Mainchain
The base blockchain layer where all transactions are processed and finalized.
Mainnet
An independent blockchain running on its own infrastructure, with its own native protocol.
Mainnet Swap
The migration of a crypto project from a third-party network (like Ethereum) to its own mainnet blockchain.
Maker Protocol (MakerDAO)
A decentralized protocol that lets users lock approved collateral to generate DAI, a stablecoin governed by MakerDAO.
Malware
Malicious software used by attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems or compromise data.
Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM)
A cyberattack where an attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters communication between two parties.
Margin Call
Occurs when a trader's account falls below the required collateral level, prompting the exchange or broker to request more funds.
Margin Trading
Trading with borrowed funds to amplify gains or losses, often subject to liquidation if the market moves against the position.
Market
A venue, online or physical, where buying and selling of goods or assets take place.
Market Balances
Unspent or remaining tokens after a DEX trade, held temporarily before being withdrawn or reused.
Market Capitalization (Market Cap / MCAP)
The total value of a cryptocurrency, calculated by multiplying circulating supply by the current price.
Market Maker, Market Taker
A maker sets the order price, while a taker executes an existing order at that price.
Market Making as a Service (MMaaS)
A service enabling token projects to automate their liquidity provision and trading strategies across exchanges.
Market Order (Market Buy / Market Sell)
An instruction to buy or sell a crypto asset immediately at the best available market price.
Market Signal
A data point or event that suggests a potential trading opportunity or directional bias in a market.
Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)
A European Union regulatory framework for crypto asset issuance, trading, and service provision.
Marlowe
A user-friendly programming language built on Cardano, designed for creating financial smart contracts without coding expertise.
Masternodes
Special full nodes with extra responsibilities, such as validating private transactions or participating in governance, often rewarded with a portion of block rewards.
Max Supply
The total number of coins that can ever exist for a given cryptocurrency, excluding those that have been burned.
Maximal Extractable Value (MEV)
The profit a miner or validator can earn by choosing, excluding, or reordering transactions within a block.
Medium of Exchange
A widely accepted asset or system used to facilitate trade between parties.
Megahashes Per Second (MH/s)
A measure of mining speed, indicating one million hash computations per second.
Meme Economy
A satirical ecosystem where internet memes are treated like speculative assets with perceived value.
Memecoin
A cryptocurrency inspired by a meme or joke, typically offering little intrinsic value but driven by community hype.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
A non-binding agreement between parties outlining shared intentions or principles.
Mempool
The temporary storage area where pending transactions wait before being confirmed and added to a blockchain.
Mercenary Capital
Short-term capital that chases temporary incentives or yield opportunities in new or high-APR DeFi protocols.
Merkle Tree
A data structure used to verify blockchain data integrity. Changes in any transaction propagate upward to the root hash.
MetaMask
A browser-based Ethereum wallet used to send, receive, and manage ETH and ERC-20 tokens.
Metatransaction
A method allowing one party to submit a blockchain transaction on behalf of another, often to cover gas costs.
Metaverse
A persistent virtual world where users can interact, socialize, and transact, often powered by blockchain-based assets.
Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS)
A service model providing tools for developers or brands to build custom virtual worlds with blockchain integration.
Metcalfe’s Law
A principle stating that the value of a network grows proportionally to the square of its number of users.
MEV Protection
Tools or protocols designed to prevent miners or validators from exploiting transaction order for profit.
Micro Cap
A cryptocurrency with a very small market capitalization, generally under $50 million, and high volatility.
MicroBitcoin (uBTC)
One-millionth of a bitcoin, or 0.000001 BTC. Not to be confused with similarly named Bitcoin forks.
Microchain
A lightweight blockchain that operates alongside others in a shared validator network, designed for scalability.
Micropayment
An online transaction involving a very small amount of money, often less than a cent.
Microtransaction
A small digital payment, typically used in games or content platforms for premium features or in-app items.
Mid Cap
Cryptocurrencies with a market capitalization between $1 billion and $10 billion, considered medium-risk assets.
MilliBitcoin (mBTC)
A unit representing one-thousandth of a bitcoin, or 0.001 BTC.
Mimetic Theory
A theory of human desire based on imitation, often applied to explain social influence and market trends in crypto.
Mineable
A cryptocurrency that can be generated through the process of mining, such as Bitcoin or Litecoin.
