Bitcoin (BTC) is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency, originally described in a 2008 paper by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Launched in January 2009, it was the world’s first cryptocurrency, and remains the most popular, with the highest market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin was built on several key innovations. Firstly, Nakamoto guaranteed that Bitcoin transactions were immutable, by recording all transactions on a distributed ledger known as a blockchain. Secondly, he ensured Bitcoin’s scarcity by capping the total number of Bitcoin in existence at 21 million. Finally, the community was incentivized to verify transactions by receiving rewards in the form of “mined” Bitcoin for checking the accuracy of the blockchain.


BTCUSD | Bitcoin Price today, Chart and News - Decrypt

Price of Bitcoin (BTC USD): Get the current BTC price, live chart and market updates. Visit Decrypt for real-time Bitcoin price and latest news.

First described in a 2013 whitepaper by programmer Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum (ETH) is a cryptocurrency and blockchain platform that allows developers to create programs and run smart contracts using its native language. It can thus be viewed as a virtual computer, whose resources are paid for using Ether.

In 2020, Ethereum began the transition to Ethereum 2.0, in which its proof-of-work consensus mechanism is replaced by a proof-of-stake model. The aim of the upgrade is to increase Ethereum’s scalability and security.


Cardano (ADA) is a multi-chain platform intended as a more efficient alternative to Ethereum. Its founders, among them Charles Hoskinson, believed Ethereum was too limited in its scope; it couldn’t accommodate large numbers of users, and had experienced forks that had disrupted the network. Cardano sought to resolve these issues by adopting a proof-of-stake protocol and peer-reviewing all changes to the network, in the academic tradition, so as to guarantee stability.


Tether is a stablecoin, a cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to the US Dollar and backed by reserves held by its parent company (in 2019, Tether admitted in court documents that it was only 74% backed by cash and cash equivalents). Most cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile; Tether markets itself as a relief from crypto speculation. In terms of trading volume, Tether is the most widely used cryptocurrency in the world.


Binance Coin (BNB) is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 token used as a medium of exchange for Binance, one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges. Those who own a number of coins and spend them on trading fees receive discounts at Binance, that are not available to those who use alternate currencies.


XRP is a cryptocurrency designed to facilitate transfers between financial institutions. Ripple, the project behind XRP, differs from both Bitcoin and Litecoin in several key aspects: it relies on sale as opposed to mining as a means of freeing up new currency, and its transaction speeds are of a different order of magnitude (nearly 1,000 transactions per second to Bitcoin’s 7 tps) .

While the ideas behind XRP date back to 2004, the currency was created in 2012 by Jed Caleb and Chris Larsen.


Polkadot was created by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood. Much like how HTML allows websites and servers to interact with each other, Polkadot hopes to offer a unified framework for multiple blockchains that takes care of the features that are more grueling to build—such as mining, validation of transactions and security protocols—allowing devs to focus on building decentralized apps and smart contract functionality.

Its native token, DOT, is used for transaction fees, governance, interoperability and bonding.


Dogecoin was originally conceived as a joke to poke fun at the crypto industry, based on the popular “doge” Internet meme. Launched in 2013 amid a mass proliferation of altcoins, it quickly gained an ardent following on Reddit and beyond, and hit a market cap of nearly $2 billion during the January 2018 crypto craze. It maintains fast transaction speeds and low costs, and frequently turns its attention to various philanthropic causes. Dogecoin was founded by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus. Its native token is the DOGE. Wow.


Chainlink (LINK) aims to ensure that smart contracts are receiving accurate data from external, off-blockchain sources. It does this through a decentralized network of oracles, each of which is assigned a reputation and bids for participation in a contract. Their reporting is then aggregated and thus vetted for accuracy. Its digital token, LINK, is used to pay Chainlink node operators for their services and allows said operators to stake in the network.


Binance USD or BUSD is Binance's stablecoin project, created in partnership with Paxos.


Litecoin is a cryptocurrency introduced in 2011 using similar code to Bitcoin. Its value proposition lies in its comparative ease of use and transaction time: whereas, at the time of Litecoin’s release, Bitcoin transactions required six confirmations and up to an hour to process, Litecoin billed itself as a more streamlined alternative for merchants. It is considered the first successful “alternative currency,” or altcoin.

 

Bitcoin Cash is a cryptocurrency designed to be an electronic payment system—as opposed to merely a means of storing value like Bitcoin. It was created as a hard fork of Bitcoin in August 2017 and, while technically similar, differentiates itself through faster transaction times. As Bitcoin Cash’s block size is substantially larger than Bitcoin (32MB relative to 1MB), its transaction costs are also reduced.


Algorand is a proof-of-stake blockchain designed to run smart contracts and dapps.


Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) is a cryptocurrency token and operates on the Ethereum platform.


