Crypto is a digital currency. It is unlike regular money because it is traded on a global network known as the blockchain. Blockchains are digital ledgers that record all transactions of currencies like Bitcoin. These ledgers are public and unchangeable, so there is no way to counterfeit cryptocurrencies.
Servers or computers process transactions across the blockchain, and virtually anyone with the right software can lend their computer power to the process. For Bitcoin, people who process the transactions are known as miners.
Countries can regulate access to cryptocurrency markets and create laws about holding or transferring the currencies. However, since the whole system is technically decentralised, governments or central banks cannot totally control this form of digital money.
