This year will be the year of the altcoin, as new cryptos come in to try to dethrone their big predecessors. Here are four that are definitely going to go sky high in 2018:
Icon (ICX)
From their website,
'ICON already boasts communities comprised of reputable institutions – banks, securities, insurance, hospitals, universities, and more. ICON’s decentralized applications (DAPPs), including Blockchain ID and Payment & Exchange, can benefit current and future communities.
For instance, Blockchain ID can be issued by financial securities community and be used for ID verification in all other communities. Likewise, ICX issued by hospitals can be used for payment & exchange in all other communities.'
Aiming to remove third parties networks from operations run by societal organisations, ICX is helping to deliver the hyper-efficient world that computing technology promised long ago, while leaving behind the threats of selling user info, transaction fees, and delays in processes. Their long-term vision involves direct payment of organisations such as universities or hospitals partnered with the network, giving a tangible value to the currency and being used often in daily life.
Request Network (REQ)
Aiming to be the PayPal of the cryptocurrency world, or maybe to completely appropriate and dispose of PayPal, Request Network is built on the Ethereum Network and utilises business-orientated aspects such as auditing and invoicing as built-in features. A decentralised currency, Request Network looks to validate one's payment request and have it handled instantaneously. Despite the concerns of its accommodating features towards centralised units such as banks and governing offices, REQ is secure (no involvement of third parties), operates across varying legislative systems, and works with any and every global currency. Scalable tech and no loopholes make REQ a very reliable system and relatively future-proof, as much as any can be in this era. REQ offers an improvement in cost, speed, and security of transactions, and its online ledger keeps an authentic account of payment processes without being intrusive.
Stellar (XLM)
From their website,
'Stellar is a decentralized, hybrid blockchain that is fully open-source. It is infrastructure that exists to facilitate cross-asset transfers of value, including payments. With just one integration into the Stellar Network, you will join an open, global financial network where all actors – be they people, payment networks, or banks – have equal access & economic participation.'
Branching off from the guys over at XRP (Ripple), Stellar operates a lot like VISA in being seriously efficient and usable at the highest level for transactions involving any type of currency, and thus has serious long-term value as a legitimate crypto replacement for current payment platforms. Now in partnership with IBM, Stellar has advantages over many other currencies in its transaction speed and in using compliance servers for verification. This is a pragmatic approach to a Government-endorsed cryptocurrency which is designed for the people, not the banks. Their non-profit status and well meaning design makes them a favourite amongst the everyday people.
COSS.io is a new exchange opened by a great international team based in Singapore. The great thing about COSS coin is that it bring dividends to holders relative to the size of the exchange, similar to KuCoin shares- however, COSS.io do not plan to reduce the shares as KuCoin does. If COSS hits the size of Binance or any of the bigger exchanges, just 1000 COSS (currently $1300ish) would be bringing in over $250 a month in profit! Crazy potential! The exchange itself is quite budding though and mainly deals in purchasing the COSS coin itself, rather than trading other coins. However, with time to grow and with many exchanges being swamped by new users and unable to take new registrations, and with such a great team behind it, we can assume COSS will grow significantly this year and the COSS coin is highly undervalued. I would not be surprised in the least if it hit the $20/coin mark within a few months.