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Updated Feb 2023.
Crypto is complex.
There’s too many technical concepts to learn, and protocols to familiarize yourself with.
Don’t worry - this Bankless guide is your roadmap into the world of crypto. Think of it as a curated crypto Wikipedia into the wild west of open finance. 🌏
We make it less intimidating, accessible and most importantly, fun to learn.
Welcome to the 2023 Bankless journey.
- Ryan Sean Adams
2023 Bankless guide content page:
- Understanding core concepts - What is crypto?
- Bitcoin,
Ethereum and Alt-L1s - DeFi
- NFTs
- Blockchain gaming and collectibles
- Layer-2 rollups
- DAOs
- Trading crypto - How to DeFi?
- Security & Privacy
- How to do crypto taxes
- Getting a job in crypto
- Public Policy
- The Big Picture (Essential Editorials)
1. Understand core concepts
The perfect intro to DeFi for beginners stepping into crypto:
- 📺Watch videos on the Bankless Basics youtube channel!
- 📄What is DeFi composability?
- 📄What is the Ethereum Virtual Machine?
- 📄How DeFi lending works
- 📄How Automated Market Makers (AMMs) work
- 📄What are BTC and ETH futures?
- 📄What are DeFi synthetic assets?
- 📄The Wild Future of Synthetic Assets
- 📄What are data oracles and why we need decentralized oracles
- 📄What is Web3 indexing with The Graph
- 🎙️The Bull Case for DeFi | Vance Spencer
Advanced:
- 📄DeFi on Bitcoin
- 📄Ethereum: The Digital Finance Stack
- 📄How DeFi enables equitable ownership distributions
- 📄Crypto banks vs money protocols
- 📄DeFi in Eth2: Cities, suburbs, farms
- 📄DeFi needs more value
- 📄How can a protocol defend against a fork?
- 🎙️DeFi in the Eth2 Metropolis | Haseeb Qureshi
Big picture:
- 📄The Crypto Money Portfolio (why ETH & BTC matter most)
- 📄FTX Is Why We Need More DeFi, Not Less
- 🎙️
Mark Cuban on Why DeFi and NFTs are the Future - 📺How to Invest in the Future | Cathie Wood
- 📺This is How Crypto Fixes the Internet | Antonio García Martínez
- 📺The Crypto Revolution | Josh Rosenthal
- 📺
Marc Andreessen &
Chris Dixon of a16z | Reinventing the Internet
2. Ethereum,
Bitcoin and Alt-L1s
Bitcoin is the OG blockchain. What made it so successful, and how does it work?
- 📄Bitcoin’s Scarcity Game
- 📄When Bitcoin Moon?
- 📄Is tokenized BTC bullish for ETH?
- 📄BTC's monetary policy is overrated
- 📄How Bitcoin Builds DeFi
- 📄The Essential Guide to DeFi on Bitcoin
- 📄How to Mint a Bitcoin NFT
- 📄4 Misconceptions about PoS vs PoW
- 📺
Vitalik Buterin DEFENDS Bitcoin Maximalism - 📺 The PoW vs PoS Debate
What is Ethereum?
- 📄Ethereum: The first profitable blockchain
- 📄The 2 faces of Ethereum (DeFi is a spectrum)
- 📄Can Ethereum slay Moloch?
- 📄Ethereum is an emergent structure
- 📄A Beginner's Guide to ETH Validators
- 📄15 Bad Takes on Ethereum with Justin Drake
- 📄A Tale of Two Money Systems
- 📄The Empire Model for Blockchains
- 🎙️Ethereum: Past, Present, Future | Vitalik Buterin
- 🎙️Ether’s Value Mechanisms
- 🎙️What's an Etherean | Nic Carter
MEV and censorship
- 📄The Ethereum Watershed
- 📄Transaction ordering on Ethereum
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Ethereum Censorship (📺Ethereum Uncensored with Justin Drake)
Ethereum monetary policy
- 📄The fundamental value proposition for Ether
- 📄ETH's monetary policy is underrated
- 📄Ether: The Birth of the Digital Bond
- 📄Why Ethereum is Ultra Sound Money
- 📄Ether: A new model for money (🎙️Podcast)
- 📄Ether: The reserve asset
- 📄What if ETH had a fee burn 5 years ago?
- 🎙️How Ethereum's economic engine makes it Ultra Sound Money
What are the alt-L1s blockchains fighting to beat Bitcoin and Ethereum?
- 📄The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Binance Smart Chain
- 📄How to use Polygon
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Cosmos
- 📄The Cosmos Endgame
- 📄How to Get Started on Cosmos
- 📺The Cosmos Thesis with Sunny Aggarwal & Zaki Manian
- 📺Why Bankless Is Wrong | Ethan Buchman - Cosmos
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Canto
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to Terra
- 📄UST Luna Meltdown: What Happened?
