Cryptocurrency is a great way to make money for investors and the best cryptocurrencies are the ones which will actually make a difference in the blockchain space.

Cryptocurrency has emerged as the new frontier, not only as an alternate financial order, but also as the latest in computing and information technology.

Blockchain, the underlying technology behind crypto is ushering a new era in human-machine interaction focused on identity management, smart contracts and supply chain, to name a few.

Before delving into the specifics of major cryptocurrencies you should invest in 2022, it should be noted that, in general, the crypto market has seen a phenomenal surge in token-to-dollar value during the past 18 months, or roughly, as long as the COVID-19 has prevailed upon the precarious commercial and financial system of the world.

In contrast to their past volatility, cryptocurrencies have steadily increased in value and even when their values dived, it recovered quite quickly. Hence, fulfilling the basic requirements of a ‘good investment’.

To top this, the security and safety of blockchain that endows cryptocurrencies have made it a smart investment. Finally, the double-edged sword of regulation, or lack thereof, renders cryptocurrency a valuable asset for parking one’s capital.

• Which Cryptocurrency Should I Invest in 2022?
• Which Crypto Has Best Future?
• What 10 Cryptocurrencies Will Explode in 2022?
• 5 Most Important Cryptocurrencies Other Than Bitcoin in 2022
• 4 Best Crypto Companies to Invest in 2022
• Which Companies Are Investing in Cryptocurrency?
• Best Blockchain Stocks 2022
• Cryptocurrency Stocks to Buy 2022
• Best Penny Cryptocurrency to Invest in 2022
• Next Cryptocurrency to Explode in 2022
• 5 Best Brokers to Trade Cryptocurrency 2022
• 12 Types of Cryptocurrency 2022

Which Cryptocurrency Should I Invest in 2022?

We will now take a peek into five of the best performing cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum and Hedera Hashgraph. The elemental instrument of evaluation is the token-to-dollar value of each currency and its prospects. Other aspects under consideration will be the currency’s longevity, track record, technology, adoption rate and apparent risks.

1. Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin is valued around $58,900 right now which makes it by far the most valuable cryptocurrency to buy into. In fact, Bitcoin has no competition, by a long stretch, with any of the other currencies in this list. This exponential value can be credited to Bitcoin’s pioneering track record and longevity. For its adoption rate, Bitcoin returns some very impressive stats.

Read Also: Investing in Cryptocurrency: Is it Worth the Risk?

With 45% crypto market dominance, Bitcoin has no plans to slow down as it features on the long-term strategic plans of global corporate behemoths like Facebook, Tesla, Google, Samsung, Apple and PayPal. So, with prospects secured and value riding on a frenzied bullish run, Bitcoin is surely the numero uno choice for investors.

The technology that Bitcoin peruses is the one that birthed the whole blockchain revolution. Each transaction is archived on a ‘distributed ledger’, available for all to see and scrutinize.

The average transaction time for Bitcoin is ten minutes but this can fluctuate depending on factors such as transaction verification or mining which requires velocious computing rigs to solve cryptographic puzzles at high speed.

Fluctuation, albeit of a different kind, is also the inherent risk of investment in Bitcoin. The ticklish boost and bust in Bitcoin’s value can unnerve a prudish investor. But, as cryptocurrency is a long-term smart investment, the veering value of Bitcoin shouldn’t concern any intrepid investor.

More importantly, investing in Bitcoin is no longer for light-pocketed investors. With value bordering $60,000 to a coin, it is out of reach for most people. Such investors, then, resort to partial buying which has demerits of its own.

2. Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

Invariably defined as an ‘upgrade’, Bitcoin Cash offers a much simpler, speedier and sizable alternate to Bitcoin’s strangulated transaction mechanism. The intention behind Bitcoin Cash’s development was to afford larger transaction blocks than Bitcoin, reducing the transaction time.

Since Bitcoin Cash has a larger ledger size, with each block accommodating up to 32 MBs of transaction data, it is faster than Bitcoin and hence, can be effectively scaled as compared to Bitcoin. Even without performing at its optimal 32MB block size, Bitcoin Cash enables shorter transaction times and lower transaction fees.

Now as they say haste is of the devil, Bitcoin Cash’s speed results in lopsided security. The whole gamut of adoption hinges on a cryptocurrency’s security protocol and when that is compromised, chances are that the currency will be ignored into oblivion.

Right now, Bitcoin Cash faces no such fate and is geared to valuate at around $1,000 in near future. The value and its cutting-edge technology make Bitcoin Cash a prudent investment to plow money into.

Additionally, its adoption by the Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten bodes well for its future. However, its relative greenness in the crypto world is a matter of concern for investors who particularly prefer established currencies such as Bitcoin and Litecoin.

3. Litecoin (LTC)

Although Litecoin took off around the same time as Bitcoin in 2011, it had a rather sedate rite of passage into widespread acclaim and adoption. The feather in Litecoin’s cap is its ultra-swift transaction time which is four times as that of Bitcoin.

So much so that Litecoin accomplished an industry-first when it completed a transaction in under one second in 2017 through its use of Lightning Network. Furthermore, Litecoin is not limited in number as opposed to Bitcoin’s 21 million. These two factors give investors the much-sought psychological solace. Apart from that, these factors contribute negligibly in Litecoin’s value or usability.

For an investor, the closest any cryptocurrency has come to Bitcoin’s technological acumen is Litecoin. From transaction mechanism to mining to cold storage and value volatility, Litecoin and Bitcoin are close cousins.

But when compared on factors such as market capitalization, distribution, algorithm and value; these two currencies cannot be more far apart. Valued at a measly $245 to a coin, Litecoin is far from dethroning Bitcoin as the ‘King of Cryptocurrency’, but it certainly has the spine to sustain itself for a long, long time.

4. Ethereum (ETH)

If the question is what other cryptocurrency can give Bitcoin a run for its money, the answer would be Ethereum. Launched in 2014, Ethereum has become the most influential cryptocurrency within a jiffy.

Ethereum’s insane popularity owes itself to the platform’s allowance for all to build upon its blockchain and a wider selection of applications that its blockchain can support. Apart from payments via Ether, its token, Ethereum also sanctions smart contracts and advanced identity management.

Ethereum fueled the DeFi (decentralized finance) revolution which birthed the now burgeoning peer-to-peer finance via decentralized technologies. The innovative spirit of Ethereum, hence, is its strongest suit for investors. Only behind Bitcoin in market share, Ethereum is currently valued at $2125 to an Ether, which is on a bullish rally this year and expected to swell significantly.

The rapid adoption of DeFi in coming years is bound to augment the acceptability of Ethereum. All of these factors make Ethereum an exciting investment, one which would be envy of any respectable cryptocurrency.

5. Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR)

If there was ever a need to redefine the limits of ‘envy’, it should be modeled after Hedera Hashgraph. Based on ground-breaking asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (aBFT) consensus algorithm, Hashgraph has turned the world of cryptocurrency upside down through its elimination of mining in favor of directed acrylic graphs for validating transactions.

