FinTechTerms

Multilingual fintech glossary for academic and production-grade learning.

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Glossary index

Browse the full glossary with crawlable alphabetic sections.

Server-rendered fintech glossary directory with crawlable anchors across payments, open banking, crypto infrastructure, and finance.

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Cards and payments infrastructure

Card processing, merchant operations, acceptance, retries, settlement, and transaction optimization.

Open banking and payment rails

API-based banking access, real-time rails, standards, account-to-account payments, and recurring permissions.

RegTech and compliance controls

KYC, AML, reporting, authentication, regulatory sandboxes, and digital compliance infrastructure.

Crypto infrastructure

Blockchain execution, validation, scaling, privacy, account models, and protocol design.

Tokenization and real-world assets

Payment tokenization, asset tokenization, stable assets, and infrastructure that bridges on-chain and off-chain value.

Market microstructure and execution

Execution quality, spreads, liquidity, order flow, and algorithmic market behaviour.

Fraud, identity, and security

Authentication, wallet security, phishing, transaction approval risk, and user protection controls.

AI and data in finance

AI, analytics, predictive systems, and data infrastructure used in financial decision-making.

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A

A/B Testing

Comparing two versions to see which performs better.

Abstraction

Hiding complex logic.

Accelerator

Program for rapid startup growth.

Accessibility

Making web usable by everyone.

Account Abstraction

Smart contracts as wallets.

Account Updater

A service that refreshes expired or reissued card details for recurring billing merchants.

Accounts Payable

Money a company owes to its suppliers.

Accounts Receivable

Money owed to a company by its customers.

Accredited Investor

Investor allowed in risky deals.

Accrual

Recording revenue/expenses when earned, not when cash is received.

Accrual Accounting

Recording revenues when earned.

ACH

Automated Clearing House - US electronic payment network.

Acquirer

Bank processing payments for merchant.

Acquisition

One company buying another.

Active Income

Income from working.

Actuary

Professional who analyzes financial risk using statistics.

Address

String allowing receiving of crypto.

Adware

Software showing unwanted ads.

AGI

Artificial General Intelligence; human-level AI.

Agile

Iterative software development methodology.

AI

Simulation of human intelligence by machines.

Air Gap

Offline security measure.

Airbnb

Home-sharing platform.

Airdrop

Free distribution of cryptocurrency.

Alan Turing

Father of computer science.

Algorithm

Set of rules to solve a problem.

Algorithm Trading

Trading by algorithms.

Algorithmic Stablecoin

Stablecoin maintaining peg via algorithms.

Algorithmic Trading

Trading using automated algorithms.

Alpha

Excess return over benchmark.

Altcoin

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

Amazon

E-commerce and cloud giant.

AMD

Semiconductor company rival to Intel.

AML

Anti Money Laundering.

AMM

Automated Market Maker.

Ammortization

Paying off debt over time.

Amortization

Spreading cost of intangible assets over time.

Android

Mobile OS by Google.

Angel Investor

Individual providing capital for startup.

Annuity

Fixed sum paid yearly.

Anti Money Laundering

Laws against clean dirty money.

API

Application Programming Interface.

API Banking

Banking services provided via APIs.

APK

Android Package Kit.

AppChain

A blockchain designed for a specific application or protocol rather than general-purpose usage.

Apple

Tech giant known for iPhone.

Appraisal

Assessment of property value.

Appreciation

Increase in currency value.

APR

Annual Percentage Rate.

APY

Annual Percentage Yield.

AR

Augmented Reality; digital overlay on real world.

Arbitrage

Profiting from price differences in markets.

Arbitrum

Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum.

Array

Collection of items.

Artificial Intelligence

Intelligence demonstrated by machines.

ASCII

Character encoding standard.

Ask Price

Lowest price a seller will accept.

Asset

Resource with economic value that an individual or corporation owns.

Asset Allocation

Strategy of dividing investment portfolio.

Asset Turnover

Revenue / Total Assets.

Asset-backed Token

Token backed by physical assets.

Asymmetric Encryption

Encryption using public and private keys.

Asymmetric Information

One party knows more.

ATH

All Time High.

ATL

All Time Low.

ATM

Automated Teller Machine.

Atomic Swap

Exchanging cryptos without intermediaries.

Audit

Official examination of financial accounts.

Audit Trail

Records showing history of transactions.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Interactive experience of real-world environment.

Austerity

Cutting govt spending.

Automation

Use of equipment to reduce human intervention.

Automation RPA

Robotic Process Automation.

Autonomous Vehicle

Self-driving car.

Avalanche

Smart contracts platform with fast finality.

B

B2B

Business to Business.

B2C

Business to Consumer.

BaaS

Banking as a Service.

Backend

Server-side of an application.

BACS

Bankers Automated Clearing Services.

Bag Holder

Investor holding assets that lost value.

Bagholder

Person holding worthless assets.

Balance

Amount of money in account.

Balance Sheet

Financial statement showing assets, liabilities, and equity.

Bandwidth

Maximum data transfer rate.

Banker's Draft

Check guaranteed by bank.

Banking-as-a-Service

Platform enabling non-banks to offer banking services.

Bankruptcy

Legal proceeding for insolvency.

Barter

Trading goods for goods.

Base Layer

L1 blockchain.

Basel III

Global banking regulatory framework.

Basis Point

One hundredth of one percent.

Bear Market

Market condition where prices are falling.

Bear Trap

False signal causing sell-off before rise.

Behavioral Finance

Psychology in financial decisions.

Benchmarking

Comparing performance against best practices.

Beneficiary

Person receiving payout.

BEP-20

Token standard on Binance Smart Chain.

Beta

Measure of volatility vs market.

Beta Slippage

Decay in leveraged ETFs.

BIC

Bank Identifier Code.

Bid Price

Highest price a buyer will pay.

Big Data

Large, complex datasets.

Big Mac Index

Informal way to measure PPP.

Big O

Notation for complexity.

Big O Notation

Describing algorithm performance.

Bill Gates

Co-founder of Microsoft.

Bill of Lading

Receipt for cargo shipment.

Bin/Cue

Disc image formats.

Binary

System using 0 and 1.

Binary Tree

Tree with two children max.

Bioinformatics

Using software to analyze biological data.

