Bitcoin is the first-ever cryptocurrency - a new kind of internet money and speculative asset with no central authority running it. It was launched in 2008 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. A peer-to-peer network is incentivised to settle transactions and issue new bitcoin, with a record of this maintained in something called the Bitcoin blockchain.
Launched in 2015, Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation. It is described as the world’s computer, using blockchain technology to facilitate any programmable action without a third party. Like Bitcoin, the Ethereum platform also functions as a cryptocurrency in its own right supporting decentralised peer-to-peer money transfer. The currency that is used within the Ethereum platform is known as Ether, or ETH.
Tether or US Dollar Tether (USDT) is a cryptocurrency that has it’s value tied (or tethered) to the value of the US Dollar. Known as a Stablecoin this crypto token is issued by the Hong Kong based company Tether. Tether accounts for roughly 80% of all Stablecoin volume, and besides BTC accounts for the majority of exchange traded pairs. Though established with high volume, Tether is not without controversy and critics.
Solana is a decentralised open-source blockchain focused on providing speed, scalability and ease of app development. It was created in 2018 by Anatoly Yakovenko, Greg Fitzgerald and Stephen Akridge, taking its name from a small beach in North San Diego where its three founders used to surf.
Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange with an average daily trading volume of over $74 billion. Founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao and He Yi it has quickly grown into a company that spans all areas of the crypto industry and has a huge number of users. Binance Coin (BNB) is the token launched by the Binance exchange as part of their decentralised network and is just one of several crypto functions the company offers.
The infamous Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency based on an internet Dog meme - focused around Shiba Inu dog - that has a huge online following and dedicated believers. Dogecoin was launched on December 6th 2013 as a joke by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer but has now taken on a life of its own, helped by the support of billionaire, Elon Musk. Dogecoin is an example of money as meme, rather than utility.
XRP is a cryptocurrency created to enable instant money transactions globally. Its main use case is RippleNet, a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system that is faster, cheaper and more efficient than the existing systems used by banks to transfer money internationally e.g SWIFT.
Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform with the lofty ambition of redistributing power to individuals and away from unaccountable central authorities through decentralised applications. It promises use cases across education, healthcare, agriculture, government, finance and retail. It was founded in 2015 by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson following a dispute with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin..
The Shiba Inu token (SHIB) was created in August 2020 by anonymous person(s) known as "Ryoshi" as one of numerous memecoins taking satirical inspiration from Dogecoin and using the same Shiba Inu breed. While it achieved initial success in its launch year, gaining attention after Vitalik Buterin donated his entire airdropped stock of SHIB to Covid-19 relief efforts in 2021, it now trades well below its all-time high and has spawned many more copycats rife with “pump and dump” schemes.
TON stands for Open Network, a Layer 1 blockchain based on the PoS consensus method. Toncoin (TON) is the native currency of the TON ecosystem.
Avalanche is a scalable open-source platform that supports both decentralised applications as well as custom blockchain deployments. Fast transaction confirmation times, high potential transaction throughput and low fees make Avalanche popular for DEFI and NFT applications. Avalanche was founded in 2020 by Emin Gün Sirer, assisted by Kevin Sekniqi, and Maofan “Ted” Yin.
SUI is a Layer 1 blockchain created to resolve issues surrounding the Web3 ecosystem. SUI's primary focus is to reduce the latency in the execution of smart contracts and improving blockchain technology. SUI is the native token of the SUI ecosystem.
Pepe Coin is an Ethereum-based deflationary meme coin that was inspired by the Pepe the Frog meme. Pepe Coin is an ERC-20 token with several interesting features; the project includes a deflationary mechanism and a redistribution system as well as a no-tax policy.
Polkadot is an open-source protocol that uses an innovative approach to breaking data into small chunking - called sharding - to facilitate decentralised, scalable and secure data transfers. This means that Polkadot can facilitate both payment transactions and decentralised applications. Polkadot’s real differentiator is interoperability, which means that it can connect transactions across different blockchain systems built within its ecosystem.