Hedera’s white-paper, co-authored by Swirld’s Leemon Baird, expostulates the intrinsic inertia of first and second gen cryptocurrencies and offers enhanced speed, transparency at low cost and impervious security protocol. With backing from pioneers like IBM and Google, Hedera is all set to become a genuine leader in crypto and digital currency realm.

Currently valued at $0.31, Hedera has more than meets the eye. With its superior technology that empowers lightning-fast transactions at superior security as compared to conventional blockchain, Hedera is undoubtedly a terrific long-term investment.

Hedera may become the first crypto to break the regulatory impasse as it is rumored that it will co-develop a digital dollar with the Central Bank. Hedera’s USP is its environment-friendly transaction mechanism.

Bitcoin and other crypto spin-offs, as per scholarly estimates, could raise Earth’s temperature by 2˚C due to their parlous mining methods while Hedera’s low-bandwidth consumption make it more friendly to the environment. Apart from these stellar characteristics, Hedera seems to enjoy the trust of major financial players both in the private and public sector.

When seen as an investment, Hedera’s sound vision and well-thought out plan is a guarantee of its success and ability to return respectable profits.

Which Crypto Has Best Future?

To help you get your bearings, these are the top 10 cryptocurrencies based on their market capitalization, or the total value of all of the coins currently in circulation.

1. Bitcoin (BTC)

Market cap: Over $641 billion

Created in 2009 by someone under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin (BTC) is the original cryptocurrency. As with most cryptocurrencies, BTC runs on a blockchain, or a ledger logging transactions distributed across a network of thousands of computers.

Because additions to the distributed ledgers must be verified by solving a cryptographic puzzle, a process called proof of work, Bitcoin is kept secure and safe from fraudsters.

Bitcoin’s price has skyrocketed as it’s become a household name. Five years ago, you could buy a Bitcoin for about $500. As of June 2021, a single Bitcoin’s price was over $32,000. That’s growth of about 6,300%.

2. Ethereum (ETH)

Market cap: Over $307 billion

Both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform, Ethereum is a favorite of program developers because of its potential applications, like so-called smart contracts that automatically execute when conditions are met and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Ethereum has also experienced tremendous growth. In just five years, its price went from about $11 to over $2,500, increasingly roughly more than 22,000%.

3. Tether (USDT)

Market cap: Over $62 billion

Unlike some other forms of cryptocurrency, Tether is a stablecoin, meaning it’s backed by fiat currencies like U.S. dollars and the Euro and hypothetically keeps a value equal to one of those denominations. In theory, this means Tether’s value is supposed to be more consistent than other cryptocurrencies, and it’s favored by investors who are wary of the extreme volatility of other coins.

4. Binance Coin (BNB)

Market cap: Over $56 billion

The Binance Coin is a form of cryptocurrency that you can use to trade and pay fees on Binance, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world.

Since its launch in 2017, Binance Coin has expanded past merely facilitating trades on Binance’s exchange platform. Now, it can be used for trading, payment processing or even booking travel arrangements. It can also be traded or exchanged for other forms of cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum or Bitcoin.

Its price in 2017 was just $0.10; by June 2021, it had risen to over $350, a gain of almost 350,000%.

5. Cardano (ADA)

Market cap: Over $51 billion

Somewhat later to the crypto scene, Cardano is notable for its early embrace of proof-of-stake validation. This method expedites transaction time and decreases energy usage and environmental impact by removing the competitive, problem-solving aspect of transaction verification present in platforms like Bitcoin.

Cardano also works like Ethereum to enable smart contracts and decentralized applications, which are powered by ADA, its native coin.

Cardano’s ADA token has had relatively modest growth compared to other major crypto coins. In 2017, ADA’s price was $0.02. As of June 2021, its price was at $1.50. This is an increase of 7,400%.

6. Dogecoin (DOGE)

Market cap: Over $44 billion

Dogecoin has been a hot topic thanks to celebrities and billionaires like Elon Musk. Famously started as a joke in 2013, Dogecoin rapidly became a prominent cryptocurrency option, thanks to a dedicated community and creative memes.

Unlike many other cryptos, such as Bitcoin, there is no limit on the number of Dogecoins that can be created, which leaves the currency susceptible to devaluation as supply increases.

Dogecoin’s price in 2017 was $0.0002. By June 2021, its price was at $0.32—a 159,900% increase.

7. XRP (XRP)

Market cap: Over $40 billion

Created by some of the same founders as Ripple, a digital technology and payment processing company, XRP can be used on that network to facilitate exchanges of different currency types, including fiat currencies and other major cryptocurrencies.

At the beginning of 2017, the price of XRP was $0.006. As of June 2021, its price reached $0.92, equal to a rise of 15,233%.

8. USD Coin (USDC)

Market cap: Over $23 billion

Like Tether, USD Coin (USDC) is a stablecoin, meaning it’s backed by U.S. dollars and aims for a 1 USD to 1 USDC ratio. USDC is powered by Ethereum, and you can use USD Coin to complete global transactions.

9. Polkadot (DOT)

Market cap: Over $21 billion

Cryptocurrencies may use any number of blockchains; Polkadot (and its namesake crypto) aims to integrate them by creating a cryptocurrency network that connects the various blockchains so they can work together.

This integration may change how cryptocurrencies are managed and has spurred impressive growth since Polkadot’s launch in 2020. Between September 2020 and June 2021, its price grew 615%, from $2.93 to $20.95.

10. Uniswap (UNI)

Market cap: Over $13 billion

Uniswap is an Ethereum-based token that powers Uniswap, a decentralized crypto exchange that uses an automated liquidity model for trading. This means there is no central facilitator, like a bank or broker-dealer. Instead, it’s powered by smart contracts and pooled user resources. Uniswap’s platform is open source, so anyone can use the code to create their own exchanges.

What 10 Cryptocurrencies Will Explode in 2022?

With all of the soaring crypto prices, many investors are likely wondering about the next cryptocurrency to explode in 2022. Can prices continue to increase from record levels? Many analysts say they can.

But what about new cryptocurrencies? What is the next big one? Here are some of the top new cryptocurrencies to consider in 2022.

1. Internet Computer (ICP)

Internet Computer (ICP) is a new token launched in May 2021. It saw immediate success, with a market value of $35 billion in its first three days. The coin now has a market cap of $8.7 billion and is currently trading around $70.55. The project’s goal is to overcome the current limitations of the Internet and replace it with a modern Internet. You can purchase this coin at Binance.

2. Enjin (ENJ)

Enjin is an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency recently launched to provide backing for non-fungible tokens. One use case is for developers to manage in-game purchases using its blockchain technology. The coin has a market cap of $1 billion and is currently trading around $1.37. You can purchase Enjin at eight different markets, such as Binance.US and Crypto.com.

3. SafeMoon

SafeMoon is an altcoin that just launched in March 2021. This coin is a community-driven, fair-launched DeFi token. In just a couple of months, there are already more than 2 million holders. The coin has a market cap of $2.2 billion and is currently trading around $0.000003715.