Biometric Auth

Identity proof via biology.

Biometric Authentication

Verification using unique biological characteristics.

Biometrics

Body measurements and calculations.

BIOS

Basic Input/Output System.

Biotech

Tech based on biology.

Bit

0 or 1.

Bitcoin

First decentralized digital currency.

Bitcoin Layer 2

A protocol built above Bitcoin to improve scalability, programmability, or settlement speed.

BitVM

A proposed computation framework that expands what can be verified with Bitcoin scripts.

Black Hat

Malicious hacker.

Black Market

Illegal trade market.

Black Swan

Unpredictable event with huge impact.

Black-Scholes

Model for pricing options.

Blind Signing

Signing a transaction without fully decoding and reviewing the human-readable contents.

Blobspace

Data storage for rollups.

Block Explorer

Tool to view blockchain data.

Block Height

Number of blocks in chain.

Block Reward

Coins awarded to miner.

Block Time

Time taken to generate a new block.

Blockchain

Distributed ledger technology recording transactions.

Blue Chip

Stock of a large, reliable corporation.

Blue Ocean

Uncontested market space.

Bluetooth

Short-range wireless tech.

BNPL

Buy Now, Pay Later.

Board of Directors

Group elected to represent shareholders.

Bond

Loan made by an investor to a borrower.

Book Value

Value of asset on balance sheet.

Boolean

True or False.

Bootstrapping

Starting business with personal finances.

Botnet

Network of infected computers controlled by attacker.

Branch

Separate line of development.

Break-even Point

Point where revenue equals costs.

Bretton Woods

1944 monetary agreement.

Bridge

Connection to transfer assets between chains.

Brute Force

Guessing passwords by trying all combinations.

Budget

Estimate of income and expenditure.

Budgeting

Creating a plan for spending money.

Buffer

Temp storage for data transfer.

Bug

Error in software.

Bug Tracking

Managing software bugs.

Bugs Bounty

Reward for finding bugs.

Bull Market

Market condition where prices are rising.

Bull Trap

False signal causing buying before drop.

Burn Rate

Rate at which cash is spent.

Business Intelligence

Technologies for analyzing business data.

Buy Now Pay Later

Payment option allowing purchases with deferred payments.

Buyback

Project buying its own tokens.

Byte

Unit of digital information.

Bytecode

Intermediate code.

C

C++

High-performance language.

CAC

Customer Acquisition Cost.

Cache

Temporary storage for fast data access.

Caching

Storing data for faster access.

CAGR

Compound Annual Growth Rate.

Call Option

Right to buy.

Callable Bond

Bond issuer can redeem early.

Candlestick

Chart showing price movement over time period.

CAPEX

Capital Expenditures.

Capital Controls

Limits on flow of foreign money.

Capital Gain

Profit from selling an asset.

Capital Gains

Profit from selling an asset for more than purchase price.

Capital Gains Tax

Tax on profit from asset sale.

Capital Loss

Loss from selling an asset.

CAPM

Capital Asset Pricing Model.

Cardano

Proof-of-Stake blockchain platform.

Carried Interest

Profit share for fund managers.

Cash Account

Account without leverage.

Cash Cow

Business unit generating steady cash.

Cash Flow

The total amount of money being transferred into and out of a business.

Cash Flow Statement

Report of cash inflows/outflows.

Cashier's Check

Check drawn on bank's funds.

CBDC

Central Bank Digital Currency.

CDN

Content Delivery Network for fast content distribution.

CDO

Collateralized Debt Obligation.

CDS

Credit Default Swap; insurance against default.

Central Bank

Institution that manages a state's currency and monetary policy.

Centralization

Concentration of power.

CEO

Chief Executive Officer.

CEX

Centralized Exchange.

CFO

Chief Financial Officer.

Challenger Bank

New bank challenging big banks.

Chargeback

Reversal of a card payment.

Chatbot

AI software for chat.

Cheque

Paper order to pay money.

Chinese Wall

Barrier to info flow in bank.

CHIPS

Clearing House Interbank Payments System.

Churn Rate

Rate at which customers stop subscribing.

CI/CD

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment.

Circuit Breaker

Halting trade to stop panic.

Circulating Supply

Number of tokens currently available.

Claim

Formal request for payment under insurance policy.

Class

Blueprint for creating objects.

Clawback

Reclaiming money given.

Clearing House

Intermediary settling trades.

CLI

Command Line Interface.

Client

Computer hardware/software accessing a server.

Cliff

Period before vesting starts.

Clock Speed

Speed of processor.

Cloud Computing

Delivery of computing services over the internet.

Co-pay

Fixed fee paid by patient.

Code Review

Peer review of source code.

Codec

Device/program to encode data.

Cold Storage

Keeping crypto offline.

Cold Wallet

Offline storage for cryptocurrency.

Collateral

Asset pledged to secure a loan.

Collateral Factor

Percentage of collateral value that can be borrowed.

Commit

Saving changes to code.

Commodity

Basic good like oil or gold.

Compilation

Translating code to machine language.

Compiler

Translates code to machine lang.

Complementary Good

Good used with another.

Complexity

Efficiency of algorithm.

Compliance

Adherence to laws, regulations, and guidelines.

Compound Interest

Interest on interest.

Computer Vision

Computers understanding images.

Concurrency

Dealing with multiple tasks.

Conditional

If-then logic.

Confirmation

Block added after transaction.

Confluence

Collaboration wiki tool.

Consensus Algorithm

Mechanism to agree on data.

Consensus Mechanism

Method used to achieve agreement on the blockchain.

Contactless

Payment without inserting card.

Contactless Payment

Payment without physical contact using NFC technology.

Container

Package of software with all dependencies.

Containerization

Bundling app with dependencies.

Conversion Rate

Percentage of users taking desired action.

Convertible Bond

Bond converting to stock.

Convexity

Measure of curvature of price-yield relationship.

COO

Chief Operating Officer.

Cookie

Small data stored on user's computer.

Copy Trading

Auto-executing copied trades.

Copyright

Legal right to print/publish material.

Corporate Tax

Tax on company profits.

Correction

Temporary price decline.

Correspondent Bank

Bank providing services to another.

Cosmos

Internet of Blockchains.