Miners
Participants who validate blockchain transactions and are rewarded with newly issued cryptocurrency or fees.
Minimum Collateralization Ratio (MCR)
The lowest required ratio of collateral to loan value, used to protect lenders or protocols from borrower default.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
An early version of a product released to test its core features and gather user feedback.
Mining
The process of verifying transactions and adding them to the blockchain, often involving computational work.
Mining Algorithm
The set of rules used by mining hardware to solve cryptographic problems and create new blocks.
Mining as a Service (MaaS)
A cloud-based mining model where users rent hardware or hash power from remote providers.
Mining Contract
An agreement between users and mining service providers for renting mining resources.
Mining Difficulty
A metric that adjusts based on network conditions, determining how hard it is to find a valid block hash.
Mining Farm
A facility with multiple mining rigs operated together to maximize profitability.
Mining Pool
A group of miners who combine resources to improve the chances of earning block rewards and share the profits.
Mining Reward
The compensation miners receive for successfully mining and validating a block.
Mining Rig
The hardware setup used specifically for mining cryptocurrencies.
Minnow
A slang term for a small-scale investor in crypto, typically someone with limited capital.
Minting
The creation of new tokens, often through staking or protocol issuance, and adding them to circulation.
Mnemonic Phrase
A sequence of words used to recover access to a crypto wallet. Should be kept secure and private.
Mnemonics
Memory aids used to store or recall sensitive wallet data. Often refers to the mnemonic recovery phrase.
Mobile Wallet
A cryptocurrency wallet that operates via a mobile device, allowing users to manage funds on the go.
Modular Proof Verification
A design where the task of validating ZK proofs is offloaded to separate services to improve scalability.
Moloch DAO
A DAO structure focused on Ethereum grants. Known for its rage-quit mechanism and simplicity.
Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
Singapore’s central bank and financial regulator, known for its progressive approach to digital assets.
Monetary Policy
The set of tools used by central banks to control money supply, interest rates, and inflation.
Money
A widely accepted asset used as a medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account.
Money Flow Index (MFI)
A volume-weighted technical indicator used to identify overbought or oversold conditions.
Money Laundering
The illegal process of making illicit funds appear legitimate by disguising their origin.
Money Market
A financial market where institutions lend and borrow short-term capital.
Money Transfer License (MTL)
A legal license required for businesses facilitating digital payments or remittances.
Money Transmitter
A company or individual authorized to handle electronic money transfers between parties.
Monopoly
A market structure in which one seller dominates supply, often leading to reduced competition and innovation.
Moon
Slang for a crypto asset experiencing or expected to experience a dramatic price surge.
Moore's Law
An observation that computing power doubles roughly every two years, with declining costs.
Motoko Programming Language (DFINITY)
A language for building apps on the Internet Computer blockchain, designed for canister smart contracts.
Move (Programming Language)
A resource-oriented programming language built for secure asset management, initially used by the Diem blockchain.
Move-to-Earn
A Web3 trend that rewards users with tokens for engaging in physical activity, like walking or running.
Moving Average (MA)
A technical indicator that smooths out price data to identify market trends over time.
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
A momentum indicator showing the relationship between two moving averages of price.
Mt. Gox
A once-dominant Bitcoin exchange that collapsed in 2014 after losing over 700,000 BTC due to a security breach.
Multi-Chain
A blockchain environment that supports interoperability and applications across multiple chains.
Multi-Coin Wallet
A crypto wallet that supports assets from multiple blockchains, allowing consolidated fund management.
Multi-level Marketing (MLM)
A controversial sales structure where participants earn commissions by recruiting others into the program.
Multi-Party Computation (MPC)
A cryptographic method allowing multiple parties to compute data collaboratively without exposing their inputs.
Multi-Party Computation as-a-Service
A cloud-based MPC model offering outsourced secure computation to enterprises or developers.
Multi-Signature (Multi-Sig)
A security method requiring more than one private key to authorize a crypto transaction.
Multiple Data Availability (MultiDA)
A blockchain design that distributes data across multiple DA layers to ensure redundancy and scalability.
Multisignature
A feature in crypto wallets that enhances security by requiring multiple approvals for transactions.
Mutual Credit Line
A system where users issue and receive credit within a network, balancing accounts without external currency.
My Story (VeChain)
A blockchain-based solution developed by DNV and VeChain that verifies product data and supply chain integrity.