Plain topics on ledgers, keys and digital money
Each topic is built around one everyday question, such as how a transfer is confirmed or where a recovery phrase should be kept. General information only.
How nodes reach agreement
With no central referee, a network needs shared rules for deciding which transactions count and in what order. Consensus is the name for those rules and the checks around them.
Concept walkthrough
Includes a comparisonHardware devices and offline signing
A hardware device keeps keys inside a small offline unit and signs transactions there, so a compromised computer cannot read them, though the device still depends on a careful backup.
Reading guide on signing
Includes a walkthrough
Digital Cash From a Central Bank
Central bank digital money would be a direct claim on the central bank, unlike a bank balance or a private token. This guide covers the retail and wholesale forms and the open design choices.
Reading guide
Includes definitions
Regulation and consumer protection: who oversees what
In Canada, provincial securities regulators, federal bodies and consumer agencies each cover part of crypto activity, and a registration is a useful check but not a promise of safety.
Reading of about ten minutes with a list of who oversees what
Includes a registration checkGuides on blockchains, wallets and crypto payments
The guides cover how a blockchain keeps its records, what a digital wallet holds, how a crypto payment settles and which scams are most common. Each guide is general information and does not replace advice from a qualified professional.
How to use these guides
Each topic on this site takes a few minutes to read and needs nothing special. The basics pages cover how a blockchain records transactions and what a wallet actually stores. Further pages cover keeping recovery phrases offline, checking an address before a payment is sent and recognizing common scams. The topics stand on their own, so they can be read in any order.
A register shows what a business is registered to do; it does not say whether the business is safe. A dated record of each transaction is a common way to keep track of digital asset activity. This material is general information about blockchain and digital assets. It is not an offer, a recommendation or a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.