Did you know that as of June 7, 2023, there are over 22,339 digital currencies trading on 536 exchanges? However, of that list, there are roughly 9,314 active cryptocurrencies (the rest are inactive or dead). And if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering which are the top 20 cryptocurrencies to invest in.
Ok, so let’s, dive right in.
What are Cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrency is an alternative to fiat currency. Its digital money can be created through mining and used as tokens or coin money. Although cryptocurrencies are being accessed through credit or other projects, mainly cryptocurrencies remain entirely inaccessible. Moreover, cryptos are complicated algorithms that allow the creation of digital currencies and their transaction across decentralized finance platforms. Brokerage services or exchanges facilitate the storage and exchange of the cryptocurrencies they support.
Why Are Top Cryptocurrencies Important?
Blockchain technology allows people to participate in peer-to-peer banking transactions and contracts with each other. In neither instance is it necessary for any reputable third party to be involved. The evolution could disrupt current financial systems and restructure finances in general. In the last decade, cryptocurrency has seen exponential growth while innovations develop.
Top 20 Cryptocurrencies
1). Bitcoin
One of the most often tracked prices in the media is Bitcoin. And there’s a good reason behind it! Since it’s one of the most widely used and established digital currencies, Bitcoin is regarded as a blue-chip cryptocurrency. In 2009, at the tail end of the financial crisis, Bitcoin was first developed, and as of now, it has experienced incredible growth. Its market value is currently close to $528,941,297,872.50 USD. It also serves as the default digital currency for the majority of investors, and as a result, it is currently the most valuable coin globally. In 2021, bitcoin increased by 57% and reached a high of $67,566 on August 11 before seeing a sharp decline. Bitcoin is currently valued at $27,272.22 USD.
Fun fact: During the December holidays around the world, Bitcoin is one of the most popular cryptocurrencies to give as gifts.
2). Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is the next most valuable cryptocurrency on the list. It is one of the most outstanding altcoins to invest in. Altcoins are forms of digital currency that are not Bitcoin. The coin Ethereum may now seem to be a newcomer to the market. However, because it can produce intelligent or smart contracts, cryptocurrency investors know it has performed well
Ethereum symbolizes a variety of cryptocurrencies, including that the business offers developers an open-source crypto environment and leverages its network as a cryptocurrency. Ethereum also enables developers to create Ethereum applications that connect to a network, much like smartphone apps that permit downloading apps from third-party websites. Additionally, if investors think Ethereum will be a more lucrative asset, they can purchase it just as readily as they do Bitcoin. The programmable network of Ethereum can be used in more specialized ways. For instance, the NFT token, which was developed by non-cryptocurrency users this year, attracted a large number of non-cryptocurrency users.
Ethereum was introduced in July 2015; now, it is trading for $1,887.12 USD and has a $226,858,790,471.80 market value. There is general agreement that its ability to handle transactions on its blockchain has changed the game.
3). Tether (USDT)
Tether is the next digital currency on the list. Investors are more familiar with it under the ticker USDT. The market value of Tether is currently $85,747,444,605.96 USD. Tether’s price is typically $1.00, give or take a few hundredths of a cent, because it is a stablecoin linked to the value of the US Dollar (also known as the USD coin). The highest trade price I could locate for 2016 was $1.03 in 2017. Investors can also purchase USDT, which runs on the Algorand, EOS, Tron, and OMG blockchains.
4). Binance Coin (BNB)
The following respectable cryptocurrency on the list is Binance Coin, sometimes referred to as BNC.
A utility cryptocurrency launched in July 2017, Binance is now the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world based on daily trading volume. Using Binance, investors can move funds from the Binance Exchange to their trading accounts. With BNBs held in investment accounts valued at 1.6 billion, its market capitalization was higher than the average.
The exchange holders may swap the tokens at discounted prices. A decentralized mechanism called BinanceCoins is used by the Binance coins blockchain to operate in decentralized exchanges.
The Binance exchange was started by Changpeng Zhao. Currently, based on trade volume, it is the largest exchange globally. A coin called Binance Coin that runs on Ethereum blockchains has an initial value of ETH20. The primary website thereafter went live. The system’s power source is the PoS consensus structure.
