Bitcoin
The original cryptocurrency and the one that started it all, Bitcoin was created and released in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, an anonymous figure. Bitcoin has the biggest market cap to date around $10billion, overshadowing all other cryptocurrencies in this list, combined.
bitcoin
For most people, an introduction into cryptocurrencies is an introduction to Bitcoin. Because Bitcoin has such a big reputation, all other cryptocurrencies are referred to as ‘altcoins’ – alternative coins because they are alternatives
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Ether
Ether is the cryptocurrency for Ethereum, a decentralised platform that can execute peer-to-peer ‘smart contacts’. As of September 2016 and as a result of an attack to The DAO, Ethereum was split into 2: Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).
ethereum
Created by Vitalik Buterin and launched in mid-2015 after a successful crowdsale, this platform was marketed as the “next generation cryptocurrency and decentralised application platform” and has a market cap of $1.1 billion.
Peer-to-peer smart contracts are what Ethereum is known for, aside from the cryptocurrency. It enables people to code and enact contracts without third parties. For example, this guide explains how you can set up a smart contract for a conference, where organisers can sell tickets, set a maximum number of attendees, and provide refunds automatically.
Litecoin
Litecoin was released in October 2011 by former Google employee Charles Lee as an alternative to Bitcoin. Overall, Litecoin is similar (and familiar) – it can be mined, used as currency and transacted for goods and services.
It has a market cap of roughly $180 million, a far cry from its highest peak of $1.2 billion back in 2013
Monero
Bitcoin is frequently mislabeled as an ‘anonymous’ currency (it’s not). Monero, on the other hand, is a cryptocurrency that focuses on privacy – using the ring signature technology, Monero is ‘secure, private and untraceable’.
At fourth place with $138 million in market cap, Monero is mostly used by individuals wishing to remain incognito on the web.
Ripple
The next on the list, Ripple, is actually a real-time gross settlement system, currency exchange and remittance network. The cryptocurrency is called ripples. Released in 2012 and with a current market cap of $243 million, the Ripple system has been integrated into a few banks and payment networks to reduce costs.!
Dogecoin
Dogecoin was originally made as a ‘joke currency’ but have since garnered a real following. Modeled after the dog in the ‘doge’ memes, the cryptocurrency (released in December 2013 by programmer Billy Markus) is now frequently used to tip users in forums.
dogecoin
It is also frequently sent as donations in fundraising efforts – for example, the Doge4Water fundraising campaign raised thousands of dollars. Dogecoin is now valued at about $25 million dollars.
Dash
Dash (short for ‘digital cash’) is a cryptocurrency with a strong focus on both privacy (using anonymization technology) and speed (of transaction). It was rebranded from Darkcoin as an attempt to stop being associated with the ‘dark web’.
Ranked eighth in the list, it has a market cap of $77 million currently rolling out Dash Evolution, an attempt to make the cryptocurrency more user-friendly. You can spend Dash at merchants accepting it!
Dash.jpg
IMHO those #5 and #6 are nothing more then a joke. Or junk.
But.... that is valid only to me. Your millage may varry.
No bro ripple doing great job. See the trading scale of ripple
I dont care about GAINS. Ripple is a product of banksters. With ~60% of these coins in the hands of banksters. This is a deal-breaker for me . I would not touch ripple even with 20 ft pole
I am long term holder.
Ripple will pop when the new BIG ( and I mean a really BIG) financial crisis comes. Amen
Hmmmmmm.
Not much substance in this post? It gives a basic overview of the currency and not so much why they are investment grade.
I'd rather read about why you should invest in the currency.
That being said- my top picks with: Golem, Humaniq, Ethereum and Digibyte (LTH).
Decent point. I was about to post a similair thread. The crypto space brings the biggest group of uneducated investors with it. This group will only grow. I was researching a way to do better investment analysis on the current cryptos. I found this great website: https://www.coincheckup.com They researched and analyzed every tradable coin out there from a investment, team, product, transparency perspective. Really interesting.