Cosmos is a multi-chain, proof-of-stake blockchain designed to enable data transfer between other blockchains. Its aim is to create an “Internet of blockchains” using a set of open-source tools, including consensus protocol Tendermint, the Cosmos SDK framework, and the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol (IBC). Its native currency, ATOM, enables holders to stake in the network, validate blocks, vote on governance issues and pay transaction fees.


Matic Network describes itself as is a Layer 2 scaling solution that uses sidechains for off-chain computation while ensuring asset security using the Plasma framework and a decentralized network of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) validators.


Filecoin is a decentralized protocol which enables anyone to rent out spare storage space on their computer. Likewise, anyone can buy storage on the network.


Stellar is a payments network with the goal of democratizing financial transactions through its native token, Stellar Lumens (XLM). Whereas Ripple markets itself as a tool for banks, Stellar claims to represent the everyman—reducing transaction fees across borders and thereby reducing barriers to entry for the world’s unbanked population. Jed McCaleb, also the inventor of Ripple, created Stellar in 2014.


Founded by entrepreneur Justin Sun, Tron is a blockchain-based operating system underpinned by the native token TRX. Originally built on Ethereum, it migrated onto its own proof-of-stake blockchain in 2018. In the same year, Tron acquired file-sharing site BitTorrent, as part of its plans to build a decentralized entertainment ecosystem.


VeChain (VET) is a blockchain designed to promote transparency across supply chains and to guarantee the authenticity of purchased items. Conceived as a means of detecting counterfeit goods, it evolved into a tool for corporations to track and supervise the production and distribution of their products.

VeChain was founded in 2015 by Sunny Lu, former CIO of Louis Vuitton China. Its native token is VET.


Ethereum Classic (ETC) is an open-source blockchain platform designed to run smart contracts. It emerged as a fork in 2016 from Ethereum following a dispute over how to best resolve a hack that stole over $50 million.
In nearly every respect, it is a dead ringer for its parent, Ethereum. It differs, however, in several respects, chief among which is the existence of a hard cap on its currency—210 million.



Tezos is a proof-of-stake blockchain network that’s designed as a platform for deploying smart contracts. Like Ethereum, it’s intended to function as a decentralized global computer on which developers can create decentralized apps (dapps). It differs in that it features an on-chain governance model that enables XTZ holders to vote on the future direction of the network. Its native token, XTZ, is used for transaction fees, staking and earning rewards. Its ICO was held in 2017.


EOS bills itself as Ethereum for big business. Like its predecessor, EOS is a smart contract and DApp development platform, but better suited for scalability and usability for developers. It tweaks Ethereum’s build in a few subtle ways—transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, not charging transaction fees and instead relying on one’s network capacity for permission.


Pancakeswap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on Binance Smart Chain,


With the headquarters based in Malta, OKEx is one of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency exchanges. Its native utility token is known as OKB and it was introduced to the trading market in 2018. It runs on the Ethereum blockchain and is based on the ERC-20 standard.


Founded in 2016, Crypto.com is the Monaco-based project with the key goal to accelerate the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies as the main means of payment worldwide.


Monero (XMR) is one of the leading “privacy coins”. Where most cryptocurrencies are completely transparent in their transactions, Monero (XMR) offers users privacy and anonymity. Wallets and addresses are encrypted and hidden from public view and oversight, thus ensuring both users’ protection and the token’s fungibility.


Often referred to as “China’s Ethereum”, NEO is a blockchain platform, digital currency and network for decentralized apps. Unlike cryptocurrencies which use proof of work or proof of stake consensus mechanisms, NEO uses a Byzantine fault tolerance algorithm.
Founded as AntShares in 2014 by Chinese entrepreneurs Erik Zhang and Da Hongfei, it was rebranded as “NEO” in 2017.



Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (or Bitcoin SV) is a fork of Bitcoin Cash—itself a fork of Bitcoin. It was created in late 2018 with the aim of further reducing transaction fees through increased block size, thus democratizing the currency. Named in reference to Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin SV (BSV) proponents believe it is more closely aligned with his original vision than any currency to date.


Maker (MKR) was created to support the stability of MakerDAO’s DAI token and enable governance for the Dai Credit System.


Synthetix Network Token (SNX) is a cryptocurrency token and operates on the Ethereum platform.


Compound (COMP) is the native token of the DeFi lending platform Compound.


Compound (COMP) price and the latest DeFi news - Decrypt

The price of the Compound (COMP) token, a chart and the latest news.

Dash (DASH) is one of the largest anonymous cryptocurrencies to date. Its unique selling propositions include both its privacy features—shielding users from oversight by both governments and the public—and its rapid transaction speeds. It was developed as a fork of the Bitcoin protocol, but adjusted its framework through prioritizing anonymity, its InstantSend feature (guaranteeing a transaction time of 1.5 seconds or less) and its decentralized funding system. Dash was created by American blockchain developer Even Duffield.