Binance has profited from growing investor interest in their coin since introducing the Binance Coin.
And this was demonstrated in 2021 when BNB began trading at $37.90 and completed the year at more than $511. For the full 2021, that is a 13x return on investment.
BNC now has a market cap of $44,392,162,672.88 USD and trades for $281.16 USD. I believe it is a company to keep an eye on.
5). USD Coin (USDC)
USD Coin is a stablecoin developed by Circle and Coinbase. It is accessible on Coinbase and is backed 1:1 by the US dollar.
USD Coin is used to stabilize other cryptocurrencies, just like Tether. It is one of the stablecoins that is easier to use because it is offered on Coinbase. Coinbase is one of the most popular crypto exchanges, with a current price of $1.00 and a market capitalization of $28,709,959,135.38, and it allows for buying, selling, and transferring of crypto.
6). XRP
A cryptocurrency made just for payments, XRP is next on the list. In fact, it is the default digital asset on the XRP Ledger, a decentralized, open-source blockchain system that allows for lightning-fast transaction processing. Since there is no need for a central middleman when sending XRP, it is a practical tool for quickly and effectively bridging two different currencies. With a market valuation of $52,864,255,496.05 USD and a price of $0.53 today, XRP was first introduced in 2012. Ripple Labs maintain the digital currency, and investors now consider it one of the best cryptocurrencies to purchase and the cryptocurrency with the most significant future potential.
7). Binance Coin USD (BUSD)
Binance USD is another stablecoin. It was developed by Binance and had a 1:1 US dollar backing.
Binance USD is employed to stabilize cryptocurrencies, just like other stablecoins. It can be used to pay fees on the Binance platform and to purchase other cryptocurrencies because it is from Binance. Its market capitalization is currently $5,000,162,398.00 at its current price of $1.00 USD.
8). Cardano (ADA)
The third-generation digital currency Cardano is the next worthwhile coin to invest in.
Charles Hoskinson, an Ethereum co-founder, introduced Cardano in 2017. Today, with plenty of potential upsides, cryptocurrency investors consider Cardano to be one of the best altcoins to invest in. Cardano now trades for $0.35 and has a market cap of $15,822,000,000.00. And Cardano experienced a phenomenal 700% increase in 2021.
Cardano is a publicly accessible blockchain platform, according to Wikipedia. It is also open-source, decentralized, and uses proof of stake to achieve consensus. Additionally, it supports peer-to-peer transactions using its cryptocurrency, Ada.
9). Dogecoin (DOGE)
Dogecoin is the next cryptocurrency in the top 20 list. Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer founded Dogecoin in 2013 as a “joke” to mock the irrational speculation in the cryptocurrency market at the time. It was undoubtedly a method to tease other cryptocurrencies with aspirations to rule the globe.
As the first digital currency based on an online meme, Dogecoin also gained popularity. Dogecoin’s market capitalization is currently $9,783,264,004.68 USD, and its all-time high was $0.6848 on May 7, 2021. The price of dogecoin today is $0.07.
10). Polygon (MATIC)
Polygon is a “scalability solution” for Ethereum. Since it sits on top of Ethereum and aids in increasing its scalability, it is a “layer 2” solution. With a market value of $8,194,460,399.40 today, Polygon is trading for $0.82.
“Sidechains” are one of the critical components of Polygon. It is possible to perform transactions using these distinct chains. It aids the Ethereum blockchain’s scalability since some work is offloaded.
Stake-mining, which will let users be paid for staking their tokens on the network, is another project Polygon is working on.
11). Solana (SOL)
A high-speed blockchain system called Solana can handle thousands of transactions per second. Anatoly Yakovenko, a former Qualcomm Chief Technical Officer, founded it in 2017. Solana is now worth $20.33 and has a $11,169,063,933.70 US dollar market capitalization.
The primary selling feature of Solana is its speed. Compared to other protocols like Ethereum, it can process transactions faster. This makes it perfect for applications like video streaming or gaming that require executing a large number of transactions swiftly.
12). Polkadot (DOT)
Polkadot, a third-generation digital currency to consider, was developed by Dr. Gavin Wood, another co-founder of Ethereum. It currently trades for $5.19 and has a market value of $6,228,225,600.58; this is astounding given that it only launched in May 2020.
