The age of cryptocurrencies has dawned upon us some time ago. The first to come and keep its good name is of course Bitcoin. All of us have heard about BTC by now. But, the list doesn’t stop there. In the last fifteen years or so that the digital currencies have been around many have managed to rise in value and remain competitive to the untouchable Bitcoin.
BTC entered many spheres of life, and today there almost isn’t a business, a subscription, or a service that you can’t approach with Bitcoin. It is as valuable an asset as any other fiat currency, even better, and it has a reach that is hard to achieve. It even managed to enter the sphere of online gambling and you shouldn’t be surprised if you hear about Bitcasino coin more frequently in the future.
While BTC still holds the highest value among all digital currencies it is not without competition. In this article, we’re going to talk about cryptocurrencies that are less valuable than BTC but are hoping to achieve their value and recognition. At the same time, they are valuable assets in their own right and more than worth your time. Check them out.
Ethereum
If you’ve heard about Bitcoin, then you’re also familiar with Ethereum. Even if you haven’t it’s only a matter of time before you hear about it. This digital currency was launched in 2015, quite some time after BTC, but so far it has been its only true rival. Its market value stands at around $200 billion which makes it almost half time less valuable than Bitcoin. Ethereum wants to be an alternative not only to BTC but to other forms of financial transactions. Its work on this is never-ending which is validated by the implementation of the proof-of-stake validation method.
Tether
Here, we have one of the top available stablecoins. In every sense of its existence, Tether is a crypto, but to mitigate the volatility of its own and other crypto, which is one of the main negative traits of all crypto. Because of this, tether is an ideal option for those who want to get involved with digital currencies but are afraid of their volatility. Not even BTC is safe from frequent fluctuations so having a healthy alternative to cryptocurrency volatility is worth every consideration. What helps in keeping its stability is the fact that Tether is directly tied to the US Dollar. It is one of the cryptocurrencies that have the easiest path of being exchanged to the US Dollar.
It was launched ten years ago in 2014 with the sole purpose of bringing closer blockchain technology and fiat currencies. This idea bodes well with plenty of people and that’s why Tether is ranked high in the world of crypto together with BTC, Ethereum, and other digital currencies. In no time it could find itself offered as a Bitcasino coin which would be a token of its popularity.
XRP
XRP is in a courtyard of its own. It was devised by a payment system Ripple in 2012 and it is a token that belongs to XRP Ledger. Its consensus or validation doesn’t rely upon proof-of-stake or proof-of-work but instead has a mechanism called XRP Ledger Consensus Protocol. Those who start relying on XRP use their ledger servers for transactions if their applications and transactions are approved.
Binance Coin
Binance Coin or BNB is a crypto of the highest utility. Have you heard about the Binance exchange? They have created a crypto of their own which is used as a payment method and a litigator of fees associated with the sage of Binance Exchange. If you look solely at the market capitalization it is the third biggest crypto out there. When you’re using Binance exchange and also use their coin, you are entitled to a trading discount. Those who work with crypto in terms of buying and selling can make an additional profit this way.
Furthermore, Binance Coin and its blockchain is the same platform on which Binance Exchange operates. A testimony to its quality is the fact that this exchange is the most used platform based only on trading volumes. This fact makes its owner Changpeng Zhao one of the richest people in the world. Back in the day, it was closely tied to Ethereum and it operated on its blockchain before it moved on to a PoS consensus model of its own. The best part about this digital currency is that it’s tied to one of the biggest digital exchanges in the world. This means that as long as all crypto prospers its place is guaranteed next to BTC, Ethereum, XRP, and rising novelties such as Bitcasino coin.
USD Coin
As you probably noticed, most stablecoins are tied to the American Dollar. USD Coin is no different. This one is quite unique as the number of USD Coins out there is equal to the number of Dollars available. With equal circulation, it is much easier for this crypto to remain stable compared to some other cryptocurrencies. This is a rather new crypto option as it was released in 2018. Another interesting thing tied to it is the fact that it is regulated fully as its origin is the United States of America. A regulated stablecoin is not a common occurrence in the digital world of currencies making it one of a kind. Due to this fact, it is rather popular with new crypto investors. At the moment, one coin is valued at $0.9999, with a total market cap of $30.8 billion. These numbers do not put it high in the world of cryptocurrencies but its possibility of rising in value is quite high and new investors rely on predictions for this stablecoin.
Summary
While Bitcoin is still the biggest fish in the pond, it is not like it’s the only one. It is hard to tell if any digital currency will ever dethrone BTC, but you cannot notice that many are trying. Also, in the world of crypto, it might not be important to be the number one, but to achieve stability which is the biggest desire every crypto has.
