Glossary

Plain-language definitions of utility-token and Web3 terms — bilingual and compliance-aware.

• Access token

  A token used to unlock gated features, reports, or membership benefits inside a platform.

• AML (Anti-Money-Laundering)

  Controls and monitoring used to detect and prevent illicit funds.

• Blockchain

  A shared, append-only ledger maintained across many computers, where records are grouped into linked blocks.

• DAO

  A decentralized autonomous organization: a group coordinating on-chain through rules encoded in smart contracts.

• Gas fee

  A network fee paid to process and validate a transaction on a blockchain.

• KYC (Know Your Customer)

  Identity-verification checks used to confirm who a user is.

• Listing readiness

  An assessment of how prepared a project is for exchange or launchpad review, covering documentation, security, and compliance.

• Mainnet

  The live, production blockchain network where real transactions are recorded.

• Multisig

  A wallet that requires several independent approvals to authorize a transaction.

• Private key

  A secret value that controls a wallet; whoever holds it controls the associated assets, so it must never be shared.

• Public key

  A shareable address derived from a key pair, used to receive on-chain transactions.

• Smart contract

  Self-executing code deployed on a blockchain that runs exactly as written when its conditions are met.

• Smart-contract audit

  An independent security review of smart-contract code to find vulnerabilities before deployment.

• Testnet

  A test network that mirrors a blockchain for development, using valueless tokens and no real funds.

• Tokenomics

  The design of a token's supply, distribution, and utility within its ecosystem.

• Trust mark

  A private trust-readiness assessment for utility-token projects; it is not a government license or an official certification.

• Utility token

  A token that provides access to a product or service within a specific platform, rather than representing ownership, debt, or a financial return.

• Vesting

  A schedule that releases tokens gradually over time instead of all at once.

• Wallet

  Software or hardware that stores the keys used to access on-chain assets and sign transactions.

• Whitepaper

  A document describing a project's purpose, technology, token utility, and risks.