- 📺UST: New Paradigm or Ticking Time Bomb? | Terra Bear vs Bull
- 📺
Polygon Super Scaling Ethereum | Nailwal & Bjelic - 📄Is
Solana dead? - 📺Will Solana Make It with Anatoly Yakovenko
3. DeFi
Into the world of Decentralized Finance:
The most essential DeFi protocols that you need to know about.
- 📺The Bull Case for MKR (Apr 2022)
- 📺The Return of Aave (Apr 2022)
- 📺What is Uniswap? | Hayden Adams (Apr 2021)
- 🎙️ Going Bankless with Compound | Robert Leshner
- 🎙️ Going Bankless with
Uniswap | Caleb Sheridan - 📺
Liquity & LUSD | Robert Lauko (May 2021) - 📺What is Alchemix? | Scoopy Trooples (Apr 2021)
- 📺What is PoolTogether? | Leighton Cusack (Apr 2021)
- 📺The Bull Case for RocketPool
- 📄The Essential Guide to GMX
- 📄How to Trade Interest Rates with Voltz
- 📄Your Guide to the
Synthetix Ecosystem
What is yield farming:
- 📄A guide to Sustainable Yield Farming
- 📄How to avoid impermanent loss (Jul 2021)
- 📄Aquaponic Yield Farming
- 📄Yield Farming Games and the Yield Farming Premium
- 📄The Bear Case for Yield Farming
- 🎙️Growth Hacking DeFi | Dan Elitzer
- 🎙️Farming the Farmers | Andre Cronje
- 📺An example of yield farming on Curve Finance
Stablecoins, crypto’s killer app:
- 📄How to Use Decentralized Stablecoins
- 📄The Stablecoin Wars (May 2022)
- 📄Rise of the crypto dollar
- 📄Crypto fiat: mutualistic or parasitic? 🔥
- 📺Growing Dai to trillions | Steven Becker
- 📺UST: New Paradigm or Ticking Time Bomb?
4. NFTs
For everything on the world of non-fungible tokens:
- 🎙️The Bull Case for NFTs
- 📄The Digital Culture Revolution
- 📄What are CC0 (Creative Commons 0) NFTs?
- 📄The next big trend in music NFTs
- 📄Crypto will fix the music industry
- 📄Finding the XCOPY of Music NFTs
- 📄The Status of Web3 Social Media
- 📄The Decentralized Identity Revolution
- 📄Ultimate Guide to NFT-Fi
- 📺 You're Not Bullish Enough on NFTs with Punk6529
- 📺Opensea & The Business of NFTs with Devin Finzer
- 📺Building the Metaverse with Celestia’s Nick White
- 📺 How NFTs Can Empower Communities with Randi Zuckerberg
NFT tactics:
- 📄5 tips to spot the next big NFT
- 📄How to sweep NFT floors
- 📄How to get started with music NFTs
- 📄How to fractionalize NFTs
- 📄How to approach the generative art boom
- 📄How to make money on digital art
- 📄How to make money using Opensea
- 📄How to make money with digital art on Rarible
- 📄How to get exposure to CryptoPunks
- 📄How to get a loan on your NFT
- 📄How to value NFTs
- 📺How to build a bluechip NFT with Doodles Founder Jordan Castro
5. Blockchain Gaming & Collectibles
For everything about games being built on the blockchain:
- 📄Play to Earn is the Future of Gaming
- 📄The Promises of Blockchain Gaming
- 📄How to make money playing fantasy football
- 📄How to make money in crypto gaming 👈
- 📄How to make bank flipping crypto collectibles
- 📄How much do crypto gamers make?
- 📺Web3 Gaming 101 | Amy Wu
- 📺The Bull Case for TreasureDAO
- 📺Why gamers won’t hate NFTs forever | Justin Kan
- 📺What’s real about crypto gaming | Ryan Wyatt
- 📺Behind Axie Infinity’s Engine | Jiho
- 📺The Emerging Metaverse | Sam Englebardt & Richard Kim
6. Layer-2 Rollups
What are Layer-2 rollups and how are they scaling blockchains?
- 📄Why Layer 2s are the future
- 📄The Layer 2 Token Endgame
- 📄A Beginner’s Guide to StarkNet
- 📺Super Scaling with StarkWare
- 📄A Beginner's Guide to Optimism
- 📺An
Arbitrum Ecosystem Guide - 📄The best comparison on zkRollups today
- 📄Building Back Better with OP Stack
- 📺The zkEVM is here | zkSync’s Steve Newcomb
- 📺The zkEVM is here | Alex Gluchowski
- 📄When DeFi meets rollups
- 🎙️ Can Rollups Save Humanity?
