It's been a long time since cryptocurrency first appeared, and because of the increase in prices and popularity last year, almost everyone who has an internet connection has at least heard of it. Most people are somewhat familiar with Bitcoin (BTC), which is the first and biggest crypto to date. However, more of them are out there, some of which can function more than BTC. Let's see which one!
Litecoin (LTC)
Litecoin is often described as silver for Bitcoin gold. This is the currency that first appeared in 2011, and is the first currency that appears after BTC. The LTC is made by former Google engineers and MIT graduates, Charlie Lee, and is based on an open source network for global payments. It is decentralized, meaning that it does not have central authority.
Considering the fact that he appeared so quickly after BTC, he had a lot in common with this currency. What makes it different, is the speed of making blocks that is much faster. This also allows for faster transactions, which are useful features that have inspired many people to start adopting LTC as part of their business practices.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is a much younger crypto that was relaunched in 2015. This is basically a decentralized software platform, and allows for the creation of dApps and Smart Contracts. Thanks to this product, problems such as fraud, downtime, disruption, or control from some third parties are completely eliminated.
Before the official launch of ETH, Ethereum had a pre-sale that had a response far greater than anyone had expected. The token is called Ether, and allows the holder to easily navigate the Ethereum platform, which is why application developers who want to use this platform are mostly official holders of ETH.
XRP
XRP is crypto which was developed and launched in 2012 by the Ripple company. This company has full ownership and control of this currency, which makes it impossible for anyone to actually mine it.
The only way to get Ripple is to buy it from the trading platform. This level of control, as well as some products that provide fast and secure payments to users, have made Ripple one of the favorite cryptos among many of the world's major banks.
Financial institutions have discovered their potential, which has inspired them to adopt and use their technology to improve their own businesses.
Dash
Dash is crypto which appeared in January 2014 under the name Darkcoin, and is mostly described as a more secret Bitcoin version. Obviously, it was inspired by BTC, but it offered more anonymity than BTC. This works on a mastercode network that is fully decentralized, and allows for transactions that cannot be traced.
Because of its nature, it becomes very popular very quickly, and can be mined by anyone using the GPU or CPU. Its name was changed from Darkcoin to Dash in 2015, but retains all the original technological features.
Verge (XVG)
Verge is another crypto inspired by Bitcoin, and even uses the original blockchain BTC, which is upgraded for its own purposes. That goal includes providing users with an efficient and fast way of decentralization to conduct transactions directly. The aim is to allow users to maintain their privacy, and give them flexible options when it comes to sending and receiving payments.
To achieve this level of privacy, Verge uses networks that provide anonymity, such as 12P and Tor. That way, he can successfully hide the user's IP address, and keep their transactions untraceable.
NOTE: Investing in cryptocurrency is very risky and speculative, and this article is not a recommendation from me to invest in cryptocurrency. Please do your own thorough research before investing in cryptocurrency, and hopefully in 2019 you will reach the peak of success with Crypto.
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