Coupon

Interest payment on a bond.

CPU

Central Processing Unit.

Credit

Entry recording a sum received.

Credit Rating

Evaluation of creditworthiness.

Credit Risk

Risk of borrower defaulting on loan obligations.

Credit Score

Measure of an individual's creditworthiness.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management system.

Cross-border Payment

Payment sent from one country to another.

Cross-Chain

Interoperability between blockchains.

Crowdfunding

Raising money from many people online.

Crowdsourcing

Obtaining services from crowd.

Crypto Bridge

Protocol connecting two different blockchains.

Cryptocurrency

Digital or virtual currency secured by cryptography.

Cryptojacking

Using others hardware to mine.

CSR

Client-Side Rendering.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets.

CSV

Comma Separated Values.

CTO

Chief Technology Officer.

Currency

System of money.

Currency Swap

Exchange of principal/interest in currencies.

Current Ratio

Current assets / Current liabilities.

Cybersecurity

Practice of protecting systems from digital attacks.

Cyclical Stock

Stock following economy.

D

DAO

Organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program.

DAO Proposal

Suggestion submitted to a DAO for voting.

DApp

Decentralized Application running on a blockchain.

Dark Data

Data collected but not used.

Dark Mode

User interface color scheme.

Dark Pool

Private exchange for trading securities.

Dark Web

Encrypted network not indexed by search engines.

Data Availability

Guarantee that data is published.

Data Breach

Security incident exposing confidential information.

Data Lake

Storage for raw data.

Data Mining

Discovering patterns in large datasets.

Data Scientist

Expert analyzing complex data.

Data Visualization

Graphical representation of information and data.

Data Warehouse

System for data reporting.

Database

Organized collection of data.

Day Trading

Buying and selling same day.

DCA

Dollar Cost Averaging.

DCF

Discounted Cash Flow.

DDos

Distributed Denial of Service attack.

Dead Cat Bounce

Temporary recovery in a bear market.

Deadlock

Processes waiting for each other.

Debit

Entry recording an amount owed.

Debugging

Process of finding bugs.

Decacorn

Startup valued over $10 billion.

Decentralization

Transfer of authority from central entity.

Decentralized Exchange (DEX)

Exchange operating without a central authority.

Decentralized Identifier (DID)

Self-sovereign digital identity on blockchain.

Decentralized Identity

Identity owned by user.

Decryption

Decoding information.

Deductible

Amount paid out of pocket before insurance covers.

Deduction

Amount subtracted from taxable income.

Deep Learning

ML using neural networks with multiple layers.

Deep Web

Part of web not indexed by search engines.

Deepfake

AI-generated fake video/audio.

Default

Failure to repay a loan.

Defensive Stock

Stock stable in downturn.

DeFi

Decentralized Finance; financial services without intermediaries.

Deficit

Spending exceeds revenue.

Deflation

Decrease in the general price level of goods and services.

Demand

Desire to buy goods.

DePin

Decentralized Physical Infra.

Deployment

Making software available for use.

Deposit

Money placed in a bank account.

Depreciation

Allocating cost of tangible assets over useful life.

Depression

Severe and prolonged recession.

Derivative

Contract deriving value from an underlying asset.

Design Pattern

Reusable solution to common problems.

Devaluation

Official lowering of currency value.

DevOps

Practices combining software development and IT operations.

DEX

Decentralized Exchange.

DEX Aggregator

Service finding best swap rates.

DHCP

Assigns IP addresses.

Diamond Hands

Investors who hold despite volatility.

Difficulty

How hard it is to mine a block.

Difficulty Adjustment

Changing mining difficulty to keep block time constant.

Digital Asset

Intangible asset in digital form.

Digital Banking

Banking services delivered digitally without physical branches.

Digital Signature

Mathematical scheme for verifying authenticity.

Digital Transformation

Integration of digital technology into business.

Digital Twin

Virtual replica of a physical object.

Digital Wallet

Electronic device or app storing payment information.

Dip

Temporary drop in price.

Direct Debit

Automatic payment from bank account.

Direct Listing

Listing without IPO underwriters.

Disruption

Innovation creating a new market.

Distributed Ledger

Database shared across network.

Diversification

Spreading investments to reduce risk.

Dividend

Distribution of profits by a corporation to its shareholders.

Dividend Aristocrat

Company increasing dividends 25y.

Dividend Yield

Dividend per share divided by price.

DMG

Disk Image (macOS).

DNS

Domain Name System.

Docker

Platform for developing and running containerized apps.

DOCX

Microsoft Word document.

Dodd-Frank

US financial reform act.

DOM

Document Object Model; HTML structure.

Double Entry

Every entry has a debit and credit.

Dow Jones

Index of 30 major US stocks.

DPoS

Delegated Proof of Stake.

Driver

Software controlling hardware.

Drone

Unmanned aerial vehicle.

DSO

Days Sales Outstanding.

Due Diligence

Comprehensive appraisal of a business.

Duration

Sensitivity of bond price to interest rates.

Dust Attack

Sending tiny amounts of crypto to track wallets.

Dusting Attack

Sending tiny crypto to track user.

DYOR

Do Your Own Research.

E

E-commerce

Buying and selling online.

EBITDA

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization.

ECB

European Central Bank.

Eclipse Attack

Isolating a node from the network.

ECN

Electronic Communication Network.

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages due to scale.

EDD

Enhanced Due Diligence.

Edge Computing

Computing near the source of data.

Efficient Market

Hypothesis that prices reflect all info.

EIP

Ethereum Improvement Proposal.

Elasticity

Measure of a variable's sensitivity to a change in another variable.

Elon Musk

CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

Embedded Finance

Integration of financial services into non-financial platforms.

Embedded Insurance

Insurance bundled with product purchase.

Embezzlement

Stealing funds you manage.

Emergency Fund

Money set aside for unexpected expenses.

Encapsulation

Bundling data and methods.

Encryption

Encoding information.

Entanglement

Quantum correlation between particles.

Enterprise Value

Total value of a company.

Epoch

Time period in blockchain protocols.

EPS

Earnings Per Share.

Equilibrium

Where supply meets demand.

Equity

The value of an owner's interest in an asset.

Equity Token

Token representing stock in a company.