Optimism Says Yes. - 🎙️ Building DeFi on Layer 2 | Synthetix, Loopring, Immutable
Layer-2 Rollups tactics:
- 📄5 Opportunities on Arbitrum right now
- 📄Best Yields on Layer 2 | Q1 2022
- 📄The best ways to invest in Layer 2
- 📄How to hop between chains
- 📄How to use zkSync
- 📄How to use StarkWare Layer 2s
- 📄How to get ready for L2 tokens
- 📄How to avoid gas fees with Loopring
7. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and Governance
DAOs will change the future of work. What are these new modes of organizations?
- 📄The Ultimate DAO Report
- 📄Why DAOs are the new firms
- 📄The Future of Work
- 📄What’s a SubDAO?
- 📄The Internet of Jobs is Coming
- 📄DAOs are the Opportunity of a Lifetime
- 📄Decentralizing capital flows for DAOs
- 🎙️How DAOs Will Change Everything
- 📺Gitcoin DAO with Kevin Owocki
DAO tactics:
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- 📄How to join a DAO
- 📄How to get paid by DAOs
- 📄How to build your on-chain resume
- 📄Your wallet is your resume
- 📄5 ways to earn by working for protocols
- 📄How to start a Moloch DAO
Metagovernance:
- 📄Ultimate Guide to Metagovernance
- 📄WTF are veTokens
- 📄How to take a DeFi governance bribe
- 📺The Curve Wars
Bankless DAO:
8. How to trade crypto?
While you learn the key concepts take time to level-up on the key skills so you can do things in the Bankless money system—pay, lend, borrow, earn, trade, and invest.
Basics
- 📄How to Onramp to Crypto without a CEX
- 📄How to dollar-cost average into crypto
- 📄How to make Decade Wealth in crypto
- 🎙️ The People’s Narrative | Ben Hunt
- 📺How Kevin Rose Invests in Web3
- 📺Timeless Wisdom for Crypto Investors | Jim O'Shaughnessy
- 📺Investing in Waves with Chris Burniske
Beginner Investing (how to structure your portfolio?):
- 📄How to ape responsibly (March 2022)
- 📄The best barbell strategy for crypto natives
- 📄Pick a time horizon
- 📄How to build a portfolio like a crypto native
- 📄Determine your risk tolerance
- 🎙️Investing in DeFi Paradigms | Charlies Noyes
Token valuation
- 📄How to Value NFT Fundamentals
- 📄A Framework for Evaluating Layer 1s
- 📄How to read on-chain data part 1 and part 2
- 📄Token metrics you should know when valuing DeFi tokens
- 📄How to think about crypto P/E
- 📄How to value crypto capital assets?
- 📄Cash flow tokens 101
- 📄A framework for token value flows
Classic How-To Tactics Tutorials
Pay & Receive:
- 📄How to get a crypto Visa
- 📄How to accept crypto payments
- 📄How to bank your business without a bank & multisig wallets 101
Lend & Borrow:
- 📄Lending crypto to institutions with Maple Finance
- 📄How to take out an interest-free loan with Liquity
- 📄How to take out self-repaying loans with Alchemix
- 📄How to get a DAI savings account and open a loan on Maker
- 📄How to margin trade without a brokerage using dYdX
- 📄How to create your own
Balancer pool and use Balancer V2 - 📄How to open an unsecured loan with Teller
- 📺How to lend on
Aave with Argent - 📺How to become a Uniswap LP with Argent
Earn:
- 📄How to Earn More Trading Fees on Uniswap
- 📄How to maximize your ETH staking yields
- 📄How to Earn Passive Yield on Your NFTs
- 📄How to go leveraged long on ETH
- 📄5 ways to earn fixed-rate yields on DeFi
- 📄How to earn high yields on BTC
- 📄How to make money on Synthetix
- 📄How to tokenize yourself 👈
- 📄How to make money trading stablecoins when they’re off their peg
Staking:
- 📄Is custodial staking bad for Ethereum?
