Cryptocurrencies were invented online, and not all were created equal. Essentially, any cryptocurrency is only as valuable as the desirability assigned it by a mass audience. Like other types of assets, stocks, or property, for example, the price of digital currency rises and falls rapidly, making them volatile investments, but ones that could pay off handsomely. Herewith find the 10 most worth buying as we go into 2018.
10 – Storjcoin X
Storjcoin X was released by Storj in July of 2014. It is essentially an open-sourced, encrypted, decentralised cloud data storage system, which makes use of Storjcoin tokens to grant access and allow usage in the Storj network. Its market cap is around US$8 million.
09 – Lisk
This is a unique, crowdfunded cryptocurrency, branding itself as the first modular cryptocurrency that uses sidechains. Unlike the other systems on this list, other than Ethereum, the system Lisk uses can be put to work by anyone interested in making original decentralised applications, or dapps, in the Javascript programming language.
As a result, Lisk enjoys the benefit of having a practical application value, and dapps like social media platforms, e-commerce stores, and many more can be created. Its current cap is roughly US$25 million.
08 – MaidSafeCoin
Also known as Safecoin, MaidSafeCoin is the cryptocurrency that the Secure Access for Everyone, or SAFE, network makes use of. Billed as a crowd-sourced Internet, you are able to offer space on your computer in return for coins. Its cap stands at US$39 million.
07 – Dash
Short for digital cash, Dash is a cryptocurrency that places its focus on privacy and speedy transactions. It got rebranded from Darkcoin because of the dark web associations the previous moniker carried, and has a cap of US$77 million.
06 – Dogecoin
Dogecoin started off as a joke, but somehow managed to gain an actual following! Modelled after the dogs in the doge memes, Dogecoin got released by Billy Markus, a programmer, in December of 2013, and is now often used to tip users in forums. It is valued at about US$25 million.
05 – Ripple
Ripple is, in effect, a real-time system of gross settlement, remittance network, and currency exchange. It was released in 2012, and its current market cap stands at US$243 million. It has been integrated into a number of payment networks and banks in order to decrease costs.
04 – Monero
People often mistakenly assume that Bitcoin is anonymous – it isn’t. Monero, on the other hand is absolutely focused on privacy. By making use of the ring signature tech now available, Monero offers secure, private, untraceable cryptocurrency services. With a market cap of US$138 million, Monero is for those who rate privacy highly.
03 – Litecoin
Litecoin was first released in October of 2011 by Charles Lee, a former Google employee. Litecoin can be mined, and used as a form of currency to acquire goods and services online. Its market cap currently stands at US$180 million.
02 – Ether
Ether was created by Vitalik Buterin, and it was launched in the middle of 2015 after it enjoyed a successful crowdsale. It has a market cap of US$1.1 billion, and it is known for peer-to-peer smart contracts, which allows people to accomplish coding and contracts without the need for third parties.
01 – Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the cryptocurrency that started it all and was created and released by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto back in 2009. It has the largest market cap currently, at around US$10 billion, and overshadows each of the other cryptocurrencies on the Top 10 list combined. There have been many questions raised about the future of this cryptocurrency and several controversies surrounding it, but for now, it is going strong.
Thanks to the reputation Bitcoin enjoys, all other cryptocurrencies are known as altcoins because they are alternatives to Bitcoin.