digital currency

American  

[dij-i-tl kur-uhn-see, kuhr-] / ˈdɪdʒ ɪ tl ˈkɜr ən si, ˈkʌr- /

noun

1. any form of money or similar asset that exists only in electronic form, with management, storage, and exchange happening exclusively on computer systems.

   Players can wager bitcoin and other digital currencies on sporting events, casino games, and online tournaments.

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Usage

There are numerous terms for money available only in nonphysical forms, and each has a slightly different scope. Digital currency is the broadest label, covering any kind of money or money-like asset that only has an electronic form. Some digital currencies are also virtual currencies, which are distinguished by being unregulated, issued by private individuals such as the developers of the currency, and generally localized to a particular community. Virtual currencies include tokens you can buy in online games, but they also include cryptocurrencies, which are distinguished by their decentralized trading networks and their use of advanced cryptography for security. The first widely adopted cryptocurrency was bitcoin, and all other cryptocurrencies are sometimes called altcoins. Another type of digital currency is a CBDC, or central bank digital currency. These are electronic-only versions of national currencies, such as China's digital yuan, and they are regulated by the same central bank that regulates the nondigital money supply in that country. A central bank digital currency is different from money stored electronically in an online bank account, because CBDCs are only issued and traded electronically, with no physical form.

Etymology

Origin of digital currency

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

If Bitcoin, the world’s biggest digital currency, is a solution in search of a problem, then AI is a solution in search of a solution.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The Saudis have been experimenting, she observes, with forms of non-dollar payment such as the Project mBridge infrastructure, using a central bank digital currency.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

He famously dubbed the digital currency a “policeman for policy,” saying in a TV interview that bitcoin’s price can inform policymakers when they are doing things right and wrong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

Bitcoin tumbled to a 10-month low amid a broad digital currency selloff.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

One example was Tether, a digital currency specialist which has recently purchased so much gold its reserves reportedly outsize those of some small countries.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026