You have to keep an eye on these cryptocurrencies in the new year. From Ripple and IOTA to the Chinese Neo and Qtum.
Bitcoin
Let's start with the founder of all cryptocurrencies: the bitcoin. There is a huge amount to complain about the cryptocurrency, from waiting a long time until your transfer is processed to high transaction costs, but it seems that bitcoin does not disappear quickly due to its status. Or as the experts say: HODL.
Ethereum
The second largest cryptocurrency may not be missing on this list. Ethereum is more flexible and sophisticated than bitcoin, because more is possible with the underlying technology: the blockchain. One of the most important components of ethereum is the possibility to make applications on the ethereum blockchain, and that trend also seems to continue in 2018.
Stratis
A cryptocurrency 'with potential', experts say. Stratis looks a bit like ethereum, but is more focused on offering blockchain technology for companies. Developers can build new stratis applications with the existing and known programming language C #, and that convenience attracts investors.
Ripple
Unlike many other cryptocurrencies, ripple is not a decentralized network, but is managed by one party. You can see ripple as a payment system made for international transfers. Through cooperation with major parties such as American Express and Santander, the value of ripple has risen considerably: it is currently in place 2 of the list of most valuable cryptocurrencies.
Dash
Faster and more anonymous than bitcoin is dash, which is tipped by some as 'the new bitcoin'. Dash has risen enormously in value recently and is now in the top ten most valuable cryptocurrencies. The community behind dash wants the cryptocurrency not to become 'nerd-cash', but really commonplace that everyone can use. That remains to be seen, but they are well on their way.
IOTA
The unique thing about IOTA is that transactions are processed free of charge. That is because if you want to do an IOTA transaction, you first have to validate two other transactions. In this way, each other's transactions are processed. The technology behind IOTA, a blockchain alternative called Tangle, is now being tested by large companies such as Microsoft, Samsung and Volkswagen to easily trade data. Thanks to this collaboration, the price has risen, and experts expect much more from the IOTA technology.
Monero
Monero is also called the cryptocurrency for criminals, because it is known for its anonymity. In many digital black markets you can pay with monero to conceal the fact that you buy drugs or weapons, for example. The rise of these black markets also caused monero to increase considerably in value, and that increase seems to continue in the coming period.
Verge
The digital currency is similar to monero: both cryptocurrencies focus on the privacy of users. We are working on smart privacy applications on the verge blockchain, which is planned for the beginning of 2018.
Neo
Neo is also called 'the Chinese ethereum' and is one of the most important cryptocurrencies of the moment. The value at the beginning of 2017 was less than 1 dollar per neo-currency, but rose sharply last year. Unique about neo is that you can make applications for blockchain technology with all kinds of programming languages, making the cryptocurrency attractive for a large group of developers.
Ethos
The people behind ethos try to make the cryptocurrency market accessible to everyone with a digital wallet with which you can buy and store digital currencies. Because this digital wallet has not yet been released officially, and is still a promise, experts think that the price will increase considerably when you can actually use Ethos.
Qtum
Qtum wants to become the 'blockchain of China' and because of the possibility to run applications on the technology, it has a lot to do with ethereum. The people behind qtum also focus specifically on the business community and are working hard to conduct trials with companies. There is even a kind of app store where you can see and try all (Chinese) services that work with qtum.
OmiseGo
Based on the Ethereum blockchain, OmiseGo wants to become the easiest payment platform in the world. The company behind it has experience in that market: Omise is a PayPal alternative that is especially popular in Asia. OmiseGo does not become a means of payment, but wants to provide a platform for exchanging and transferring currencies quickly and easily. Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin also believes in OmiseGo: he is one of the consultants and investor.