ERC-1155

Multi-token standard managing multiple token types.

ERC-20

Standard for fungible tokens on Ethereum.

ERC-721

Standard for non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning software.

Escrow

Third party holding funds.

Escrow Account

Funds held by third party.

Estate Planning

Preparing for asset transfer after death.

ETF

Exchange Traded Fund.

Ethereum

Blockchain platform enabling smart contracts.

ETL

Extract, Transform, Load.

EVM

Ethereum Virtual Machine.

Exception

Problem occurring during execution.

Exchange

Platform for trading assets.

Exchange Rate

Value of one currency vs another.

Excise Tax

Tax on specific goods.

Exclusion

What insurance won't cover.

EXE

Executable file (Windows).

Exit Scam

Project shutting down and stealing funds.

Exit Strategy

Plan to sell company ownership.

Expense

Cost incurred to generate revenue.

Exploit

Code taking advantage of a vulnerability.

F

Factoring

Selling invoices for cash.

Family Office

Wealth management for rich family.

Faster Payments

UK real-time payment system.

Faucet

Site giving free crypto.

FDV

Fully Diluted Valuation.

Federal Funds Rate

Interest rate for banks lending to other banks.

Federal Reserve

Central bank of the US.

Fedwire

Real-time settlement system by Fed.

Fee

Payment for service.

Fiat Currency

Government-issued currency not backed by gold.

Fiat Money

Govt issued currency not backed by gold.

Fiat Off-Ramp

Service to sell crypto for fiat.

Fiat On-Ramp

Service to buy crypto with fiat.

FICO

Popular credit scoring model.

Fiduciary

Acting in best interest of client.

FIFO

First In, First Out.

Filecoin

Decentralized storage network.

Fill or Kill

Execute totally or cancel.

Financial Independence

Having enough wealth to live without working.

Fintech

Financial Technology; innovation in financial services.

FIRE

Financial Independence, Retire Early.

Firewall

Network security system monitoring incoming/outgoing traffic.

Firmware

Software embedded in hardware.

Fiscal Policy

Use of government spending and tax policies to influence economic conditions.

Fiscal Year

Year used for accounting purposes.

Fixed Cost

Cost that remains constant.

Flash Loan

Uncollateralized loan repaid in same transaction.

Flippening

Ethereum market cap surpassing Bitcoin.

Float

Number with decimal point.

FOMO

Fear Of Missing Out.

Foreclosure

Lender taking possession of mortgaged property.

Foreign Key

Field linking to the primary key of another table.

Forex

Foreign Exchange market.

Forfaiting

Purchase of exporter receivables.

Fork

Split in the blockchain network.

Forward Contract

Custom contract to buy/sell later.

Forward Guidance

Central bank signaling future policy.

Fractional Reserve

Banks keep only fraction of deposits.

Fractional Shares

Owning a part of a whole share.

Framework

Platform for developing software.

Free Cash Flow

Cash available for investors.

Freemium

Free basic services, paid premium features.

Front Running

Trading based on advance info.

Front-running

Trading based on advanced knowledge of pending transactions.

Frontend

Client-side of an application.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol.

FUD

Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.

Full Stack

Development of both frontend and backend.

Fully Diluted Valuation

Market cap if all tokens flowed.

Function

Block of code to perform task.

Fundamental Analysis

Evaluating value based on data.

Futures

Contract to buy/sell later.

Futures Contract

Agreement to buy or sell an asset at a future date.

Futures ETF

ETF investing in futures contracts.

G

GAAP

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

Game Theory

Math of strategic decision making.

GameFi

Gaming plus Finance.

Garbage Collection

Automatic memory management.

Gas Fee

Transaction fee on Ethereum network.

Gas Limit

Max gas user is willing to pay.

Gas Price

Cost per unit of gas.

Gas War

Users bidding high gas fees to verify ASAP.

GDP

Gross Domestic Product.

GDP Per Capita

GDP divided by population.

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation.

Gearing

Debt to equity ratio.

General Ledger

Master record of all financial transactions.

Generative AI

AI creating new content.

Genesis Block

First block of a blockchain.

Genomics

Study of genomes.

GIF

Animated image format.

Giffen Good

Demand rises with price (necessity).

Gig Economy

Labor market of freelance jobs.

Gini Coefficient

Measure of inequality.

Git

Distributed version control system.

GitHub

Platform for hosting code.

GitLab

DevOps platform with Git.

Go

Language by Google.

Gold Standard

Currency backed by gold.

Golden Parachute

Large payment to executive if dismissed.

Google

Tech giant known for search.

Gossip Protocol

Network protocol for peer communication.

Governance Token

Token giving voting rights in a DAO.

GPU

Graphics Processing Unit.

Grace Hopper

Pioneer of computer programming.

Grace Period

Time to pay without penalty.

Graph

Nodes connected by edges.

GraphQL

Query language for APIs.

Green Tech

Tech that is environmentally friendly.

Grey Market

Unofficial but not illegal trade.

Gross Domestic Product

Total value of goods produced.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Total value of goods and services produced in a country.

Gross Margin

Revenue minus cost of goods sold (COGS).

Gross National Product (GNP)

Total value of goods and services produced by a country's residents.

Growth Stock

Stock expected to grow fast.

GTC

Good Till Cancelled.

GUI

Graphical User Interface.

Gwei

Billion wei; used for gas prices.

H

Hadoop

Framework for distributed storage and processing.

Hallucination (AI)

AI generating false information confidently.

Halving

Event reducing mining rewards by half.

Hard Cap

Maximum money a project wants to raise.

Hard Fork

Radical change to blockchain rules.

Hardware

Physical parts of computer.

Hardware Wallet

Device for storing keys.

Hash

Output of a hash function.

Hash Function

Function mapping data to fixed size.

Hash Map

Key-value store.

Hash Rate

Measuring power of the network.

Hash Table

Key-value store.

Hashing

Converting input into fixed size string.

HD Wallet

Hierarchical Deterministic wallet.

HDD

Hard Disk Drive.

Health Insurance

Insurance covering medical expenses.

Heap

Tree-based structure.

Hedge Fund

Alternative investment pooling capital from accredited investors.

Hedging

Strategy to offset potential losses in investments.

