ICO (Initial Coin Offering)
A fundraising method where a crypto project sells tokens to early investors before launching.
Explained Simply
An ICO is similar to an IPO in traditional finance — a project sells newly created tokens to raise capital for development. ICOs were massively popular in 2017-2018, raising billions of dollars. However, many ICO projects failed or turned out to be scams, leading to regulatory crackdowns. Today, ICOs have largely been replaced by IDOs (initial DEX offerings), launchpad sales, and airdrops. Participating in token sales carries high risk and may have legal restrictions in your jurisdiction.
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