Intro to Crypto by Blockchain.com
People new to the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology often ask us where they can learn more. If you are also a newcomer, or someone who is less comfortable with new technologies, you a) are in good company and b) have come to the right place.
Below we have assembled some of the most helpful resources on common questions we hear, such as why is cryptocurrency important, what problems does blockchain technology solve, and how big can crypto get?
How this document is organized
Not everyone learns in the same way. Some people want to watch a video, while others prefer to read an article or listen to a podcast. We’ve therefore arranged our Intro to Crypto list by medium:
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Videos & Movies
- Research Reports
- Books
- Newsletters
- Papers
- Other learning resources
Our Intro to Crypto list includes references that have been well received by newcomers and stood the test of time. However, there are undoubtedly many other great resources not on the list, and given the rapidly evolving nature of crypto new important sources regularly emerge. If you feel something essential is missing please let us know.
1. Blogs / Articles
Wences Cesares:
John Pfeffer:
Marc Andreessen:
Marc Bevand:
Chris Dixon:
Balaji Srinivasan:
Nick Szabo:
Naval Ravikant:
Adam Ludwin:
2. Podcasts:
A16z:
Laura Shin:
Unchained — general coverage of crypto industry
Unconfirmed — Laura Shin’s shorter series
Tim Ferris:
Abra
3. Videos & Movies
Short, less than 2-minute intro:
Documentaries / Movies (introductory and early bitcoin history):
Learning Series — Khan Academy:
Ted Talk:
Epicenter: Interviews with CTOs / founders of different coins/protocols are useful for deeper dives, such as this one with Olaf Carlson-Wee from PolyChain:
4. Research Reports
- Blockchain.com Crypto Investment Thesis
- Blockchain.com State of Stablecoins
- Bitwise Asset Management Presentation to U.S. SEC
- Coindesk State of Blockchain
- Cambridge Benchmarking Studies: Cryptocurrency report and slides; Blockchain technology (distributed ledger technology or DLT) report and slides
5. Books
General introduction:
Technical
Early bitcoin history
Cryptography introduction / cypherpunk history
Relevant academic literature
- Denationalisation of Money: The Argument Refined
- Debt — Updated and Expanded: The First 5,000 Years
- The Experience of Free Banking
Relevant fiction
6. Newsletters / Mailing Lists
Daily News:
Weekly recap:
Data analysis:
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) / Ethereum focussed
Fund manager research / perspective
Technical / developer
7. Papers (academic/protocol/technical)
- Bitcoin White Paper
- Bitcoin’s Academic Pedigree
- B-Money
- Ethereum White Paper
- Blind Signatures for Untraceable Payments
- Smart Contracts: Building Blocks for Digital Markets
8. Other learning resources
Blockchain.com
Courses:
Misc. curated lists and other resources:
For more insights from our research team, go to our Research page and follow our Head of Research, Garrick Hileman on Twitter.
Intro to Crypto by Blockchain.com was originally published in @blockchain on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