An unusual feature of the currency is that it penalizes users who sell their tokens. A 10% fee is applied to the seller, and half of that is redistributed to other holders. You can purchase SafeMoon in nine different markets.

4. NKN

NKN is a new blockchain-based token designed for a decentralized Internet. It supports millions of nodes, 100% decentralized peer-to-peer operation, and low latency. NKN has a market cap of $212 million and is currently trading around $0.2933. You can purchase NKN at Binance.

5. Diem

While currently not for sale, Facebook‘s Diem is one of the most anticipated coins to launch in 2021. Formerly known as Libra, Diem is a centralized, global, stable cryptocurrency project. For investors wanting a more stable cryptocurrency, this might be a good option. Investors expect Diem to have low volatility because of its reserves of other currencies and assets.

6. Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain that uses Ether as its native currency. The Ethereum blockchain is used to facilitate smart contracts and it serves as a platform for creating and running other crypto-coins.

Ethereum was first introduced by Vitalik Buterin in 2013. It had a market cap of over $418 billion as of May 16, 2021.

7. Binance Coin (BNB)

Binance coin was launched in 2017 and is the token issued by Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrecies exchanges.

It is a stable coin and was initially built on the Ethereum blockchain. It now works on the Binance Chain.

Binance Coin had a market cap of $87 billion on May 16, 2021.

8. Cardano (ADA)

Cardano uses the Ouroboros peer-reviewed blockchain protocol to facilitate secure payments and protect privacy. Its currency is known as ADA.

Cardano uses a “proof-of-stake” consensus mechanism to verify transactions on the blockchain which is more efficient compared to the “proof-of-work” system used by Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Cardano was founded by Charles Hoskinson in 2015. As of May 16, 2021, ADA had a market cap of $72 billion.

9. Dogecoin

Dogecoin was created by Billy Markus as a meme coin in 2013 and has since grown rapidly in popularity due to interest from Elon Musk.

There is no limit to the number of Dogecoin that can be mined and its market cap as of May 16, 2021, is $66.30 billion.

The highest price of 1 DOGE was reached on May 8, 2021, when it hit $0.7376 per coin.

10. Polkadot (DOT)

Polkadot was founded by Gavin Wood, Peter Czaban, and Robert Habermeier. Its token is referred to as DOT.

The Polkadot platform and architecture is used to facilitate the operation of other blockchains and cryptocurrencies.

DOT had a market cap of $40 billion as of May 16, 2021.

5 Most Important Cryptocurrencies Other Than Bitcoin in 2022

1. Tether (USDT)

Tether market cap: $62.3 billion

Tether value: $1

The Tether story: Tether is unique among the options in our top cryptocurrency list: it’s the leader in the category of cryptocurrency known as “stable coins.” Why stable? Because they are pegged to a traditional currency, in this case the US dollar. 

For investors, these tokens offer the joint benefits of open blockchain technology and traditional currency. Tether was launched in 2015 and operates on the Ethereum platform. USD Coin is another stable coin, and many crypto folks think it’s a safer bet than Tether, citing a greater transparency.

Tether performance history: One Tether token = one USD. Always has, always will.

How to buy Tether: Buy, sell, and use Tether tokens at Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, and other major crypto exchanges.

2. Binance Coin (BNB)

Binance Coin market cap: $50.6 billion

Binance Coin value: $331

The Binance Coin story: Binance Coin was launched in 2017 by the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, the world’s largest crytpo exchange by volume. During its initial coin offering (ICO), it sold 100 million coins to the public at $0.15 per coin.

Binance Coin can be used to pay transaction fees on the Binance exchange, to trade for other cryptocurrencies, and to pay for some goods and services. Every quarter, Binance uses 20% of its profits to buy back and destroy Binance Coins. This will continue until Binance buys back and destroys 50% of the total supply, making its coin scarcer and therefore more valuable.

Binance Coin performance history: Since launching in 2017, Binance Coin has made a long, slow climb to about $60 a coin, before shooting upwards in February 2021 and reaching more than $600 at one point. As with virtually all of the top cryptocurrencies, it suffered a major fall recently; it’s currently trading at around $330.

How to buy Binance Coin: The best place to buy, sell, trade, and hold Binance Coin is Binance

3. Cardano (ADA)

Cardano market cap: $45.4 billion

Cardano value: $1.42

The Cardano story: Cardano, founded in 2017, is another Ethereum-like contender for the top cryptocurrency crown: a blockchain platform that supports applications, systems, and real-life business use cases. It’s a promising technology but, like all the others, has a lot of catching up to do with Ethereum in terms of its network size. 

What makes Cardano unique is that it is the first blockchain platform to evolve out of a scientific philosophy and a research-first driven approach. The development team consists of a large global collective of expert engineers and researchers, and the platform was built through peer-reviewed research.

Cardano performance history: Cardano was cruising along at about $0.10 from its founding in 2017 until early 2021, when it jumped to well over a dollar and was recently trading at around $2. Cardano had weathered the recent crypto market problems better than most, due to being one of the more environmentally friendly cryptocurrency options, but suffered a big fall recently and is now back to around $1.42.

How to buy Cardano: Cardano can be purchased on Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, and many other crypto exchanges.

4. XRP/Ripple (XRP)

XRP/Ripple market cap: $30.8 billion

XRP value: $0.66

The XRP/Ripple story: XRP’s claim to fame is that it’s the fastest digital asset, enabling near real-time global payments anywhere in the world. As such, some payment providers use XRP to expand their reach, lower foreign exchange costs, and settle payments more quickly. 

XRP was launched in 2012 by a trio of developers, who then created a private company called OpenCoin, now called Ripple Labs, and gifted it 80 billion XRP. This is what makes XRP unique — it is, essentially, a for-profit platform, unlike almost every other crypto project in the world. 

Buyer beware: in late 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit against Ripple and its two cofounders, claiming they raised over $1.3 billion through an unregistered, ongoing digital asset securities offering (aka XRP). The lawsuit is still unsettled.

XRP performance history: Aside from a blip of a spike in December 2017-January 2018, XRP didn’t crack the $0.60 threshold until 2020. However it’s grown throughout April and May is currently trading at around $0.79.

How to buy XRP: The easiest way to purchase XRP is on one of the big crypto exchanges such as Coinbase, Binance, or Kraken.

5. Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin market cap: $30.4 billion

Dogecoin value: $0.23

The Dogecoin story: Dogecoin bills itself as “the fun and friendly internet currency.” Launched in 2013 by software developers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a satire of Bitcoin and the exploding popularity of crypto, it’s basically a Bitcoin clone with a cute dog meme for a mascot. 

Dogecoin has no real use (though some people use it to give small tips on social media), but it’s developed a growing fanbase that’s boosted the price of a Dogecoin from less than a penny a few months ago to about $0.40 today, making it one of the top cryptocurrency performers by market cap if nothing else.

Dogecoin also started what is now known as the “memecoin” space. If you’re looking for the next big memecoin, it could be SafeMoon, which launched in March 2021 and already has over a million users. SafeMoon encourages investors to buy and hold by imposing a 10% fee on anyone who sells their tokens.