UNUS SED LEO is a utility token used within the iFinex ecosystem. Its name is based on a latin citation from one of Aesop's fables. The token provides benefits such as saving commissions, monthly discounts, and discounts on withdrawal.
Cronos (CRO) is a cryptocurrency and native token of the Cronos Chain, developed by the Crypto.com platform. Cronos has a current supply of some 30 billion with over 25 billion already in circulation. More information can be found at https://www.crypto.com/en/chain.
Internet Computer (ICP) is a blockchain-based protocol created to build a new Internet. Internet Computer (ICP) aims to become a Cloud 3.0 platform which accommodates Dapps on a distributed network. The network is powered by the native ICP token.
Aave is a decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol that enables users to borrow and lend crypto. The AAVE token, the native token of the Aave protocol, serves as a governance token.
Mantle is a Layer 2 scaling solution with modular architecture that aims to achieve high performance, data availability and enhanced security. The MNT token is the native token of the Mantle network with dual roles as a governance and utility token.
Scale up your Ethereum game with Arbitrum - the lightning-fast Layer 2 solution with reduced gas fees. The cutting-edge tech still in development, Arbitrum seems to deliver on its promises.
The Optimism token is a governance ERC-20 token. Its main objective is to allow the token holder to participate in the governance of the optimism ecosystem. Optimism can be explained as a stable, fast, and scalable blockchain built by Ethereum developers. It encompasses the most important perks of the Ethereum network with the addition of faster transactions, lower costs, and a fraud-proof security mechanism. More information can be retrieved at https://www.optimism.io/.
Fantom presents a Directed Acyclic Graph-based smart contract platform for decentralised applications (Dapps). FTM is the native token of the Fantom blockchain.
How successful has Algorand (ALGO) been in challenging Ethereum's dominance in the crypto World? Learn Crypto looks into the Pure Proof-of-Stake (PPoS) crypto focusing on trustless apps.
Explore Lido DAO (LDO), a liquid staking solution fast gaining popularity with DeFi users on Ethereum. Read about its successes and controversies on the path to improving decentralisation.
Polygon is a blockchain platform providing scaling solutions for faster and cheaper transactions on Ethereum. It uses a native token called MATIC to pay for transaction fees and validation rewards, running a parallel network with different rules for processing transactions and setting fees which means less traffic and much cheaper tolls.
ApeCoin (APE) is a utility and governance token associated with the non-fungible token (NFT) brand Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), which played a significant role in popularising the collectible NFT art markets in 2021. APE was launched in April 2021 by Yuga Labs, the owners of BAYC. It was first given out for free or airdropped to current owners of a “Bored Ape” NFT, the term given to the collection of BAYC NFTs.
Planning to invest in virtual real estate? Learn about MANA, the native token of one of the metaverse projects, Decentraland. The highest price paid for MANA was $5.85, which was recorded on 25 November 2021.
Chiliz (CHZ) is a sports-themed token with active developments over the years. Does it have a game-changing potential?
The Curve finance protocol is a DeFi platform engaged in creating liquidity pools through smart contracts which act as Automated Market Makers (AMMs). Curve DAO token (CRV) is a ERC-20 governance token created to incentivise liquidity providers on the Curve platform.
Decred (DCR) emerged as a Bitcoin fork that developed a hybrid consensus mechanism and governance model to enhance a community-driven approach. This innovative project on the crypto market, originally created to address shortcomings of Bitcoin, combines PoW and PoS consensus mechanism to provide a higher degree of security as well as an efficient use of resources.
Unveiling the market dominance of Binance USD: Dive into its captivating past, innovative tech and versatile applications. Is it your secure investment gateway?
Bamboo coin (BMBO) is the native cryptocurrency of the Bamboo DeFi ecosystem. It is a memecoin that lies on the Solana blockchain and fosters a community-based approach within its native ecosystem.
Coinbase’s second layer network has its very own popular memecoin. Is BAMBOO worth getting into? Learn Crypto checks it out.