Helicopter Money

Direct payments to citizens.

Heuristic

Mental shortcut for decision making.

Hexadecimal

Base-16 number system.

HFT

High Frequency Trading.

High Frequency Trading

Ultra-fast automated trading.

High Net Worth

High Net Worth Individual.

High Water Mark

Peak value of a fund.

High-Frequency Trading (HFT)

Trading using powerful computers at high speed.

HODL

Slang for holding crypto rather than selling.

Holding Company

Company owning other companies.

Honeypot

Trap for hackers or investors.

Hostile Takeover

Acquisition of a company against management wishes.

Hot Storage

Storing crypto online.

Hot Wallet

Crypto wallet connected to the internet.

Howey Test

Test to determine if an asset is a security.

HR

Human Resources department.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

HTTPS

Secure HTTP.

Hurdle Rate

Min return needed for profit fee.

Hybrid Cloud

Mix of public and private clouds.

Hyperinflation

Extremely rapid and out-of-control inflation.

Hypervisor

Software creating VMs.

I

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service.

IBAN

International Bank Account Number for cross-border transactions.

ICO

Initial Coin Offering.

IDE

Integrated Development Environment.

IDO

Initial DEX Offering.

IEO

Initial Exchange Offering.

IFRS

Intl Financial Reporting Standards.

IMAP

Protocol for retrieving email.

Immutable

Impossible to change over time.

Impermanent Loss

Loss sending when liquidity mining.

Income Statement

Report of financial performance.

Income Tax

Tax on personal earnings.

Incubator

Org helping new startups develop.

Index

Measure of market section performance.

Index Fund

Fund tracking market index.

Inferior Good

Demand falls with income.

Inflation

A sustained increase in the general price level.

Inheritance

Class deriving from another.

Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

Crowdfunding via crypto.

Initial DEX Offering (IDO)

Token sale on a decentralized exchange.

Initial Exchange Offering (IEO)

Token sale conducted on an exchange.

Innovation

New method, idea, or product.

Insider Trading

Trading on non-public info.

Insolvency

Inability to pay debts.

Instant Payment

Real-time payment processed within seconds.

Insurance Protocol

DeFi protocol offering insurance coverage.

Insurtech

Technology innovations in the insurance industry.

Integer

Whole number.

Intel

Semiconductor chip manufacturer.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Creations of the mind.

Interchange Fee

Fee paid between banks.

Interest

Cost of borrowing.

Interest Rate

Cost of borrowing money.

Internet

Global network of computers.

Interoperability

Ability of systems to work together.

Interpretation

Executing code line by line.

Interpreter

Executes code line by line.

Inventory

Goods held for sale.

Inventory Turnover

Sales / Average Inventory.

Investment Banking

Creating capital for companies.

Invisible Hand

Self-regulating market force.

iOS

Mobile OS by Apple.

IoT

Internet of Things.

IP

Internet Protocol.

IP Address

Unique address of a device.

IPA

iOS App Store Package.

IPFS

InterPlanetary File System; decentralized storage.

IPO

Initial Public Offering - first sale of stock to the public.

IRA

Individual Retirement Account.

ISO

Disk image of an optical disc.

ISO 20022

Standard for financial messaging.

ISP

Internet Service Provider.

Issuer

Bank that issues the credit card.

L

Laffer Curve

Tax rate vs tax revenue.

Laissez Faire

Free market with no intervention.

Landlord

Owner of rented property.

Latency

Time for data to travel.

Layer 0

Network infrastructure underlying Layer 1 blockchains.

Layer 1

Base blockchain protocol.

Layer 2

Protocol built on top of a blockchain.

Layer 3

App-specific chains on L2.

LBO

Leveraged Buyout; buying with borrowed money.

Lease

Contract renting property.

Ledger

Book of financial accounts.

Leech

Downloading without sharing.

Legacy Code

Old code still in use.

Letter of Credit

Bank guarantee for payment.

Leverage

Using borrowed capital to increase investment potential.

Liability

Something a person or company owes, usually a sum of money.

Liability Insurance

Insurance covering legal responsibility for harm to others.

Libor

London Interbank Offered Rate.

Library

Collection of pre-written code.

License

Permission to use software.

Life Insurance

Insurance paying beneficiaries upon policyholder death.

Lifestyle Inflation

Spending more as income increases.

LIFO

Last In, First Out.

Light Client

Wallet downloading only block headers.

Lightning Network

Layer 2 payment protocol.

Limit Order

Order to buy/sell at a specific price or better.

Line of Credit

Flexible loan amount.

Linked List

Linear collection of nodes.

Linker

Program linking object files.

Linus Torvalds

Creator of Linux and Git.

Linux

Open-source OS kernel.

Liquid Staking

Staking while keeping liquidity.

Liquidate

To convert assets into cash.

Liquidation

Selling off assets to pay creditors.

Liquidation Threshold

Point at which collateral is sold to cover debt.

Liquidity

Ease with which an asset can be converted into cash.

Liquidity Mining

Earning tokens by providing liquidity.

Liquidity Pool

Collection of funds locked in a smart contract.

Liquidity Risk

Risk of not being able to sell.

Litecoin

Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, silver to Bitcoin's gold.

LLM

Large Language Model.

Load Balancer

Distributes network traffic across multiple servers.

Load Balancing

Distributing traffic across servers.

Loan Shark

Illegal moneylender.

Local Storage

Storage in browser.

Lock-up Period

Period executing cannot sell.

Logic Gate

Building block of digital circuit.

Logistics

Management of flow of goods.

Long Position

Buying a security with the expectation it will rise in value.

Longing

Betting on an asset rising.

Loop

Repeating code block.

Loss

Financial deficit.

Loss Leader

Product sold at loss to attract customers.

Lot

Standardized quantity of a financial instrument.

LTE

Long Term Evolution (4G).

LTV

Lifetime Value of a customer.

M

MACD

Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator.

Machine Learning

AI that learns from data.

macOS

OS by Apple.

Macroeconomics

Study of economy as a whole.

Magnet Link

Link to download torrent without file.

Mainnet

The primary blockchain network.

Malware

Malicious software.

Man-in-the-Middle

Attacker intercepts communication between two parties.

Margin Account

Account allowing borrowing.

