DYOR (Do Your Own Research)

DYOR stands for ‘Do Your Own Research’. The idea: check for yourself before you put money in, rather than following tips.

Advice or empty phrase

Meant seriously, DYOR is good advice. Under posts that heavily promote a project, it often just shifts responsibility. BaFin, Germany’s financial regulator, expects finfluencers to state risks clearly, separate facts from opinions and disclose when they are paid for content.^[1] Tacking on ‘DYOR’ doesn’t replace that.

How to do your own research

• Read primary sources: laws, official authority websites and the Bitcoin whitepaperGlossaryWhitepaper (Bitcoin whitepaper)The nine-page founding document in which Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin on 31 October 2008. It explains how payments can work without a bank and how double spending is prevented.In the glossary →×, rather than second-hand screenshots and videos.
• Check providers: the ESMAGlossaryESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority)The EU authority for securities and financial markets, based in Paris. What matters to you is its MiCA register: it lists all crypto-asset service providers authorised in the EU.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× MiCA register lists authorised crypto-asset service providers and, separately, firms offering services without authorisation (as of September 2026).^[2]
• Follow the money: who earns from your decision – through commissions, advertising or their own holdings?
• Look for counter-arguments: anyone who only lists advantages is telling you half the story.
• Treat time pressure as a warning sign: reputable offers will still be there tomorrow.

No amount of research makes a risk small: only invest money you can afford to lose. We also fund ourselves through labelled advertising links; the criteria we use to select providers are set out under methodology and transparency.