Polkadot enhances the capabilities of interoperability between different blockchain systems, according to the Polkadot website. The protocols are designed to link oracle with approved and unauthorized blockchains, enabling system integration under one roof. The critical component of Polkadot features a relay chain that makes it possible for networks to be flexible and interoperable. The program can also offer parallel blockchains and chains for particular purposes.
As an illustration, Polkadot can move data between private, authorized blockchains and public, open, permissionless ones. As a result, it is now possible to create applications that employ permission data obtained from a private blockchain and then used on a public blockchain. For instance, a smart contract for degree verification on a public chain may get confirmation from a school’s private, permissioned academic records chain.
Because any Polkadot dApps do not constrain developers, Polkadot is different from Ethereum in this regard.
13). Shiba Inu (SHIB)
Another cryptocurrency developed in 2021 as a “joke coin” is Shiba Inu. It is based on the Shiba Inu dog meme from the Dogecoin platform.
This is because it was made using the “token cloning” feature of the Ethereum network. However, Shiba Inu has a multi-billion dollar market cap, as opposed to Dogecoin’s $1 billion.
It shows that anyone can develop their own Shiba Inu. The coin currently comes in more than 100 different variations as a result. Shiba Inu has a current market capitalization of $4,799,454,302.88.
14). Litecoin (LTC)
A “lightweight” variant of Bitcoin, Litecoin is a cryptocurrency developed in 2011. Faster transaction times and increased storage effectiveness are only two distinctive features that make it unique. The market capitalization of all Litecoin is currently $6,638,620,119.85, and it trades for $90.83 per coin.
The “testnet” for Bitcoin is frequently Litecoin. As a result, new features can be tested before being added to Bitcoin using Litecoin. It has a sizable community of supporters as one of the more established cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin.
15). Dai
Dai is a stablecoin (also known as a USD coin) like Tether or USDT because it is weakly tied to the US dollar.
Due to the abrupt COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, DAI experienced high volatility, reaching a peak of $1.09 (in real-world currencies) before reverting to a dollar. Dai now trades for $1.00 and has a $4,571,958,618.68 market cap.
16). TRON (TRX)
TRON is the next top cryptocurrency on the list. A decentralized network focused on entertainment and content sharing, Tron made one of its most significant purchases in 2018 when it bought the file-sharing service BitTorrent.
The ability to process 2000 transactions per second makes daily use possible, which is the main benefit.
TRON tokens are valued at $0.08 and have a $7,063,211,525.64 market capitalization.
17). Avalanche (AVAX)
Avalanche is a “platform for launching enterprise blockchains and decentralized finance applications.” It is made to be interoperable, secure, and scalable. Avalanche now has a market capitalization of $6,312,112,751.24 and a trading price of $14.64 USD.
The “proof-of-stake” consensus process that underpins Avalanche allows users to profit from staking their tokens on the network.
They are enhancing the platform’s usefulness by using smart contracts.
18). Uniswap (UNI)
The biggest decentralized exchange (DEX) running on the Ethereum blockchain is called Uniswap. It enables users to exchange cryptocurrency directly between themselves from anywhere in the world. One of the top ten cryptocurrencies on Coinbase by market size is UNI, the governance token that enables users to vote on significant protocol modifications. It currently trades for $4.77 and has a $4,769,000,000.00 USD market cap.
The Automated Market Maker approach was created by Uniswap, in which users provide “liquidity pools” with Ethereum tokens, and computers determine market prices based on supply and demand (as opposed to order books, which match bids and asks from users on a centralized exchange like Coinbase).
Users can profit while supporting peer-to-peer trading by providing tokens to Uniswap liquidity pools. By leveraging Ethereum’s ERC-20 token protocol, users can create and list their tokens in addition to supplying tokens to liquidity pools, trading, and making their tokens. Uniswap currently offers hundreds of tokens, and many of the most well-liked trading pairs use stablecoins like USDC.
19). Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC)
In January 2019, Wrapped Bitcoin launched on the Ethereum mainnet. To bring more liquidity into the Ethereum network by using Bitcoin, significant companies in the DeFi ecosystem, including BitGo, Ren, Dharma, Kyber, Compound, MakerDAO, and Set Protocol, collaborated to create Wrapped Bitcoin. The WBTC DAO, a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), is currently in charge of the project.
On Ethereum, many of the most well-known DeFi dapps demand collateral. Users of services like MakerDAO and Compound must lock up their cryptocurrency assets to borrow other cryptocurrency assets. Wrapped Bitcoin’s market value is $4,275,872,113.88, and it trades for $27,299.49 per coin.
Ethereum’s far lower total value constrains the potential growth of these protocols than Bitcoin. Protocols benefit from an increase in liquidity by integrating Bitcoin, enabling them to expand the collateral sources for their dapps. Wrapped Bitcoin also allows owners of the cryptocurrency to use DeFi dapps like Compound to borrow and lend money while still holding it as an asset.
20). Cosmos (ATOM)
Blockchains that can scale and collaborate make up the Cosmos (ATOM) network. The goal of Cosmos is to build an Internet of Blockchains that will enable blockchains to preserve their independence, communicate with one another and the rest of the ecosystem, and process transactions quickly—making it ideal for a variety of use cases. Tendermint consensus, which powers each blockchain in the Cosmos, and BFT consensus algorithms are employed by the network to operate. The Cosmos Hub and the Cosmos SDK are powered by the proof-of-stake consensus technology known as Tendermint BFT (software development kit). BFT (Byzantine Fault Tolerance) is a distributed network consensus mechanism that achieves consensus even when some network nodes answer incorrectly or fail to respond.
Cosmos SDK is an open-source platform designed to help create multi-asset public proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains. The economic hub of the Cosmos network is a blockchain called the Cosmos Hub. In addition to offering bridges to ETH and BTC and interchain token custodianship, The Cosmos Hub seeks to provide interchain token exchange and security. The current price is $10.13, and its market capitalization is $3,521,973,320.74.
2022 Coins That Were Once In The Top 20
Stellar (XLM)
Stellar once ranked among the top 20 in 2022. It provides inexpensive international transactions for investors. Stellar enables the creation, sending, and trading of digital representations of all types of money, including dollars, pesos, bitcoin, and pretty much anything else, according to stellar.org. The financial systems of the globe may cooperate on a single network thanks to Stellar. Stellar, introduced in 2014, has a price of $0.09 and a market valuation of $4,483,160,252.05. Additionally, in 2021, the cost of XLM doubled, making long-term investors quite pleased.
Neo
The blockchain-based platform Neo, first known as Antshares, was established in 2014 and is frequently referred to as the “Ethereum of China” because of how similar it is to Ethereum in that it supports its own cryptocurrency and makes it possible to create digital assets and smart contracts.
Neo has a market capitalization of $964,863,900.00 for a $9.65 trading price. In 2021, it increased by 77% as well. However, given that the Chinese government has recently tightened down on cryptocurrencies, it is down significantly from its peak of $122. Additionally, the recent “crypto winter” hasn’t exactly been helpful. Consequently, it will be intriguing to observe what happens to Neo soon.
Celsius (CEL)
The following virtual currency on the list is Celsius, which has a $139,452,029.80 market valuation. A relative newbie to the cryptocurrency market, Celsius was founded in 2017 and now trades at $0.20.
A regulated and SEC-compliant lending platform is The Celsius Network. The site lets users take out cryptocurrency loans or even collect interest on cryptocurrency deposits. Additionally, Celsius wants to draw in investors by providing high deposit rates. Celsius gives current bitcoin holders who wish for a loan the chance to get money without selling their cryptocurrency holdings.
“Due to extraordinary market conditions, today we are announcing that Celsius is stopping all withdrawals, Swap, and transfers between accounts,” Celcius said in its crypto news on June 13, 2022.
Celius declared bankruptcy on July 13, 2022. We’ll have to wait and see if investors can access their funds.
Nano
Nano is the following cryptocurrency that made the Top 20 list in 2022. The trade value of Nano is now $0.73, and the market cap is $97,233,764.41 USD.
The phrase “digital money for the modern world” is often used to describe Nano. Additionally, Nano is a coin that enhances existing financial infrastructure and other contemporary cryptocurrencies by enabling secure, almost instantaneous payments without costs.