Dogecoin performance history: In early 2021, Dogecoin crossed the $0.05 threshold for the first time, then went to the moon in April, recently trading at an all-time high of $0.70. It dropped to below $0.45 following Elon Musk’s appearance on Saturday Night Live, and at one point in May was as low as $0.27.

However, its topsy-turvy year continued last month, when the news that it will be listed on the Coinbase Pro exchange helped it climb back above $0.40. A fall since then has seen it return to around $0.23.

How to buy Dogecoin: You can buy Dogecoin on Robinhood and many of the major crypto exchange like Binance and Kraken, but it’s not available on Coinbase.

4 Best Crypto Companies to Invest in 2022

1. Coinbase

While the cryptocurrency industry has been fraught with fraudulent coins and shady exchanges, Coinbase has largely avoided any controversy. Coinbase offers an extremely easy-to-use exchange, greatly lowering the barrier to entry for cryptocurrency investment, which is typically seen as confusing and convoluted. 

Coinbase also offers insured custodial wallets for investors and traders to store their investments. They carry insurance against data breaches and hacking and your cash is stored in FDIC insured bank accounts. These custodial accounts are very convenient for newer users just getting their feet wet, but the private keys to the coins within them are owned by Coinbase, and not the investor. 

Additionally, Coinbase also offers the free Coinbase Pro version that has a different, but cheaper, fee structure and significantly more options in terms of charts and indicators. Coinbase Pro is a perfect next step for those who have learned the ropes using Coinbase, and it helps round out the overall offering by adding features that the more advanced user would want.

2. Square

In 2009, entrepreneurs Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey created Square, Inc. (SQ), fulfilling their dream of creating technology capable of aggregating merchant services and mobile payments into a single, easy-to-use service. Less than a decade later, Square was by millions of small businesses that use it to accept credit card payments, track sales and inventory, and obtain financing.

Square’s product line includes Cash App, which allows users to send and receive money for free through a mobile application, and Square Point-of-Sale, a free application that lets merchants process payments via smartphone. 

3. Microstrategy

MicroStrategy, one of the first institutions to enter the crypto market, is continuing to invest in Bitcoin at every point. Back in August 2020, the firm first dipped in the Bitcoin market. Since then, the firm has continued its purchase frenzy at several points. However, in recent weeks the firm is observed investing tremendously.

The business intelligence firm has again announced a purchase of $15 million worth 262 BTC approximately. The purchase is made at an average price of $57,146 per BTC. According to Michael Saylor, the Chief Executive officer of MicroStrategy, the firm is now holding 91,326 BTC with the latest purchase.

4. Riot Blockchain

Riot Blockchain, Inc. is a Bitcoin mining company, supporting the Bitcoin blockchain through rapidly expanding large-scale mining in the United States. They are focused on expanding their operations by increasing their Bitcoin mining hash rate and infrastructure capacity.

Riot believes the future of Bitcoin mining will benefit from American operations and endeavors to be the driver of that future.

Which Companies Are Investing in Cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency has captured investors’ imaginations. The surging value of digital currencies such as Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) has created immense wealth for early investors. Interest in finding and investing in the next hot cryptocurrency is high.

But with more than 4,000 different digital currencies on the market — and the world getting pushed further into the digital realm by COVID-19 — investing in the technology that enables crypto ecosystems to function could be even more lucrative than trying to guess the next big digital asset. And there is no shortage of companies working to develop crypto technology.

Coinbase Global

Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) a top cryptocurrency trading exchange, made its public debut in early 2021. The company is a top play on popular cryptos such as Bitcoin and Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) and allows users to trade more than 50 digital currencies.

To date, this crypto trading platform’s success has been contingent on the increase in crypto prices — which, in turn, has led to millions of users signing up for an account. Coinbase earns a small transaction fee every time someone places an order to buy or sell a crypto.

But the company aspires to be more than just a place to trade. It also sponsors a debit card that allows consumers to spend from the balance in their digital wallet, it started a line of credit product for Bitcoin owners, and it launched a cloud platform for companies using and storing digital currencies.

As cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology become more widely used and accepted, new use cases are being discovered outside of digital payments. For example, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are being used as a way to guarantee digital art as authentic.

NFTs could even be used to verify and authenticate real-world assets like art or real estate. As crypto use proliferates, Coinbase could be a top beneficiary as a platform supporting its spread.

Square and PayPal Holdings

Investor interest has grown as crypto asset prices have soared, but trading was never the original idea behind blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Digital payments with fewer intermediaries (and therefore lower cost for businesses and consumers) was a primary goal.

Thus, enabling the purchase and ability to hold cryptocurrencies within a digital wallet is a natural fit for Square (NYSE:SQ) and PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ:PYPL) if these assets gain acceptance over time as a form of payment.

In late 2017, Square’s Cash App consumer-facing application started allowing Bitcoin trading. In 2020 and 2021, Bitcoin was a huge revenue generator for Square, although the trading feature did little to help Square’s bottom line.

However, the company is helping to foster use of Bitcoin among its business users (through the Square ecosystem) and could become a top platform for transacting cryptos between companies and their customers. For now, though, Cash App is a top trading app, complete with basic banking features.

Something similar can be said of PayPal’s Venmo digital wallet and peer-to-peer payments app, which unlocked crypto trading in early 2021. At initial launch, Venmo supported the trading of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash (CRYPTO:BCH), Ethereum, and Litecoin (CRYPTO:LTC). With the most users of any peer-to-peer money movement app, Venmo could become a leading cryptocurrency platform with this new feature.

NVIDIA and AMD

Chipmakers NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) and AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) don’t deal with cryptocurrencies directly, but these two semiconductor companies are the leading designers of graphics processing units (GPUs). Best known for powering high-end video game graphics, GPUs now enable computing-intensive applications such as data centers, artificial intelligence, and the creation of crypto assets.

Cryptography and blockchain creation require immense computational power, and GPUs are well-suited for the job. Back in 2018, booming cryptocurrency prices were a driving force for NVIDIA’s and AMD’s stock price increases, as digital currency “miners” (people using their computers to create new units of digital assets) scrambled to purchase GPUs for the task.

GPUs remain a fundamental piece of hardware for the creation and management of crypto assets. NVIDIA even launched a new lineup of chips specifically for crypto mining in early 2021.

Both NVIDIA and AMD recently announced acquisitions that will likely further cement their positions as leaders in chip technology. NVIDIA is purchasing ARM Holdings, a licensor of chip architecture design for data centers and smartphones, and AMD is acquiring field-programmable chip leader Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX).

Both NVIDIA and AMD are poised to continue taking market share of the semiconductor industry and leading the way in developing emerging technologies such as blockchain.

CME Group

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) operates the world’s largest financial derivatives exchange, allowing investors to trade futures, which bet on or secure the future price of an asset, and options, which grant investors the option to sell or buy an asset in the future at a predetermined price.

CME Group’s exchange trades a diverse assortment of assets, including agricultural and mining products, energy, stocks, and currencies. It’s the latter that makes CME Group a crypto stock.

