In 2021, the interest in the cryptocurrency industry skyrocketed. Millions of people around the world realized how profitable it may be to own cryptocurrency. Some made money out of almost nothing, others became millionaires. Cryptocurrency has overturned the way we think about our finances. We have never been so ready for new opportunities as we are right now. However, what comes as a no-brainer is that investing in the wrong cryptocurrency can actually result in losing money.
That is why we have gathered information about the top best crypto to invest in 2022 so that you could stay on top of the game and save yourself some trouble.
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
2021 has brought outstanding success for Bitcoin. The coin did not only reach its current all-time high of 69,044.77 on November 10th, but also became the most talked-about cryptocurrency of the year. In September 2021, Bitcoin was adopted as legal tender in El Salvador.
You can even come across some interesting projects, like cafes operating entirely in Bitcoin. When it comes to BTC functionality, there is a bunch of effective ways to mine Bitcoin, depending on your technical capabilities. Bitcoin’s mixers (tumblers) have allowed users to perform anonymous transactions.
Despite a few ups and downs in BTC prices throughout 2021, Bitcoin has remained the leader in the cryptocurrency industry. Most experts are expecting BTC to reach $100,000 in 2022.
What could make it possible? Bitcoin is likely to be adopted by more and more industries and across the globe as a paying method; more countries are planning to introduce Bitcoin as their national currency; Bitcoin’s Taproot update will make it easier to utilize BTC as money.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum has also been one of the biggest gainers of 2021. In fact, compared to Bitcoin Ethereum performed much better. The coin started this year at the $738.63 mark and reached its current all-time high of $4,878.26 on November 10th.
Ethereum has undergone a few updates, including the start of the algorithm transition process from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake. On December 8th, a so-called ‘difficulty bomb’ was implemented in order to increase mining difficulty. Proof-of-Stake will make ETH more sustainable, eco-friendly, scalable and secure.
In August, the coin-burning feature was introduced. By reducing the supply of coins, Ethereum value will gain more support. Ethereum has also introduced DeFi and NFTs this year, which attracted massive heaps of new investors. Based on all these achievements, some analysts believe Ethereum will explode even more in 2022.
3. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano is often called one of the ‘Ethereum killers’, according to crypto professionals. Compared to Ethereum, still struggling with scaling and high gas fees, Cardano is more efficient, cheaper and way more environment friendly. Cardano is using the Proof-of-Stake algorithm. In September 2021 Cardano reached its current ATH of $3.09.
Analysts put out positive predictions, saying the prices could go up to $10-$15 in 2022. Throughout 2021, the number of active Cardano addresses has quadrupled, due to lower transaction costs. This year Cardano started integrating smart contracts and received its first stablecoin, Djed, issued by a software development company OTI.
Cardano is expected to start getting adopted by institutions and international companies, as the demand increases. Besides, the network is expected to undergo a major software update.
4. Binance Coin (BNB)
Binance being the absolute top crypto exchange platform this year, there is no wonder why Binance Coin (the native token of Binance) became one of the biggest gainers in 2021. BNB has seen many bullish trends throughout the year as well as performed well in terms of market capitalization and growth. Analysts predict that BNB prices are likely to go up next year, reaching $800 per coin.
Binance’s popularity is mainly due to the low transaction fees offered by the platform. Moreover, when using BNB, users can save 25% on spot trading fees, 25% on margin trading fees and 10% on future trading fees. Experts have optimistic predictions for BNB, as Binance continues to gain popularity among cryptocurrency traders.
BNB also reached its current all-time high of $686.31 on May 10, 2021. The Binance Coin has been receiving more attention and support from the partnerships.
5. Solana (SOL)
In 2021 Solana had a record 17,500% growth, starting the year at $1.8421 and reaching its current ATH of $259.96 on November 6th. Solana has become one of the top cryptocurrencies this year due to its performance on the market. SOL gained poдpularity among investors as well as increased its institutional adoption level.
Here’s why analysts believe Solana is one of the best crypto to invest in 2022: Solana can support tens of thousands of TPS (Ethereum supports 13 transactions per second); Solana is more eco-friendly as it consumes less energy; Solana has its very own NFT marketplace called Solonart, which is great for attracting NFT enthusiasts.
