2021 has been the most unpredictable year for the crypto world. Where most of the cryptocurrencies have reached their all-time high prices, while some have plummet to their unfortunate death.
According to CoinMarketCap data, October was a record-breaking month in the world of cryptocurrencies, with the asset class’s top player, Bitcoin (BTC), jumping by about 40%. It wasn’t just Bitcoin that went parabolic this month, as numerous other prominent coins on this list reached all-time highs. The Shiba Inu (SHIB) currency, which began as a spin-off of the meme-based Dogecoin, went completely insane, increasing more than 800% in a month and leapfrogging Dogecoin (DOGE).
Such brazenly speculative, meme-based tokens, on the other hand, do not hold up to scrutiny. Here are eight of the greatest cryptocurrencies to invest in in late 2021, along with the bull case for each.
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin’s inception in 2009 transformed money forever, paving the way for blockchain-based, decentralized currencies not issued by any government. Bitcoin’s first-mover advantage, hard limit on maximum circulation of 21 million BTC, and potential to become a store of wealth on corporate balance sheets.
The recent increase in Bitcoin was the consequence of a number of factors, not the least of which was the establishment of the first Bitcoin-focused exchange-traded fund in the United States. The Proshares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (ticker: BITO) began trading on October 19, with excitement about the digital asset’s further mainstreaming sending BTC to an all-time high of $66,930 just a day later.
Five years ago, a Bitcoin could be purchased for around $500. A single Bitcoin was worth more over $66,000 on October 29, 2021. That equates to a 13,200% increase.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Next up is Ethereum, which is maybe the only digital asset other than Bitcoin worthy of the moniker “blue-chip cryptocurrency.” Bitcoin contributes for more than 43% of the total asset class’s market capitalization, while Ethereum accounts for more than 19%. No other cryptocurrency has even a 4% market share. In 2021, ETH has eaten into BTC’s market share, starting the year with only a 10.8 %.
The usefulness of Ethereum as a platform for decentralized finance, or DeFi, is a major reason for its growing popularity — and a crucial way it differs from BTC. Developers like creating decentralized applications, or DApps, on Ethereum, the world’s most popular blockchain and the go-to network for emerging technology such as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. On October 29, Ethereum reached all-time highs.
Ethereum has grown tremendously as well. Its price increased by about 40,000 percent in just over five years, from roughly $11 to over $4,400.
3. FTX Token (FTT)
The FTX Token stands out among the greatest cryptocurrencies since it serves as the native token for the very successful FTX platform, a crypto derivatives platform that debuted in 2019. The company has lately received a lot of media attention after receiving a $25 billion value in a private investment round in October, up $7 billion from only three months before.
A recent “60 Minutes” profile on the company has also helped the company garner widespread recognition. FTT is a non-Bitcoin cryptocurrency known as an altcoin; the token has gained about 1,000 percent so far in 2021 and has a market worth of more than $7 billion.
4. Solana (SOL)
Despite the fact that 2021 has seen its fair share of crypto currencies take off, Solana may be the year’s most amazing underdog tale. SOL began the year with under 0.01 percent of the market and by September had cracked the top ten cryptocurrencies by market valuation. SOL has since broken into the top five ranking, excluding stablecoins. Its Cinderella tale has been propelled by technological ingenuity rather than foolish meme-induced speculative frenzy.
The Solana protocol, like Ethereum, was designed to make it easier to create DApps, but the network is actually faster, has cheaper costs, and is intended to be more easily scalable than competitors. Solana achieved all-time highs several times in late October and early November. By Oct. 29, 2021, its value had nearly doubled to about $201.91, a gain of more than 26,000 percent.
5. BFI Coin (BFIC)
A high utility-based cryptocurrency that is supported by a massive ecosystem. BFIC integrates the unique features of Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRON within its blockchain. Hence, giving birth to a third-generation blockchain technology. BFIC is relatively new to the market but has already started making buzz all over the world. With its recent successful IEO conducted on XchangeOn, BFIC is all set to be launched for the general public soon.
What differentiates BFIC from other cryptocurrency is the fact that it is designed to solve the scalability issue as well as having high utility. As of now, the coin in tradable on XchangeOn and will soon be available on all major exchanges of the world.
6. XRP (XRP)
XRP, which was founded by some of the same individuals as Ripple, a digital technology and payment processing company, can be used on that network to facilitate swaps of various currency kinds, including fiat currencies and other major cryptocurrencies.
The price of XRP at the start of 2017 was $0.006. Its price reached $1.08 on October 29, 2021, representing a 17,900% increase.
7. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano, is another token undermining Bitcoin’s dominance. As a Cardano investor, Charles Hoskinson, a co-founder of Ethereum, provided the coin instant credibility when it debuted in September 2017.
Cardano combines two appealing coin characteristics: a hard cap on the maximum amount of ADA tokens – the money on the Cardano blockchain – and its use of the considerably more energy efficient proof-of-stake protocol.
Cardano’s ADA token has grown slowly in comparison to other major crypto coins. Initially, the price of ADA was $0.02. Its current value was $2.01 as of October 29, 2021. This represents an almost 10,000% gain.
8. Yield Guild Games (YCG)
Yield Guild Games, the last and certainly least in terms of market value, is a much newer and more speculative cryptocurrency than the others on our list. With a price history stretching back just to late July, YGG and its $475 million market value aren’t for the faint of heart, but the project’s ambition makes it an intriguing speculative investment. YGG is a decentralized autonomous organization that has developed a community of virtual economy online gamers and investors.
It invests in NFTs and divides the profits from renting out these virtual assets among its “guild members.” YGG is up more than 600% from its all-time low, which occurred immediately after the company’s inception, around three months ago.