At the end of 2017, CME established the first market for bitcoin futures, and, at the start of 2020, the company created a market for options on Bitcoin futures. As of February 2021, Ether (units of the crypto platform Ethereum) also has futures available on the exchange.

Establishing an exchange for derivatives of the best-known cryptocurrencies has given Bitcoin and Ethereum some extra legitimacy and provided a way for digital currency owners (both individuals and a growing list of businesses that accept cryptocurrencies as payment) to mitigate risk from changes in cryptocurrency prices.

Cryptocurrency derivatives are still a small market for CME Group, but adding more exchanges for crypto assets in the future is possible — and even likely.

Best Blockchain Stocks 2022

Given the benefits, tech companies like International Business Machines IBM, Oracle ORCL, Microsoft MSFT and Facebook FB are now exploring utility of blockchain technology to transform applications across a wide gamut of industries like banking, retail, supply chain management, healthcare and logistics.

In fact, according to an IDC report, banking sector will constitute a big chunk of global blockchain spending in 2020. The sector will constitute 29.7% of the total blockchain spending followed by process manufacturing (11.4%) and discrete manufacturing (10.9%) in 2020. 

Let’s discuss three stocks, which have strong fundamentals that position them well to capitalize on the cryptocurrency and blockchain boom.

Riot Technologies: A Pure Play Blockchain Stock

There are a very few pureplay blockchain stocks around — Riot Blockchain RIOT being one of them.

Riot Blockchain is engaged in building and strengthening bitcoin ecosystem via “proof-of-work mining.” The company is working in advancing its bitcoin mining operations. 

On Dec 21, Riot Blockchain disclosed that it purchased 15,000 S19 Pro and S19j Pro Antminers from Bitmain Technologies Limited. The company stated that the latest purchases will drive a 65% rise in bitcoin mining hash rate capacity. It will start deploying these miners from May 2021 through October 2021.

Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues and earnings for 2020 indicates growth of 52.1% and 28.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. For 2021, the consensus estimate for revenues suggests an impressive 412.5% growth while that for earnings indicates 103.9% rise. The stock has surged 1309.8% compared with industry’s growth of 9.5% on a year-to-date basis.

Overstock: Retail Meets Blockchain

Overstock OSTK is an e-commerce service provider that ventured into the blockchain domain as early as 2014 before the cryptocurrency boom. It was one of the few retailers to accept cryptocurrencies as a mode of payment.

The e-commerce retailer is expanding its footprint in the lucrative blockchain space through Medici Ventures and tZERO. The majority of tZERO’s business is owned by Medici Ventures.

Medici Ventures also has minority investments in various blockchain-related companies that cater to central banking and currencies, property rights and management, identity management, supply chains and commerce, as well as voting systems.

tZERO technology business is dedicated to democratizing access to private capital markets. Notably, tZERO’s third-quarter 2020 revenues surged 96.9% year over year to $11.2 million. Strong user and volume growth on the tZERO ATS and Crypto App have been the major catalysts.

Markedly, tZERO received Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s approval to offer retail brokerage services for digital securities through its affiliate, tZERO Markets, in September 2020.

Driven by the COVID-19 triggered e-commerce boom, Overstock’s online retail business is also is also enjoying a good patch.

Overstock witnessed 631.1% surge in its share price compared with 63.8% growth for the industry. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for top line and bottom line for 2020 indicates a rise of 76.5% and 132.7%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. For 2021, the consensus estimate for revenues and earnings indicates an increase of 12.4% and 2.1%, respectively, year over year.

IBM: Early Mover in the Blockchain Space

IBM leverages Hyperledger technology and is one of the first movers in the blockchain space. The company boasts more than 500 blockchain projects.

IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply solution allows companies to create a blockchain-based data-sharing network with their supply chain affiliates.

Markedly, IBM’s Food Trust service provides improved food traceability to gauge credibility of sourcing and consumption safety. It leverages open-source technology based on Hyperledger Fabric to allow retailers to keep a tab on entire food supply chain.

The company’s Food Trust blockchain services are adopted by the likes of Nestle, and Albertsons Companies.

Strong adoption and broad availability of IBM Blockchain World Wire augur well. IBM Blockchain World Wire is a blockchain-powered worldwide payments network that is intended to ramp up and enhance of cross border payments.

IBM is likely to play a vital role in the blockchain domain through 2021 and beyond, driven by strength in its enterprise blockchain solutions. Though the company is not in great shape right now, we believe its focus on hybrid cloud will pay off in the long term.

Cryptocurrency Stocks to Buy 2022

We’ve located three stocks – from different sectors – that according to some of the Street’s top analysts are all set to deliver crypto charged gains. Let’s dive in.

1. Silvergate Capital (SI)

We’ll start in the financial world, fitting when we’re discussing a new financial asset like crypto. Silvergate Capital is a commercial bank, chartered in California and providing financial services and infrastructure to customers in the digital currency industry. Silvergate has been in the finance industry for over 3 decades and has turned a profit every year for the last 21 years.

Silvergate got into digital currency in 2013, with an active pursuit of digital currency customers. Today, the company has over 1,100 customers in this sector. In March of this year, Silvergate expanded its digital currency services, using a custody service to hold Bitcoin as collateral for US dollar commercial loans.

The service offers large Bitcoin holders a way to access liquid capital without selling off the underlying cryptocurrency. Silvergate provides custody for the Bitcoin collateral through Coinbase and Fidelity Digital Assets.

In the recent financial release, for 1Q21, Silvergate reported EPS of 55 cents per share, beating the industry estimates by 14% and better yet, growing 139% year-over-year. Supporting the earnings growth, Silvergate recorded 29% customer base growth year-over-year. Digital currency deposits grew from $5 billion at the end of December to $6.8 billion at the end of March.

The company’s rapid growth can also be seen in the share value, which is up an astounding 582% in the past 12 months.

5-star analyst Joseph Vafi, of Canaccord Genuity, is impressed by Silvergate’s growth in digital currency banking, and writes, “Silvergate delivered again in Q1, highlighted by another near 40% sequential increase in deposits on top of the 130+ % q/q increase in Q4.

This impressive deposit growth was driven by similarly strong growth in demand for use of the Silvergate Exchange Network (SEN) as institutional interest in bitcoin continues to accelerate. Just as important are the implications of the two strategic deals with Fidelity and Coinbase inked in Q1.

In our view, it is becoming clear that not only is it emerging as a key financial services cog across all of institutional cryptocurrency trading, but SI is now becoming the key partner for cryptocurrency custodians seeking to offer margin lending.

Importantly, Silvergate has a core competitive cost advantage in crypto margin lending, given its underlying bank charter which provides a very low cost of capital via raising zero interest customer deposits.”

Vafi, who is rated in the top 100 of Wall Streets analysts, puts a Buy on SI shares, and his $150 price target suggests the stock has room for 36% growth this year.

2. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL)

While Silvergate is hardly a household name, PayPal has become one. The company is the market leader in online payment processing, a booming industry in itself, and its top line revenue grew from $17.7 billion in 2019 to $21.4 billion in 2020.

