribers) that discusses the latest news, covers cryptocurrency market movements, and more. Videos tend to between 20 and 30 minutes long, with a couple of videos a week.
• Chris Dunn – Another popular channel (more than 200k subscribers) from an entrepreneur and cryptocurrency trader. Publishes a range of content, from educational videos about trading to live-streamed market analysis. Tends to be a mix of short and long videos.

Prices, Charts, & Data

There are lots of tools that I use to gather data and visualise it. However, these are the ones I frequently use.

• CoinMarketCap – The most well-known site which shows market capitalisation, graphs, and related resources for thousands of cryptocurrencies.
• Messari – Includes a screener where you can research cryptocurrencies and charting functionality. I think this is an all-round better version of CoinMarketCap which I’ve found to be consistently more useful.
• CoinMetrics – Collects lots of data that can be visualised using their charts. Some of this data is locked behind a subscription, but you can get the basic stuff without paying.
• TradingView – If you’re looking to do some technical analysis, then this seems like the default tool that people use. It has paid packages, but it isn’t necessary to do the basics.
• 100eyes Crypto Scanner – Paid tool which sends cryptocurrency alerts via Telegram. Supports lots of coins and technical indicators.

If you’re looking for something specific, then this is a good starting point.

Portfolio

Keeping track of your cryptocurrency portfolio can become a nightmare if you’re frequently trading coins back and forth.

But there are a few decent tools that help you monitor the value of your cryptocurrency portfolio. You can connect them to your exchanges and wallets (if you want) so that you don’t need to manually enter your transactions.

• Delta – Available on iOS and Android, this is a single piece of kit that helps you track all your investments (i.e., cryptocurrencies, stocks, bonds, etc.).
• Blockfolio – Available on iOS and Android, this is a popular app to monitor the value of your cryptocurrency portfolio.
• CoinTracker – Portfolio tracker that’s available on iOS and Android, but also via your browser.

Check out the bottom of this post for more options you can explore.

More Resources

If you want to explore more resources, then check out these resource lists.

• bitcoin-only.com Resource List
• bitcoin-resources.com Resource List
• Jameson Lopp’s Bitcoin Resource List
• Xel’s Blockchain Stuff

Have a Suggestion?

Think there’s something I should check out?

Comment below or contact me.