A whitepaper is a document describing a cryptocurrency or project: what problem it sets out to solve, how the technology works and which rules apply, for example to its supply. Most projects publish a whitepaper before they launch.
The most famous example
The BitcoinBitcoinThe first and largest cryptocurrency: a digital currency that no single party controls, with a fixed limit of 21 million coins. whitepaper is called "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". Satoshi NakamotoSatoshi NakamotoThe pseudonym of Bitcoin's creator, who published the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008, launched the network in 2009 and disappeared soon after. sent it to a cryptography mailing list on 31 October 2008. It is only nine pages long and describes the entire system: transactions, blocks, proof of workProof of workA consensus method where the right to add the next block to a blockchain goes to whoever first solves a hard computing puzzle. and how the network reaches agreement. It is still available on bitcoin.org.
The EthereumEthereumAn open blockchain that can run applications and smart contracts, with its own cryptocurrency called ether (ETH). whitepaper was written by Vitalik Buterin before the network launched in 2015. It set out the idea of a blockchain that can run applications.
Whitepapers and MiCA
Under MiCAMiCAThe EU regulation on markets in crypto-assets, in force in Iceland since 1 January 2026, which sets the same rules for crypto services across the EEA., which applies in Iceland, a whitepaper usually has to be published before a new crypto-asset is offered to the public in the EEA. It has to give information about the issuer, the project, buyers' rights, the technology and the risks, and it must be clear and not misleading. Supervisors, which in Iceland means the Central Bank of Iceland, do not approve the whitepaper, and that has to be stated on its first page.
What to keep in mind
Anyone can write a whitepaper, and a polished document is no guarantee of a sound project. Read it with a critical eye. Vague promises of returns, little technical detail and text copied from other whitepapers are warning signs.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.