Cryptocurrencies are types of digital currencies or assets protected by cryptography or by encrypting and decrypting data. Their primary characteristic is that they are not issued by the central body of any state, which makes them resistant to manipulation by national governments. They were created to facilitate the transfer of funds between two parties, since the transaction does not require the approval of a third party, for example a bank, but is managed by peer-to-peer computer networks. Cryptocurrency transactions are aggregated into transaction blocks and recorded on a chain of blocks called blockchain. Blockchain is a type of database that is basically a distributed digital general ledger. Computers that are in the network of a certain cryptocurrency are called nodes. There are nodes that are in charge of implementing the protocol of a cryptocurrency and validating its transactions, and nodes that are in charge of collecting transactions and creating blocks out of them, also known as mining. Cryptocurrency mining is the process of creating blocks and linking them into a chain. Every miner who creates a valid block, among other things, receives a certain amount of new coins of a cryptocurrency as a reward. In 2008, the first cryptocurrency was invented - Bitcoin. Although cryptocurrencies were initially designed as a decentralized replacement for fiat currencies, their role today is predominantly as an investment. Cryptocurrencies are traded at specialized online cryptocurrency markets. The main feature of cryptocurrencies as an investment tool is the volatility of their prices. As with other investment tools, there are cryptocurrencies that are good and bad investments. Therefore, it is important that investors make investment decisions based on previously performed fundamental and technical analysis. The conducted empirical research confirmed the hypothesis that the citizens of the Republic of Croatia are insufficiently informed about cryptocurrencies. The impact that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies have had on the global financial market cannot be denied. These technological innovations have already brought and will bring in the future many positive changes in the financial markets. But before they are fully recognizes, they will encounter certain obstacles as well as the need for further improvements in order to be able to serve all users of financial markets in the best possible way.