After successfully passing a captcha challenge, users could collect tiny amounts of XRB using the RaiBlocks public faucet, which was introduced in 2015. Anyone with a computer or phone at the time could solve captchas to earn RaiBlocks. The term was changed to Nano in 2018 to reflect how quickly transactions are completed.
Dash
Dash came to the list of leading cryptocurrencies last January 2022. When Dash was still known as Xcoin in 2014, we first learned about it. Later in 2015, it acquired its present moniker, Dash, which stands for “digital cash,” after changing its name to DarkCoin earlier.
With a market capitalization of $452,467,288.33 US dollars, Dash trades for $40.00 after rising by a remarkable 51% in 2021.
Out of a possible 18.9 million Dash, more than 10 million are currently in use. Through the DashDirect app, consumers may use Dash to purchase from merchants. Investors can also trade it on cryptocurrency exchanges like Kraken, Coinbase, and Binance.
Zcash (ZEC)
Zcash is an anonymous cryptocurrency founded in 2016 and initially based on Bitcoin. It makes use of technology that makes it possible to verify transactions without disclosing private information about them.
You might be thinking that all other cryptocurrency transactions are private at this point. Well, not really. Most cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin (BTC), are pseudonymous rather than anonymous. In other words, each user has their public address even though they do not directly expose the identity of their users. The authorities can finally identify the original owner of the public address using forensics.
Contrarily, Zcash transactions conceal both the sending and receiving addresses and the transaction value. At least not automatically. There is, however, a choice to make the information public for regulatory compliance or auditing. Zcash is worth $29.99 and has a $489,684,779.81 market capitalization.
NEM (XEM)
The term “NEM” refers to a group of technologies that leverage blockchain and encryption to offer end users and companies solutions. NEM is an acronym for the new economy movement.
On well-known exchanges like Zaif, Binance, and Cointiger, investors may purchase and sell NEM.
This currency decreased by almost 45% in 2021. With a current price of $0.03 and a market capitalization of $272,071,799.97.
Bitcoin SV (BSV)
The following is Bitcoin SV, often known as BSV.
BSV was developed following the hard split of Bitcoin Cash in 2018, which had hard forked from the BTC blockchain the year before.
BSV’s market capitalization is currently $594,465,541.82 USD, and its price is $31.29. But it is a considerable decrease from its 52-week high of $491.
One of BSV’s key selling advantages is its capacity for circulating supply; it can handle more than 100,000 transactions per second. We’ll have to wait and see how people like you and I will use it.
EOS Coin (EOS)
Developers can create decentralized applications, or DApps, on the EOS platform.
Making blockchain technology development as simple as possible for programmers is the initiative’s aim. As a result, it supports developers who wish to create blockchain-related apps rapidly and effectively with its tools and training resources.
EOS currently has a market cap of $1,029,463,732.08 and a price of $0.89 USD.
VeChain (VET)
The next cryptocurrency on the list is VeChain, often known as VET. VeChain, launched in 2015, is a platform for enterprise-grade smart contracts.
The supply chain sector, which hasn’t changed much in recent decades, is where VeChain is best recognized for its work. VeChain offers a decentralized trust layer for multi-party ecosystems today and has already had some significant achievements with well-known clients, including governments.
Interestingly, VeChain has a market size of $1,632,855,931.95 and a price of $0.02 right now. In 2021, it increased by a staggering 400%.
Wrapping up
Of late, the crypto space has become a popular choice for investors all across the globe to earn good returns. Thanks to the number of features attached to it, traditional money does not offer. The above are some of the top 20 cryptocurrencies to invest in in the current market. If you are looking for options in digital coins, the above list can serve you a decent amount of options. Get the right one with intelligent and unique strategies; you never know you can gain huge out of your investment. Good Luck!
*Disclaimer: Pricing data accurate as of June 7, 2023. As everyones’ personal circumstances will differ, always seek qualified investment advice (unbiased information from a qualified professional) to assess your own risk before buying anything. Finally, opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only, and past performance is no indicator of future performance.
I just want some advice or a list of cryptocurrency that I should invest in and can make good returns in the future
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