Margin Call

Demand from a broker to deposit more money to cover losses.

Marginal Utility

Benefit from one more unit.

Market Cap

Total value of a company's outstanding shares.

Market Dominance

Percentage of total market cap held by one coin.

Market Maker

Firm providing liquidity by buying and selling.

Market Order

Order to buy/sell immediately at current price.

Market Risk

Risk of losses due to market price movements.

Masternode

Server validating transactions.

Maturity

Date when bond principal is repaid.

Max Supply

Maximum limit of coins that will ever exist.

Maximalist

Believer that only one crypto matters.

Memecoin

Crypto based on a meme.

Mempool

Holding area for unconfirmed transactions.

Mercantilism

Economic theory of accumulating wealth.

Merchant

Business that sells goods/services.

Merchant Account

Bank account allowing businesses to accept card payments.

Merchant Banking

Banking for large corporations.

Merchant of Record

The legal entity that sells to the customer and assumes payment, tax, and compliance responsibility.

Merge

Combining code branches.

Merger

Combination of two companies.

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)

Consolidation of companies or assets.

Merkle Tree

Tree of cryptographic hashes.

Meta

Parent company of Facebook.

Metaverse

Virtual reality space in which users interact.

Metaverse Finance

Financial activities within virtual worlds.

Metric

Standard of measurement.

MEV

Maximal Extractable Value.

MiCA

Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.

Micro-investing

Investing very small amounts of money.

Microeconomics

Study of individual decisions.

Microfinance

Banking services for low-income individuals.

Microservices

Architecture where apps are built as small, independent services.

Microsoft

Software giant behind Windows.

MiFID II

EU regulation for investment services.

Miner

One who validates blocks.

Mining

Process of validating transactions and creating new coins.

Mining Pool

Group of miners working together.

Mobile Banking

Banking via mobile app.

Modem

Device connecting to ISP.

Modular Blockchain

Separating execution from consensus.

MoM

Month over Month growth.

Monero (XMR)

Private, secure, and untraceable currency.

Monetary Policy

Central bank actions to manage money supply.

Monetization

Process of earning revenue from an asset.

Money Laundering

Concealing origins of illegally obtained money.

MongoDB

Popular NoSQL database.

Monolith

Single-tiered software application.

Monopoly

A market structure characterized by a single seller.

Mooning

Price going up extremely high.

Moore's Law

Observation that computing power doubles every 2 years.

Moral Hazard

Taking risk because others pay.

Mortgage

Loan to buy real estate.

Motherboard

Main circuit board.

Moving Average

Average price over a specific number of periods.

MP3

Audio file format.

MP4

Video file format.

MR

Mixed Reality; interaction between real and digital.

Multi-Cloud

Using services from multiple cloud providers.

Multisig

Wallet requiring multiple keys.

Multisig Wallet

Wallet requiring multiple signatures to send funds.

Mutex

Mutual exclusion object.

Mutual Fund

Pool of money from investors to buy securities.

MVC

Model-View-Controller architecture.

MVP

Minimum Viable Product.

MVVM

Model-View-ViewModel architecture.

P

P/E Ratio

Price to Earnings ratio.

P2P Lending

Lending money to individuals without financial institutions.

P2P Network

Network of peers sharing resources.

PaaS

Platform as a Service.

Paper Wallet

Physical printout of keys.

Parallelism

Executing tasks simultaneously.

Parametric Insurance

Payout based on event trigger.

Pareto Efficiency

Cannot help one without hurting another.

Passive Income

Income requiring little effort.

Patch Menganement

Process of applying updates to software.

Patent

Legal right to make/sell an invention.

Payment Facilitator

A provider that enables sub-merchants to accept card payments under a master merchant account.

Payment Gateway

Service processing credit card transactions.

Payment Orchestration

The coordination layer that routes, retries, and optimizes transactions across multiple payment providers.

Payout Ratio

Percentage of earnings paid as dividends.

Payroll

List of employees and their wages.

Paytech

Technology for payments.

PCI DSS

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

PDF

Portable Document Format.

Peer

User sharing/downloading files.

Peer Review

Evaluation by others in the same field.

Peer-to-Peer

Decentralized interactions.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

Direct interaction between two parties.

Peer-to-Peer Insurance

Individuals pooling risk.

Peer-to-Peer Lending

Direct lending between individuals without banks.

PEG Ratio

P/E ratio divided by growth rate.

Penetration Testing

Simulated cyberattack to find vulnerabilities.

Penny Stock

Low-priced, speculative stock.

Pension

Fund for retirement income.

Pension Fund

Fund for retirement.

PEP

Politically Exposed Person.

Phillips Curve

Relation between inflation and unemployment.

Phishing

Fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information.

PHP

Server-side scripting language.

PIN

Personal Identification Number.

Pip

Smallest unit of price change in Forex.

Pivot

Change in business strategy.

Pixel

Smallest unit of image.

PNG

Image format supporting transparency.

PoA

Proof of Authority.

Pointer

Variable storing memory address.

Poison Pill

Tactic to prevent takeover.

Policy

Contract between insurer and policyholder.

Policyholder

Person owning insurance.

Polkadot

Protocol connecting different blockchains.

Polymorphism

Objects taken on many forms.

Ponzi Scheme

Paying old investors with new money.

Ponziruse

Fraudulent investment paying early investors with new money.

Portfolio

A collection of financial investments.

POS

Point of Sale.

PostgreSQL

Advanced open source relational database.

PPP

Purchasing Power Parity.

Predatory Lending

Unfair loan terms.

Prediction Market

Market betting on outcomes of future events.

Predictive Analytics

Using data to predict future outcomes.

Premium

Amount paid for an insurance policy.

Price to Book

Market price / Book value.

Price to Sales

Market cap / Revenue.

Primary Key

Unique identifier for a record in a table.

Principal

Original sum invested/lent.

Privacy Coin

Crypto hiding transaction details.

Private Cloud

Cloud used by a single org.

Private Equity

Capital invested in private companies.

Private Key

Code allowing access to cryptocurrency funds.

Private Sale

Token sale for strategic investors.

Process

Program in execution.

Product Market Fit

Being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market.

Production

Live environment for users.

Profit

Financial gain.

Prompt Engineering

Crafting inputs to guide AI responses.