- 📄How to stake any amount of ETH with liquid staking
- 📄The Future Of Liquid Staking
- 📺ETH Staking Panel with Coinbase, Lido, Rocket Pool
Structured financial products
- 📄Onchain-ing Everything with RWAs
- 📄Ultimate Guide to Undercollateralized Lending in DeFi
- 📄The Perks of Decentralized Perps
- 📄How to buy tokenized gold
- 📄A Guide to Options on Lyra
- 📄How to earn fixed yield on Barnbridge
- 📄A Guide to earning on dYdX
- 📄A Guide to Fixed Income on Element
- 📄Using automated options strategies with Ribbon Finance
- 📄How to leverage funding rates on perpetuals to earn yield
- 📄Advanced option strategies with Opyn
- 📄How to trade ETH and BTC perpetuals on
dYdX (📺 Video)
Betting
- 📄How to bet on DeFi with Polymarket
- 📄How to bet on DeFi with Augur v2
- 📺How to play
PoolTogether in Argent
Hedge and assess your risks:
- 📄Assess risk of lending to a protocol 👈
- 📄The only USD you own is cash
- 📄The final settlement layer
- 📄3 things DeFi can learn from the financial crisis 👈
- 📄How to protect your ETH with Opyn
- 📄How to protect against hacks with Nexus Mutual
- 📄How to Protect Against Stablecoin Blowups with Y2K Finance
9. Security and Privacy
Wallets & Addresses:
- 📄How to Prevent Crypto Wallet Hacks
- 📄How to take custody of your crypto keys
- 📄Top 10 Best Browser Crypto Wallets
- How To Setup a
Ledger Wallet - How to Back Up and Store Your Ledger
- How to Add & Swap Assets with Your Ledger
- How to Stake with Your Ledger
- How to Use DeFi & NFTs with Your Ledger
- 📄How to use a Lattice1 hardware wallet
- 📄How to get your first DeFi wallet
- 📄How to manage your wallet like a pro
- 📄How to maximize your
ENS domain - 📄How to use your .com as an ETH address
- 🎙️DeFi's Mainstream Wallet (Argent) | Itamar Lesuisse
- 📺AMA with Ledger | Charles Hamel
Privacy:
- 📄5 Tips to Maintain Your Crypto Privacy
- 📄How to Use DeFi Privately 🕵️
- 📄How to send private payments on Ethereum
- 📄How to use crypto without doxing yourself
- 📄How to stay private in DeFi with Email
- 📄How to keep your ETH address from privacy cavities
10. How to do crypto taxes
Break down the complexity of doing your taxes:
- Tax tracking: CoinTracking (advanced) or TokenTax (good DeFi support)
- Retirement account: RocketDollar (self-directed IRAs and 401ks)
- 📄The Ultimate Crypto Tax Guide
- 📄How to do crypto taxes for the lazy
- 📄How to do DeFi taxes
- 📄Tax shelter your crypto in an IRA
- 📄How to record your crypto for taxes
- 📄How to set up a crypto 401k for your side hustle
11. Getting a Job in Crypto
Check out the best jobs in crypto and DeFi on the Bankless Jobs Board!
- 📄5 Steps to Starting Your Crypto Career
- 📄How to get a job in crypto
- 📺Get a job in crypto
- 📺How to start coding in Web3 with Austin Griffith
12. Public Policy and Regulation
Crypto’s fight against central banks and regulation:
- 📄Crypto is winning over the regulators
- 📄Why CBDCs Are Not Your Friend
- 📄The rise of protocol politicians and the life of a protocol politician
- 📺Is the Fed Corrupt? with Christopher Leonard
- 📺The SEC Declares War on Crypto
- 📺EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) | Seth Hertlein, Patrick Hansen, & Rebecca Rettig
- 📺China’s Digital Currency Revolution | Richard Turrin
- 📺El Salvador Adopting Bitcoin | Nic Carter
- 📺Crypto in Ukraine with Ukraine Deputy Minister
- 📺Web3 Lobbying | Andrew Yang
- 📺Crypto in Washington | Congressman Tom Emmer
- 📺Getting Crypto into Congress | Aarika Rhodes
- 📺The Future of
Coinbase | Brian Armstrong - 📺Crypto is now a political movement
- 📺The State of Crypto Regulation | Jake Chervinsky
- 📺The SEC and DeFi | Hester Peirce
13. The Big Picture (Essential Editorials)
Paradigms:
Ethereum & Bitcoin are Digital Nations
- 📄A Bankless Nation (Part 1) and Part 2
- 📄The Three Nation Problem
- 📄The Digital Leviathan
- 📺Blockchains are Cities | Haseeb Qureshi
Economic bandwidth explains why ETH & BTC are irreplaceable as money
- 📄ETH and BTC are economic bandwidth
- 📄The trillion dollar case for ETH 🔥
- 📄ETH is irreplaceable
- 🎙️Economic Bandwidth
- 📺Does Decentralization Matter w/ Owocki & Turley
Protocol Sink Thesis explains why DeFi will win
- 📄The Great Protocol Sink
- 📄Global Public Goods and the Protocol Sink Thesis
- 🎙️The Protocol Sink Thesis
- 📺Settlement Assurances & the Protocol Sink Thesis
Crypto eating traditional finance:
- 📄 5 ways crypto is like early Visa
- 📄Ethereum will eat Wall Street’s settlement layer 🔥
- 📄Decentralizing the global credit system | Jason Jones
Scaling Ethereum:
- 📄Ultra scalable Ethereum (📺Video)
- 📄EVM Equivalence (Video)
- 📄The Empire Model for Blockchains
- 📄DeFi in ten years | Kain Warwick
- 📄What happens when you attack DeFi?
- 📄An Acid Test for Decentralization
- 📄Exploring the Dark Forest
- 🎙️ Exploring the Frontier | Erik Voorhees