The company recorded sequential increases in revenue the second, third, and fourth quarters of last year, and saw Q4 EPS reach $1, up from 43 cents in the prior’s year’s first quarter.

That PayPal’s growth has come during the pandemic is unsurprising. We all know e-commerce boomed last year, benefitting from social lockdown policies, and e-commerce requires online payment processors. PayPal has a leading role in that industry, with over 377 million active accounts, conducting 4.4 billion payment transactions totaling $277 billion in payment volume.

In a major development for the company, PayPal announced in April that its mobile payment app, Venmo, will now offer users the ability to buy, sell, and hold four crypto currencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash.

According to one survey, some 30% of Venmo’s users already deal in crypto; this move makes their transactions more convenient, and opens an easy avenue to crypto for Venmo’s full 70-million-strong userbase.

BTIG analyst Mark Palmer, points out a key factor in PayPal’s new Venmo feature when he writes, “The move marked the first time that consumers will be able to use crypto to make purchases at a large array of merchants. The crypto option is now available in the U.S. with more than half of PYPL’s 29mm merchants, with the company stating that more would be added soon.”

Palmer believes that this move toward crypto will be a net positive for PayPal, and he backs that with a Buy rating and $345 price target implying a one-year upside of 31%.

3. CleanSpark (CLSK)

Last up, CleanSpark, is both a software company and a clean energy company. That makes more sense than at first would be apparent – CleanSpark’s software products are designed to control microgrid and distributed energy systems.

These systems allow users to go off-grid, opting out of traditional power distribution to tap into cleaner green energy sources. CleanSpark provides the control software for these systems.

Earlier this year, CleanSpark made a couple of bold moves that made waves in its own industry, and in crypto. In March, the company put an offering of public shares on the market – more than 9 million common shares – at $22 each, raising more than $200 million before expenses. That alone got notice from investors.

In addition, the company started using the funds to buy up more Bitcoin mining rigs. These are the computer systems through which new bitcoins are generated.

They draw massive amounts of power, put out a lot of heat – and CleanSpark has invested heavily, not only in the computational mining rigs, which will slowly produce new bitcoins, but in the clean energy infrastructure to make the company’s Atlanta mining location 95% carbon-free. The company’s latest investment in Bitcoin mining will start to take physical shape later this year.

And finally, in April, CleanSpark announced that it had secured contracts for an additional 22,680 Bitcoin miners. When all of the new rigs are installed, up and running, CleanSpark expects to increase its Bitcoin mining production to more than 3.2 EH/s. In the quarter ended March 31, CleanSpark produced 144 Bitcoins, and has produced a total of 205 Bitcoins since it began mining ops in December.

In all of this, CleanSpark has not lost sight of its original focus. The company also announced in April that it had secured a net $16.2 million increase in its microgrid contracts, a year-over-year increase of 220%.

In coverage of this stock for H.C. Wainwright, top analyst Amit Dayal writes, “We believe CleanSpark’s execution on the microgrid and Bitcoin mining fronts could position the company to exceed our expectations for FY2021, as our assumptions now appear relatively conservative.

The stock has pulled back since its January 2021 highs alongside some other Bitcoin mining comps, and general weakness across small-cap names. However, we believe, with Bitcoin prices remaining well above our assumptions, no known changes to mining operations, and the company adding to its microgrid backlog, the operational side of the story appears to be intact.

We believe CleanSpark’s valuation remains compelling at current levels with the company set for YoY revenue and earnings growth of more than 150% and more than 1,000%, respectively, in FY2022.”

In line with his upbeat outlook, Dayal gives CLSK shares a Buy rating with a $50 price target that indicates confidence in a robust 135% upside in the next 12 months.

Best Penny Cryptocurrency to Invest in 2022

With over 4,000 active cryptocurrencies at the time of writing, it can be difficult to distinguish the good from the bad, and which ones are going to earn you the best ROI. Below we’ve listed four exciting cryptocurrency projects under $1 to watch in 2022.

1. Stellar Lumens (XLM)

Stellar (XLM) was initially released in 2014, so it has been around a long time compared to a lot of other cryptocurrencies. It is an open-source blockchain network that allows money to be moved and stored. With large partnerships with companies like IBM and Franklin Templeton, Stellar has been able to stand the test of time i.e. three bear markets.

XLM was recently added to Grayscale’s massive crypto trust fund. In just one day in April 2021, the firm added $1 billion more to its books. In 2018, one of the world biggest payments gateways, Stripe, announced plans to replace Bitcoin with XLM on it’s network.

2. ChilliZ (CHZ)

ChiliZ enjoyed the upward pull of the market as part of the fan token frenzy. Chiliz is essentially a digital currency for sports and entertainment and has introduced an innovative way for fans to interact with their favorite sports teams.

Still one of the most under-discussed cryptocurrencies in the industry, ChiliZ fan tokens have become popular with football teams in Europe and other large sporting competitions around the world. Italian football giants Juvuents and AC Milan both have their own fan tokens that are available for purchase. Fan tokens give supporters of clubs and teams a tokenized share of influence on club decisions.

For instance, token holders can vote on what uniform the team wears when they take the field. The number of sporting teams adopting Chiliz and it’s engagement platform, Socios.com, is continuously growing.

3. Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR)

Also on the IBM partner list in addition to Stellar is Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR). The team at Hedera works with IBM to help add interoperability for corporate blockchain networks that specifically seek the openness of public networks but retain the anonymity of permissioned networks.

IBM actually joined the Hedera Governing Council for Hedera Hashgraph in 2019 because of how relevant the platform was even then. Ever since, according to IBM, Hedera has consistently delivered important technologies that sustain and improve capabilities in the corporate blockchain space. This is a huge compliment coming from one of the biggest tech companies in the world.

4. Vechain (VET)

Vechain is a blockchain-based supply chain platform that aims to create an ecosystem that solves common issues associated with supply chain management. The idea is to improve the efficiency and affordability of supply chains. Vechain is disrupting traditional supply chain management models.

Its model appeals to businesses looking to improve their supply chain process whilst also giving clients more control. In terms of real-world utilisation of blockchain technology, Vechain is a market leader. Vecahin partners with hundreds of well-known Fortune 500 companies such as H&M and BMW China.

Next Cryptocurrency to Explode in 2022

Purchasing crypto coins is the best way to invest your money. Raoul Pal has confessed that Bitcoin bull will explode in 2022. But the token’s value and supply in the market can’t make us believe that the currency will be exploded in the coming year.

However, the market keeps on fluctuating, and so do the values of the tokens. So, it’s difficult for an individual to make 100% accurate predictions about the explosion of cryptocurrencies.

Let’s have a glance over the recent topmost currencies that can put profits in your pockets.

• Bitcoin
• Ethereum
• Tether
• Binance Coin
• Cardano
• Dogecoin
• XRP
• USD Coin
• Polkadot
• Uniswap

These currencies have market cap value ranging from $641 billion to $13 billion. So, choosing any of the tokens can offer you benefits in the future. The top 10 list of the token may vary due to the factors like circulating supply, and price of the token.