Proof of Authority (PoA)

Consensus based on reputation of validators.

Proof of Reserves

A verification method showing that a custodian or exchange controls enough assets to back customer balances.

Proof of Stake (PoS)

Consensus based on validators holding coins.

Proof of Work (PoW)

Consensus requiring computational effort.

Property Tax

Tax on real estate.

Proprietary

Software owned by an individual or company.

Proptech

Technology in real estate.

Proto-Danksharding

Ethereum scaling proposal EIP-4844.

Protocol

Set of rules for data exchange.

Prototype

Early sample of a product.

Proxy

Server acting as intermediary.

PSD2

Payment Services Directive 2.

Public Cloud

Cloud services available to everyone.

Public Key

Code used to receive cryptocurrency.

Public Sale

Token sale open to the general public.

Pump and Dump

Manipulating price up then selling.

Purchasing Power Parity

Comparing currency buying power.

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

Theory comparing currencies through a "basket of goods".

Put Option

Right to sell.

Puttable Bond

Bond holder can sell back early.

PWA

Progressive Web App; web app behaving like mobile app.

Pyramid Scheme

Recruiting members for money.

Python

Versatile programming language.

R

Race Condition

Timing dependent bug.

RAID

Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

Rainbow Table

Precomputed table for reversing hashes.

Rally

Sustained price increase.

RAM

Random Access Memory.

Random Walk

Stock prices move randomly.

Ransomware

Malware that encrypts data and demands payment.

RAR

Archive file format.

Rebalancing

Realiging weightings of a portfolio.

Receivables Turnover

Sales / Accounts Receivable.

Recession

Period of temporary economic decline.

Reconciliation

Comparing records for accuracy.

Recurring Payment

Automatic payment at regular intervals.

Recursion

Function calling itself.

Red Ocean

Competitive market space.

Redis

In-memory data structure store.

Reentrancy

Vulnerability in smart contracts.

Reentrancy Attack

Calling a function recursively to drain funds.

Refactoring

Restructuring code without changing behavior.

Reference

Alias for a variable.

RegFi

Regulated DeFi.

Regtech

Technology to help companies comply with regulations.

Regulatory Sandbox

Controlled environment for testing new financial products.

Reinforcement Learning

Learning by trial and error.

Reinsurance

Insurance purchased by insurance companies to manage risk.

REIT

Real Estate Investment Trust.

Rekt

Wrecked; losing lots of money.

Remittance

Transfer of money to a person in another location.

Remittance corridor

Flow of funds between two countries.

Renewable Energy

Energy from natural sources.

Repo Market

Market for repurchase agreements.

Repository

Storage for code project.

Resistance

Price level where selling is strong.

Resolution

Number of pixels on screen.

Responsive Design

Design adapting to screen size.

REST

Representational State Transfer.

REST API

Representational State Transfer.

Restaking

Staking the same ETH again.

Restructuring

Reorganizing company operations.

Retail

Selling goods to consumers.

Retained Earnings

Profit kept for business.

Retention

Keeping customers over time.

Return on Assets

Net income / Total assets.

Return on Equity

Net income / Shareholder equity.

Return on Investment

Gain relative to cost.

Revaluation

Increase in currency value.

Revenue

Income generated from normal business operations.

Reverse Proxy

Server sitting in front of web servers.

RFID

Radio Frequency Identification.

Risk Management

Identifying and mitigating risks.

Risk Tolerance

Ability to handle loss.

ROA

Return on Assets.

Roadmap

Plan or strategy intended to achieve a goal.

Robo-advisor

Digital platforms providing automated financial advice.

Robotics

Design and construction of robots.

ROE

Return on Equity - profit relative to shareholders equity.

ROI

Return on Investment - profit relative to cost.

Rollup

Scaling solution bundling transactions.

Rootkit

Software enabling unauthorized root access.

Router

Device directing network traffic.

RSI

Relative Strength Index - momentum indicator.

RSU

Restricted Stock Unit.

RTGS

Real-Time Gross Settlement.

Ruby

Dynamic, open source language.

Rug Pull

Developers abandoning a project and taking funds.

Runway

Time until cash runs out.

Rust

Language focused on safety.

RWA

Real World Assets on chain.

S

S&P 500

Index of top 500 US companies.

SaaS

Software as a Service; cloud-based software.

Sales Tax

Tax on goods sold.

Salt

Random data added to hash.

Samsung

Korean tech conglomerate.

Sanctions Screening

Checking lists for banned entities.

SandBox

Testing environment for new apps.

Sandboxing

Isolating programs for security.

SAR

Suspicious Activity Report.

Satoshi

Smallest unit of Bitcoin.

Satoshi (unit)

Smallest unit of Bitcoin.

SBT

Soulbound Token; non-transferable NFT.

SCA

Strong Customer Authentication.

Scalability

Ability to handle growing amount of work.

Scalping

Making many small trades.

Scrum

Framework implementing Agile.

SDK

Software Development Kit.

SDLC

Software Development Life Cycle.

Searching

Finding item in data.

SEC

US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securitization

Pooling debt into investable securities.

Security Token

Token representing investment contract.

Seed

Sharing a completed file.

Seed Capital

Initial funding for a startup.

Seed Phrase

List of words to recover a crypto wallet.

Seed Round

First official funding round.

Semantics

Meaning of code.

Semaphore

Variable controlling access.

Sentiment Analysis

Gauging market mood.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization.

SEPA

Single Euro Payments Area.

SEPA Instant

Instant Euro payments.

Sequencer

Node ordering rollup transactions.

Series A

Funding after seed round.

Server

Computer program/device providing functionality to clients.

Serverless

Cloud model where provider manages server infrastructure.

Session

Period of user interaction.

Set

Collection of unique items.

Settlement

Finalizing a trade.

Sharding

Splitting blockchain aimed at scalability.

Shareholder

Owner of shares in a company.

Sharpe Ratio

Risk-adjusted return.

Shell

Interface to the kernel.

Shell Company

Inactive company used for maneuvers.

Shilling

Promoting a coin for personal gain.

Short Selling

Selling borrowed securities hoping to buy them back lower.

Short Squeeze

Short sellers forced to buy.

Shorting

Betting against an asset.