Last but not least, Solana was the first coin to introduce the Proof-of-History consensus mechanism. The algorithm, developed by Anatoly Yakovlenko, aims to increase scalability, therefore boosting usability of the coin.
6. XRP (XRP)
The coin (also known as Ripple) has been dealing with a major lawsuit in 2021. The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) accused XPR of raising $1.3 billion from sales in an unregistered securities offering. XRP denies any accusations saying that XRP should not be considered as a security and emphasizing that they have not broken any rules on trading. The conclusion is expected to be reached in 2022. There is a positive tendency for Ripple. If the company wins this case, the prices are likely to surge.
Despite the ongoing drama, XRP is one of the ten largest cryptocurrencies according to its market cap. Ripple signed a deal with Currencycloud back in July, and three weeks later Currencycloud was acquired by Visa. The deal cost around $940 million.
7. Polkadot (DOT)
Polkadot, another one of the Ethereum killers, has created its own set of tools for generating and deploying networks called parachains. They are based on the Polkadot tech basis. Some of the parachain include Acala and Moonbeam Network. In 2021 Polkadot received more attention from investors, like an asset management company Grayscale Investments.
DOT received $20 million as financial support from the venture capital firm Digital Finance Group. In April 2021 a blockchain company Enjin raised $18.9 million to create an NFT platform based on Polkadot. Polkadot was enlisted by Coinbase, and the DOT price rose by 16% within 24 hours.
It looks like the platform is only going to expand its features in the future. Polkadot is planning to upgrade to XCMP (Cross-Chain Message Passing) and launch parathreats. Parathreats make it possible for parachains to participate in Polkadot security without needing to rent out a dedicated parachain slot. Polkadot’s innovative approach is what makes it stand out on the market and could lead to a further explosion in 2022.
8. Terra (LUNA)
Terra is also one of the best crypto to invest, in 2022. The coin received a lot of attention and grew rapidly in 2021. Terra’s native token LUNA skyrocketed this year — the LUNA price went up from $0.6494 to $77.73 (its current ATH).
Terra has undergone a major update called Columbus-5, which opened endless opportunities for its ecosystem. The IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) was enabled, therefore users can now transfer LUNA and other Terra assets to other networks. With this upgrade, LUNA’s value has increased immensely.
In the future, with the implementation of the IBC protocol, Terra also will make it possible for users to build dApps.
9. Avalanche (AVAX)
Avalanche underwent a few important upgrades and reduced transaction costs by 50%. Avalanche has also seemingly expanded its ecosystem by implementing new innovative projects. Avalanche was added on Coinbase in September, increasing access to the coin. In November Tether.io launched Tether tokens (USDT) on the Avalanche platform. Earlier this year Avalanche also launched its first ILO (Initial Litigation Offering).
Due to all these improvements and the growth of the AVAX prices, most experts believe that Avalanche could explode even more in 2022. They are predicting prices possibly reaching the $170–200 point. Avalanche’s success also depends on the continuous interest from investors and the overall state of the cryptocurrency market next year.
10. Shiba Inu (SHIB)
“Dogecoin Killer” Shiba Inu strengthened its positions and remained one of the most talked-about coins of the year. Originally thought to become an Ethereum-based counterpart to Dogecoin, Shiba Inu was up 900% in October. Shiba attracted an immense number of investors.
Some analysts believe that the leading team skillfully used Shiba Inu’s ‘mysterious’ origin and the hype around the meme token. As a result, we got even more collaborations and projects involving SHIB. For example, Shiba Inu can now be transferred between Ethereum and Avalanche, as Avalanche Bridge added support for SHIB earlier this year.
At the moment Shiba Inu is working on developing a layer-2 blockchain Shibarium, a game that will incorporate the use of unique NFTs, a movie theater chain AMC Entertainment, as well as making SHIB a payment option at the tech-retailer Newegg Commerce. This could certainly contribute to the possible explosion of Shiba Inu in 2022.