NEM, or the New Economy Movement, is a cryptocurrency and blockchain aiming to efficiently manage assets and data at a low cost. It shares many features with Bitcoin and Ethereum, and yet adjusts their vision in a few key ways—namely the all-out abandonment of POW and POS in favor of something it calls “proof-of-importance,” or POI, as well as the replacement of mining with “harvesting.” Both of these shift power away from those with superior computers and coin reserves toward common users. NEM emerged in March 2015 as a fork of NXT, and uses XEM as its native cryptocurrency.


Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy coin for making anonymous payments. Like Monero, its tokens are fungible—each one is identical, and not tied to its transaction history—and it uses cryptography to obfuscate users’ identities. It differs in a few key aspects; namely in that it’s capable of conducting public transactions in addition to private ones, thus sparing it some of the regulatory scrutiny that Monero has encountered. Launched in October 2016, Zcash was created by the Zcash company, founded by Zooko Wilcox.


IOST is an ultra-fast, decentralized blockchain network based on the next-generation consensus algorithm “Proof of Believability” (PoB).


IOST is an ultra-fast, decentralised blockchain network based on the next-generation consensus algorithm “Proof of Believability” (PoB).

Enjin Coin powers the decentralized, blockchain gaming network Enjin.


Zilliqa is a third-generation blockchain concerned with solving the scalability problem. Whereas earlier currencies struggled to maintain transaction speeds as user numbers began to climb, Zilliqa believes the answer lies in sharding—a practice which divides the network into sub-units called shards, each of which is made of up to 600 nodes. Each shard effectively operates as its own blockchain, processing transactions separately.

Zilliqa was founded by a team of computer scientists from the University of Singapore and the University of California in 2017. Its native currency, ZIL, is an ERC-20 token.


OmiseGO is an Ethereum-based peer-to-peer network for financial transactions, created by the Thai financial platform Omise in 2017. It is underpinned by an ERC20 token, OMG. It aims to provide a unified framework for payment providers, currencies and assets with minimal transaction costs—in other words, ensuring interoperability between different asset classes like fiat and cryptocurrency.


Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a utility token integrated into the Brave browser, and is designed to overhaul the web advertising model, restoring privacy and agency to users. It works by tracking and commodifing user attention; users are rewarded with BAT for watching privacy-preserving, in-browser ads using Brave Browser. Their BAT is then distributed as rewards to the websites they visit; they also have the option of tipping sites or content creators directly.


Horizen's blockchain technology platform empowers users to transact and communicate securely through Sphere by Horizen, their flagship application.


The Paxos Standard Token (PAX) is a stablecoin managed by the Paxos Trust Company. PAX is directly tied to the US dollar in order to keep its price steady and consistent instead of highly volatile like most crypto assets.


DigiByte (DGB) is a UTXO PoW based blockchain with a focus on cybersecurity, digiassets, payments, and secure communications technologies.


Lisk is a blockchain platform that allows developers to create, customize, and then distribute dApps using Javascript.


Electroneum is a cryptocurrency designed to run on your smartphone and is designed to help people without bank accounts to access financial services.


WAX is a purpose-built blockchain and protocol token designed to make e-commerce transactions faster, easier, and safer for all participants. The WAX Blockchain uses Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) as its consensus mechanism and is meant to be fully backward compatible with EOS.


Civic (CVC) is an identity management service that allows one to protect and authorize the use of their identity in real-time.


Steem is the native token of the Steem blockchain. It's designed to underpin the Steemit social network, letting users pay to upvote or downvote content.


Metal (MTL) is a cryptocurrency token and operates on the Ethereum platform.


OXT is the native token of the Orchid network, a decentralized VPN, and used to purchase bandwidth on the virtual private network.


Gemini Dollar is a stablecoin backed by the US Dollar created by the Winklevoss twins.


LEND is the native token of the DeFi lending protocol Aave.


Augur (REP) is meant to harness the wisdom of the crowd through prediction markets on a protocol owned and operated by holders of the Ethereum-based Reputation token.


Kyber Network’s on-chain liquidity protocol allows decentralized token swaps to be integrated into any application, enabling value exchange to be performed seamlessly between all parties in the ecosystem.


Kin is the tokens used on the social messenger platform Kik.


The Loom Network is a complete set of products that includes developer tools, education resources, games, and most importantly: scalable side chains.


SpankChain is a blockchain based platform for the adult entertainment industry.


OST (OST) is a cryptocurrency token and operates on the Ethereum platform. OST has a current supply of 800,000,000 with 681,403,662.714 in circulation.


Secret Network (SCRT) is a crypto platform that’s trying to solve the problem of privacy on the blockchain by using giving access to data storage and privacy while remaining scalable.


Hive is a blockchain platform designed to underpin censorship-resistant social networks. It was created in March 2020.


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