5 Best Brokers to Trade Cryptocurrency 2022

When you’re ready to leap into crypto, choosing a broker to trade or invest in cryptocurrencies is one of the most important steps to your success in the crypto market. You can get started now with our pick for the best cryptocurrency brokers and choose the right one for you.

1. eToro

eToro fundamentally changed the way many people trade and invest with its social trading platform. Social trading involves mirroring another trader or investor’s transactions in a special social trading account. While you make the same amount proportionally as the trader you’re copying, you also take the same percentage of losses the trader takes in their account.

In addition to its regular crypto trading platform, eToro offers an advanced cryptocurrency exchange platform called eToroX. This platform is designed for algorithmic traders and institutional grade investors. It offers traders access to tight-dealing spreads, and its AlgoX application programming interface (API) can be used to create custom automated trading tools. 

2. Robinhood

Robinhood is among the best options for beginning traders who want a simple, easy-to-understand layout without all the bells and whistles other brokers offer. Though its trading options and account types are limited, even an absolute beginner can quickly master Robinhood’s intuitive and streamlined platform.

You can quickly access your tax documents and account statements through the app, and you can create an account and begin funding it in as little as 10 minutes. Placing a trade is also equally simple. Brief explanations of every buy and sell order beside each option help you learn — it’s a great feature for beginners.

Though Robinhood does require a $2,000 minimum balance to access its Robinhood Gold features, there’s a $0 minimum required balance for standard accounts. Combined with the broker’s new fractional share feature, Robinhood is a great option for new traders who only have a small amount of money to invest.

3. TradeStation

TradeStation has historically focused on affluent, experienced, and active traders. The company’s goal going forward is to broaden its appeal and reach with pricing changes and new services.

TradeStation had a busy 2019, acquiring and relaunching a firm dedicated to education and community called YouCanTrade as well as launching a cryptocurrency brokerage called TradeStation Crypto Inc. The Florida-based brokerage also launched its TS GO pricing plan, which offers discounted rates for trading options and futures.

TradeStation’s commitment to superior customer service and its focus on high-quality market data and trade executions makes them a good choice for the active trader or an intermediate level trader who wants to improve their skills. Its systems are stable and remain available during surges in trading volume.

Overall, TradeStation has put a great deal of effort into making themselves more attractive to the mainstream investor, but the platform is more geared toward the active, technically-minded trader.

4. AvaTrade

AvaTrade is a leading international forex broker, and are part of the AVA Group of companies. Being founded in 2006, AvaTrade is one of the oldest online brokerages. Our review details the trading platforms, mobile app, deposit methods, and MT4 integration. We also compare trading costs, spreads and leverage. From Bitcoin to vanilla options, whatever you want to trade, see if Avatrade will suit you.

The company now has four offices around the world, located in Japan, Australia, Ireland, and the British Virgin Islands. As one of the largest and most respected online brokerages in the world, AvaTrade accepts clients from a huge range of regions, and accepts trading accounts in a variety of currencies.

The firm also recently announced a major partnership with English Premier League Champions Manchester City, underlining the brands growth and visibility.

4. Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the largest and oldest cryptocurrency exchanges.  It currently services 43 million users in over 100 countries. Coinbase has extensive educational resources and an intuitive interface ideal for new traders and investors.

The exchange also provides clients with a hosted wallet and offers global customer support. Coinbase is an excellent choice for those new to the cryptocurrency market who do not wish to use social trading services.

12 Types of Cryptocurrency 2022

There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, most with very little value and unclear potential. Many advisors recommend investors stick to Bitcoin and Ethereum — if any — and pass on the smaller cryptos.

Leading cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk maintains a Coindesk 20 list of the most popular cryptocurrencies currently being bought and sold. This list includes cryptocurrency assets and networks by their most common names.

Some, like Bitcoin (BTC), have one name for both the blockchain network and the cryptocurrency. Others, like Ethereum, are named for the broader blockchain network, but have a different name for their associated native cryptocurrency (Ether, or ETC, in the case of Ethereum).

1. Ethereum

Ether (ETH) is the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, an open-source blockchain upon which developers can build apps and other cryptocurrencies. It’s also the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, behind Bitcoin. Ether’s value has risen sharply since its creation in 2013, to nearly $3,000 for one token as of late May, but still lags well behind Bitcoin’s value of nearly $40,000 per coin. 

2. Dogecoin

In 2013, IBM (NYSE:IBM) software engineer Billy Markus founded Dogecoin as a meme joke. And like most memes, Dogecoin saw its 15 minutes of fame. In 2017, DOGE briefly rocketed 85,000% as the internet found its new amusement; it subsequently lost 98% of its value.

But in the world of cryptocurrencies and memes alike, second acts DO exist. In December 2020, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk sent Dogecoin back up 200% in a week simply by tweeting about it. As 2021 rolls around, this newfound popularity could send the coin up to speculative heights.

Dogecoin does have its merits: its faster block time makes it better at processing payments than Bitcoin can. But in an asset class where popularity trounces usability any day of the week, Dogecoin could quickly return 1,000%.

3. Bitcoin

As the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC) is also the most popular and highly valued, despite high volatility over the course of its history. Bitcoin was initially created to be used as a digital payment system, but experts say it is still too volatile to be used for that.

4. Litecoin ($LTC)

Think of Litecoin as the Rodney Dangerfield of crypto – it can’t get no respect. Created in October 2011 by Charlie Lee, an ex-Google employee, it is formed from Bitcoin, with similar features and characteristics, but, crucially, is lighter and faster.

Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency and open-source software project released under the MIT/X11 license. From a technical standpoint, Litecoin is nearly identitcal to bitcoin, making it an early spinoff or altcoin of the popular cryptocurrency. And, just like its older brother bitcoin, the supply of Litecoin is capped at 84 million, with approximately 75% (or roughly 65 million) of it having been mined already.

Many argue that Litecoin is one of the most undervalued cryptocurrencies in the world, despite being around for a decade. Whereas Bitcoin is often referred to as the gold of the crypto world, Litecoin is seen as the silver.

Recently, Litecoin surged by more than 630% from its lowest level in 2020, which has brought its total market cap to more than $12 billion, making it the 9th largest cryptocurrency in the world, with forecasters predicting that its value could move beyond $200.

5. Ripple ($XRP)

First released in 2012, Ripple is both a cryptocurrency and a digital payment network for financial transactions. As we wrote in our article “XRP price prediction for 2021-2025,” Ripple’s XRP coin remains one of the most undervalued crypto assets in the world.

XRP is a payment token that was created by Ripple Labs to be used on its decentralized payments system. While the company started off with a blockchain-based system, XRP is used with a network of validation nodes rather than a blockchain.

The Ripple network can be used for more than just sending XRP, and, although the token is limited in supply, it isn’t mined in the same way as Bitcoin or Ethereum, which many see as one of its advantages in terms of speed and cost.