11. Decentraland (MANA)
Decentraland is the “first-ever virtual world owned by its users”. Launched in February 2020, this Metaverse is built on the Ethereum blockchain. Overall, MANA prices experienced a bunch of bullish uptrends this year, with the MANA price reaching its current ATH of $5.85 in November.
Throughout this year Decentraland has seen good progress and is now one of the top cryptos in the world. The platform is essentially an online gaming platform, termed Metaverse. It remains a go-to investment option for many crypto owners, due to its highly secure and innovative nature.
In 2021 the platform attracted large numbers of institutional investors. In October 2021 Decentraland hosted a Metaverse music festival in partnership with Genius, and the event included A-list celebrities like Paris Hilton. According to all of these factors and MANA becoming more and more mainstream, it is likely that Decentraland could become one of the best crypto to invest in 2022.
Decentraland Community on Reddit
12. EOS (EOS)
EOS’s parent company Block.one secured a $10 billion deal to launch Bullish Global, a subsidiary company. This deal triggered a 50% jump in EOS prices. Despite not reaching its 2018 all-time high of $22.89, EOS increased up to $12.86 in May 2021. Obviously, this could not go unnoticed, and new investors jumped to the platform. If the bullish trend continues, EOS may reach double digits in 2022.
As part of their 2022 roadmap, EOS is planning to upgrade its Wallet as well as receive additional funding. Moreover, the platform is upgrading to EOSIO 3.0 and further developing EOSIO 2.4.0. Block.one is expected to get listings on Bullish.com and Voice.com. EOS is also expected to come out with its own Staking pool and transition from DeFi to Pro-Fi. Overall, the roadmap looks rather promising. As a result, EOS could get more exposure in 2022 and may be a profitable investment option.
13. NEAR protocol (NEAR)
In 2021 NEAR launched phase 0 of their Shard blockchain roadmap called the Nightshade. As a result, the prices surged by 22%. The zero phase will increase the throughput of the network. The first phase and the following phases will help further decentralize the network, increase the accessibility for validators, and unlock NEAR to infinite scale making it resilient to short-term usage spikes.
The NEAR price increased by 12.63% in early December as a result of the NEAR foundation and the WOO network’s move to exchange tokens in the amount worth $5 million. This is a five-year vesting period partnership intending to create common value for both tokens. NEAR has gained more new investors by announcing its partnership with MoonPay.
According to analysts, we can see further growth in the NEAR prices next year as the network continues to expand and get more exposure.
14. VeChain (VET)
In early January 2021, VeChain announced that it will implement Free-Delegation as a Service feature in hopes to become a “powerhouse” for dApps and reduce the complexity of interaction with dApps.
On top of that VeChain had already partnered with such big names as BMW, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Oxford University, and more. In May 2021 the platform announced that it will be using its NFT tracking code for tracking the ingredients used in the pet food industry in China, which faces counterfeit problems due to inability to track and source ingredients.
By planning to further improve the throughput of the network, VeChain will become even more scalable, secure and fast. The POA 2.0 upgrade is going to be implemented in the first quarter of 2022. This could certainly lead to more exposure and price spikes for VeChain in the future.
15. Internet Computer (ICP)
Internet Computer is an open-source network that hosts open internet services, secure software, and DeFi. Throughout the year, the platform has undergone a few updates. In October 2021 Entrepot announced that the platform will be bringing their NFT marketplace to the Internet Computer blockchain. Moreover, Internet Computer also implemented its first earn-to-play game on the platform this year.
ICP aims to make the service as user-friendly as possible. The team is planning to implement a process sandboxing mechanism for canister wasm execution; update the Rosetta node; integrate ICP with Bitcoin and Ethereum. Most experts predict that the ICP price is going to increase in 2022, making Internet Computer one of the best crypto to invest in 2022.
Internet Computer community on Reddit
Conclusion
Today we are exposed to various cryptocurrencies, and the choice of what coin to better invest in can seem a bit overwhelming, especially if you are only a beginner. To help you better understand the current situation of the crypto market, we have accumulated 15 best crypto coins based on their market capitalization and overall performance in 2021.
The content of this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. We ask you to do your research. This text is not a guide to action. The author’s opinion may not coincide with the opinion of CoinJoy.
Originally published at https://coinjoy.io.
