The difference between virtual, digital, and cryptocurrencies
Virtual currencies were developed because of trust issues with financial institutions and digital transactions. Though they aren't even considered to be "money" by everyone, virtual currencies are independent of traditional banks and could eventually pose competition for them.
First, there are three terms that are sometimes used interchangeably that we need to sort out: virtual currency, digital currency, and cryptocurrency.
Virtual currency was defined in 2012 by the European Central Bank as "a type of unregulated, digital money, which is issued and usually controlled by its developers, and used and accepted among the members of a specific virtual community." Last year, the US Department of Treasury said that digital currency operates like traditional currency, but does not have all the same attributes — as in, it doesn't have legal tender.
Digital currency, however, is a form of virtual currency that is electronically created and stored. Some types of digital currencies are cryptocurrencies, but not all of them are.
So that leads us to the more specific definition of a cryptocurrency, which is a subset of digital currencies that uses cryptography for security so that it is extremely difficult to counterfeit. A defining feature of these is the fact they are not issued by any central authority.
- The origin of Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a number associated with a Bitcoin address. In 2008, a programmer (or group of programmers) under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper describing digital currencies. Then in 2009, it launched software that created the first Bitcoin network and cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was created to take power out of the hands of the government and central bankers, and put it back into the hands of the people
Bitcoin regulations
Who is in charge of Bitcoin? The point of the currency is that it is decentralized, but there are legalities that differ in every country. Law enforcement and tax authorities are concerned about the use of this cryptocurrency because of its anonymity and the ease of using it for money laundering and other illegal activities. Bitcoin was the prime currency on Silk Road, which was used to sell illegal goods, including drugs