Sidechain

Blockchain linked to main chain.

Singularity

Hypothetical point where AI surpasses human intelligence.

SLA

Service Level Agreement.

Slack

Messaging app for teams.

Slashing

Penalty for validator misbehavior.

Slippage

Difference between expected and executed price.

Smart City

City using tech to improve services.

Smart Contract

Self-executing contract with code.

Smart Contract Audit

Security review of code.

Smart Home

Home equipped with internet-connected devices.

SMTP

Protocol for sending email.

Smurfing

Breaking large transactions to avoid checks.

Snapshot

Off-chain voting platform.

SOAP

Protocol for structured info.

Social Engineering

Manipulating people into divulging info.

Social Trading

Copying trades of others.

SocialFi

Social media plus Finance.

Soft Cap

Minimum money needed for project success.

Soft Fork

Backwards compatible update.

Software

Programs running on hardware.

Solana

High-performance blockchain using Proof of History.

Solvency

Ability to meet long-term debts.

Sony

Japanese tech and entertainment company.

Sorting

Arranging items in order.

Sorting Algorithm

Method to arrange data in order.

Soulbound Token

Non-transferable NFT.

Soulbound Token (SBT)

Non-transferable NFT representing identity or reputation.

Sovereign Debt

Debt issued by a country.

Sovereign Wealth Fund

State-owned investment fund.

SOX

Act protecting investors from fraud.

SPA

Single Page Application.

SPAC

Special Purpose Acquisition Company.

Spark

Engine for large-scale data processing.

Spoofing

Placing fake orders.

Spot ETF

ETF holding the actual asset.

Spotify

Music streaming service.

Spread

Difference between bid and ask price.

Sprint

Short period to complete specific tasks.

SPV

Special Purpose Vehicle; subsidiary for specific risk.

Spyware

Software that spies on user.

SQL

Structured Query Language.

SQL Injection

Injecting malicious SQL code into queries.

SSD

Solid State Drive.

SSH

Secure Shell.

SSR

Server-Side Rendering.

Stablecoin

Cryptocurrency pegged to stable asset like USD.

Stablecoin Algo

Stablecoin kept stable by code.

Stack

LIFO data structure.

Stagflation

High inflation combined with high unemployment and stagnant demand.

Staging

Environment mimicking production for testing.

Stakeholder

Person with interest in a business.

Staking

Locking crypto to support network and earn rewards.

Startup

Young company founded to develop unique product.

Statement

Record of transactions.

Steve Jobs

Co-founder of Apple.

Stimulus

Govt spending to boost economy.

STO

Security Token Offering.

Stock

Security representing ownership in a corporation.

Stock Option

Right to buy stock.

Stop Limit

Stop order becoming limit order.

Stop Loss

Order to sell when price falls to a certain level.

Strike Price

Price option can be exercised.

String

Sequence of characters.

Subprime

Risky borrower.

Subscription

Recurring payment for access.

Subsidiary

Company controlled by a holding.

Subsidy

Government financial support to a business or sector.

Substitute Good

Good replacing another.

Super App

App offering multiple services in one platform.

Superposition

State of being in multiple states at once.

Supervised Learning

Training with labeled data.

Supply

Amount of goods available.

Supply and Demand

The relationship between the quantity of a commodity and its price.

Supply Chain

Network between company and suppliers.

Supply Chain Finance

Financing the supply chain processes.

Support

Price level where buying is strong.

Suptech

Supervisory technology for authorities.

Surplus

An amount of something left over when requirements have been met.

SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics.

Swap

Exchange of financial instruments.

SWIFT

Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

Swing Trading

Holding for days or weeks.

Sybil Attack

Creating fake identities to gain influence.

Symmetric Encryption

Encryption using the same key for locking and unlocking.

Synergy

Combined value greater than sum of parts.

Syntax

Rules of language structure.

Synthetic Asset

Token tracking value of another asset.

T

Take Profit

Order to sell when price rises to target level.

Tariff

Tax imposed on imported goods and services.

Tax

Compulsory contribution to state revenue.

Tax Avoidance

Legal usage of tax regime limits.

Tax Deduction

Expense that reduces taxable income.

Tax Evasion

Illegal non-payment of taxes.

Tax Haven

Country with low taxes.

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol.

TCP/IP

Protocols driving the internet.

Technical Analysis

Evaluating price patterns.

Technical Debt

Cost of choosing easy solution now.

Tenant

Person renting a property.

Terminal

Interface for text commands.

Tesla

Electric vehicle company.

Testnet

Alternative blockchain for testing.

TGE

Token Generation Event.

Thread

Unit of execution.

Throughput

Actual data transfer rate.

Ticker Symbol

Abbreviation for a stock.

Tim Berners-Lee

Inventor of the World Wide Web.

Time Horizon

Length of time held investment.

To the Moon

Price rising extremely high.

Token

Digital key for access.

Token Burn

Permanently removing tokens from circulation.

Tokenization

Replacing sensitive data with non-sensitive tokens.

Tokenomics

Economic model of a cryptocurrency token.

Tor

Network for anonymous communication.

Torrent

P2P file sharing protocol.

Total Supply

Total number of tokens existing.

Tracker

Server coordinating peers.

Trade Deficit

When a country's imports exceed its exports.

Trade Finance

Financial instruments for international trade.

Trade Surplus

Exports exceed imports.

Trademark

Symbol/word legally registered as representing a company.

Tragedy of the Commons

Overuse of shared resources.

Trailing Stop

Stop loss moving with price.

Transaction

Exchange of value.

Transaction Fee

Fee paid to process a transaction.

Transaction ID (TXID)

Unique string identifying a transaction.

Transformer Model

Architecture used in modern NLP.

Treasury

Funds held by a DAO or project.

Treasury Bill

Short-term government debt.

Tree

Hierarchical data structure.

Trend

Direction of market movement.

Trial Balance

Report ensuring debits equal credits.

Trie

Prefix tree.

Trojan

Malware disguised as legitimate software.

Trust

Fiduciary arrangement for assets.

Turing Test

Test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior.

TVL

Total Value Locked in a protocol.

Two-Factor Authentication

Security process requiring two verification methods.

TXT

Plain text file.

TypeScript

JavaScript with syntax for types.