Along with every other token on the market, $XRP lost considerable value during the crash at the beginning of 2020, but has risen in value and remains relevant as the fuel for Ripple, the open-source platform developed to facilitate quick and cheap transactions.

A number of financial giants have even thrown their weight behind Ripple, including JP Morgan, HSBC and MoneyGram, among others. It remains to be seen, however, if the recent rift with MoneyGram over the SEC suit will prove detrimental to the asset’s value.

6. Cardano ($ADA)

Launched in 2017 as a competitor to the Ethereum blockchain, the Cardano blockchain platform was designed by Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK), a decentralized company headed by Charles Hoskinson, co-founder of Ethereum. IOHK started in 2015 and builds blockchains and cryptocurrencies for businesses, educational institutions and governments.

First offered for sale in September 2015, ADA coins have experienced the same ups and downs of other cryptocurrencies, all the while achieving an all-time high in February 2021 of $1.49. As of March 2021, their market cap is in the region of $39bn, and there are approximately 31.2 billion ADA coins in circulation, with supply capped at 45 billion.

There’s been some buzz about the introduction of smart contract functionality on Cardano, which will offer developers the options to create and deploy their own decentralized applications (DApps).

Cardano is also the first to be founded on peer-reviewed research, and their stated goal is” to redistribute power from unaccountable structures to the margins – to individuals – and be an enabling force for positive change and progress.”

Forecasting for ADA remains bullish, with many analysts expecting it to hit $2 by the end of the year. Some are even talking about a peak of $10 by year’s end.

7. Bitcoin Cash ($BCH)

Variously described as “a software upgrade,” “like a new version of Microsoft Word,” “Bcash,” and even “Btrash,” Bitcoin Cash is a cryptocurrency that is a fork of Bitcoin and was created in 2017. The intention behind the inception of Bitcoin Cash was to accommodate a larger block size when compared to Bitcoin, allowing more transactions into a single block.

Despite the differences between the two, though, Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin have a number of technical similarities, use the same consensus mechanism and have their supply capped at 21 million.

If you’ve got 37 minutes to spare, then check out the video “Bitcoin Cash: The Road To Mass Adoption” in which leading figures from the BCH ecosystem explain the reasons behind their optimism for 2021.

Contributors such as Roger Ver, Josh Green, Shomari Prince, George Donnelly and Jonathan Toomin explain why they see Bitcoin Cash as the blockchain world’s answer to the most significant challenges facing the global financial system.Whether or not 2021 turns out to be a breakout year for BCH remains anyone’s guess.

But a recent announcement by Japanese e-commerce Rakuten bodes well. The Japanese company has annual revenues of more than $13 billion and is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the country. Thousands of consumers across Japan will now be able to make purchases with cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin Cash.

8. Ethereum Classic

Ethereum Classic is an open-source, decentralized, blockchain-based distributed cryptocurrency platform that runs smart contracts. Ethereum Classic was formed—as a result of a hack of the network—in 2016. The original Ethereum blockchain was split in two with Ethereum Classic being the original and Ethereum being the newer blockchain.

Ethereum Classic facilitates running smart contracts by offering the benefit of decentralized governance. In other words, the contracts can be enforced without a third party involved, such as a lawyer.

Smart contracts are similar to if-then statements, meaning if the actions required within the contract have been fulfilled, then the responding contract parameters would be completed. If the contract parameters have not been fulfilled, then there might be a penalty, a fee, or the contract might be voided, depending on the terms established at the onset of the contract.

9. Monero

Monero (XMR) is an open-source, privacy-oriented cryptocurrency that was launched in 2014. It is built and operates on the concept. These blockchains, which form the underlying technology behind digital currencies, are public ledgers of participants’ activities that show all the transactions on the network.

Monero’s blockchain is intentionally configured to be opaque. It makes transaction details, like the identity of senders and recipients, and the amount of every transaction, anonymous by disguising the addresses used by participants.

Along with anonymity, the mining process for Monero is based on an egalitarian concept. This is the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal opportunities. Its developers did not keep any stake for themselves when they launched Monero but they did bank on contributions and community support to further develop the virtual currency.

As of Jan. 15, 2021, Monero was trading at $155.94 and had a market capitalization of $2.778 billion. That’s a stark difference from the closing price of $65.68 on Jan. 15, 2020. The market cap on that date was $1.143 billion. That’s a jump of more than 137%.

10. Dash

Launched in 2014, the cryptocurrency Dash was originally known as Xcoin. After being rebranded as Darkcoin, it landed on its current name, Dash, in March 2015. When it was initially created, it was designed to ensure user privacy and anonymity.

The cryptocurrency’s whitepaper, co-authored by Evan Duffield and Daniel Diaz, describes it as a privacy-centric cryptocurrency based on Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto’s work.

While it still features strong encryption features, the company has since recast its ambitions. Dash now aims to become a medium for daily transactions as a digital currency that can be used as cash, credit card, or via PayPal. Dash is an open-source project which includes a decentralized payment network.

In May 2021, Dash is the world’s 50th most valuable cryptocurrency by market capitalization ($2.7 billion). The value of Dash cryptocurrency is $229.74.

11. NEO

NEO was founded as AntShares by Da Hongfei and Erik Zhan in China in 2014 and was rebranded as NEO in June 2017. It is a blockchain-based platform that supports its own cryptocurrency and enables the development of digital assets and smart contracts. In that respect, it resembles the U.S.-based Ethereum blockchain network.

Read Also: 10 Quick Steps to Earn huge Interest on Cryptocurrency

NEO aims to automate the management of digital assets through the use of smart contracts, with the eventual aim of building a distributed network-based smart economy system.

12. IOTA

IOTA (MIOTA) is a distributed ledger designed to record and execute transactions between machines and devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. The ledger uses a cryptocurrency called mIOTA to account for transactions in its network.

IOTA’s key innovation is Tangle, a system of nodes used for confirming transactions. IOTA claims that Tangle is faster and more efficient than typical blockchains used in cryptocurrencies.

IOTA’s founders claim that it solves multiple problems plaguing cryptocurrencies that are developed on standard blockchains. These problems include the centralization of mining to a specific group, low network speeds, and scalability. For cryptocurrencies, scalability refers to the problem of increasing the number of transactions processed by a blockchain without affecting other metrics.

Those problems are primarily caused due to a backlog of transactions on Bitcoin’s blockchain. The backlog itself is due to a variety of reasons, from small block sizes to the difficulty of puzzles that miners must solve to earn the cryptocurrency as a reward.

IOTA solves these problems by reconfiguring the blockchain architecture into Tangle, a new way of organizing data and confirming transactions.

Final Words

There’s no question about it: Cryptocurrencies are here to stay. The question becomes, where is the best place to invest your money in the market?

As you decide which cryptocurrency is the best investment for you, here are some other things to keep in mind:

• The speed at which transactions are completed
• The fees associated with transacting
• The ability to use your cryptocurrency for regular purchases and bank transfers

If you’re strictly looking to invest without transacting within the network, remember that cryptocurrency isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Instead, you should consider it a long-term investment.