Connect with us

Blogs

Understanding the Uses of Different Types Of Cryptocurrencies

Published

on

cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies – a term which has become incredibly prominent in the mainstream media during recent years due to the proliferation of Bitcoin millionaires. As a result, the new form of currency has earned an almost infamous status. However, as with any major step forward, there is still much confusion regarding the use of cryptocurrencies, what different types of innovative electronic cash exist and what they might mean for the future.

We’re putting all of this to rest as we explain what each of the leading cryptocurrencies can do.

Bitcoin

The most popular form of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin was first thought up in 2008 by the elusive and still unknown creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who published the whitepaper online.

It took almost a decade for the cryptocurrency to reach its peak, but in December 2017 a single Bitcoin roughly exchanged for the price of $17,000, meaning anyone who held a substantial amount of the electronic cash became significantly wealthy.

In its early years, the cryptocurrency was strictly used as an alternative for cash transactions, and predominantly for trading goods and services. However as it has increased in popularity, its range of uses has also widened, now deployed for a variety of purposes including acting as collateral for investments at merchant banks, a direct debit for subscriptions services and most notably for sports betting.

Ripple

Bitcoin’s closest source of competition, Ripple was founded in 2012 as ‘Opencoin,’ until it was renamed to Ripple Labs in 2015. Connecting banks, payment providers, digital asset exchanges and corporates via its sophisticated payment path software called RippleNet, it doesn’t actually rival Bitcoin as a substitute of payment for goods and services, but it does rival as the most popular cryptocurrency based on the blockchain.

Intended for banks and payment networks and having been picked up by leading banks in recent years, Ripple is a payment settling currency exchange and remittance service to aid the sector. It is used as a system where you can directly transfer assets, whether it be money, gold or property in real-time and as a result is a cheaper, more transparent and secure transfer service than what is currently used by banks today.

Zcash

The newest form of cryptocurrency we’re set to examine, Zcash was initially released in 2016 and has already amounted a total market capitalisation of $634 million. Set up with the purpose to provide enhanced security and privacy for its users compared to other cryptocurrencies, Zcash’s secure coding was based upon on the research of scientists from MIT, Tel Aviv University and UC Berkley.

Much like its counterparts, Zcash’s transaction data is posted to a public blockchain but unlike Bitcoin or Ripple, Zcash protects your personal and transaction information as well, ensuring that it remains completely confidential. It is due to this increased security that Zcash is primarily used for large sums, specifically business transactions, due to its enhanced cryptography.

Litecoin

Launched as a direct result of Bitcoin in 2011, Litecoin has been among the most popular cryptocurrency’s contemporaries for over half a decade and has often been referred to as the ‘silver to bitcoin’s gold’. Created by MIT graduate and former Google engineer Charles Lee as a peer-to-peer transaction service, it allows you to make payments to anyone around the world.

Litecoin has one of the fastest transaction speeds of any of the cryptocurrencies currently on market, with confirmations happening as quickly as two and a half minutes compared to the 10 minutes it takes its closest rival Bitcoin to complete. It is due to this speed that Litecoin is typically used as an alternative for paying for international goods and services.

DASH

Dash, otherwise known as Digital Cash, and previously named Darkcoin, is the most covert of the cryptocurrencies to appear on our list.

Offering complete anonymity, Dash works on a decentralized mastercode network which makes any transaction that occurs on the platform almost untraceable and has gained an impressive following as a result. As of October, this year Dash had a market cap of $1.51 billion and one token’s value roughly exchanged to $181.42

As you can imagine, the confidentially of the currency does mean it as any crypto platform can sometimes be exploited for some unsavoury means, but it is generally used as another alternative to Bitcoin and Litecoin for peer to peer transactions.

As you know Bitcoin undoubtedly leads the cryptocurrency market as the main provider for any number of services including sports betting, collateral for investments and direct debit for subscription services providing us with a very bright future to look forward to. However, this doesn’t mean that the other forms of cryptocurrency should be disregarded as a result, they all have plaudits of their own that make them impressive in their own right, so next time you come to use cryptocurrency, consider each of them.

Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.

Altcoins

XNO Token of Xeno NFT Hub listed on Bithumb Korea Exchange

Published

on

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 25th January, 2021, // ChainWire //

Xeno Holdings Limited (xno.live ), a blockchain solutions company based in Hong Kong, has announced the listing of its ecosystem utility token XNO on the ‘Bithumb Korea’ cryptocurrency exchange on January 21st 2021.

Xeno NFT Hub (market.xno.live ), developed by Xeno Holdings, enables easy minting of digital items into NFTs while also providing a marketplace where anyone can securely trade NFTs.

The Xeno NFT Hub project team includes former members of the technology project Yosemite X based in San Francisco and professionals such as Gabby Dizon who is a games industry expert and NFT space influencer based in Southeast Asia.

NFT(Non-Fungible Token) technology has recently gained huge focus in the blockchain arena and beyond, making waves in the online gaming sector, the art world, and the digital copyrights industry in recent years. The strongest feature of NFTs is that “NFTs are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced or forged”. Unlike fungible tokens such as Bitcoin or Ether, NFTs are not interchangeable for other tokens of the same type but instead each NFT has a unique value and specific information that cannot be replaced. This fact makes NFTs the perfect solution to record and prove ownership of digital and real-world items like works of art, game items, limited-edition collectibles, and more. One of the ways to have a successful…

Continue Reading

Altcoins

Should Crypto Projects Devote Resources to Community Growth and Marketing?

Published

on

2020 has been an incredible year for crypto as investors have generated windfall profits and crypto projects have seen their businesses gain the spotlight they’ve been looking for.  While Bitcoin has received most of the attention after major institutional investors announced they were accumulating the increasingly scarce asset, many altcoins have also seen their fair share of glory.  When looking at all the big winners of the past year, the first project that probably comes to mind is Chainlink, having appreciated by more than 550% YTD and now valued at over $4.5 billion.  But, the actual biggest winner of the year is HEX with a YTD return of over 5,000%.

I mention both of the above projects as they have each taken slightly different paths to achieve greatness.  Chainlink has devoted resources toward building a fundamentally sound business with many strategic partnerships while HEX has spent vast sums of money on marketing and promotion.  Both approaches are valid, but one thing is certain, it is absolutely imperative for crypto projects to let the crypto community know what makes them special.  Of course, one of the reasons that makes crypto so valuable is the powerful blockchain technology that most projects are utilizing.

Cryptocurrency vs. Blockchain Technology

It’s important to make a distinction between blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.  Although they are often used interchangeably, they are different.  Blockchain technology and crypto were both created after the 2008 financial crisis, but cryptocurrency…

Continue Reading

Altcoins

XENO starts VIP NFT trading service and collaborates with contemporary artist Hiro Yamagata

Published

on

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 24th December, 2020, // ChainWire //

The XENO NFT Hub (https://xno.live) will provide a crypto-powered digital items and collectables trading platform allowing users to create, buy, and sell NFTs. Additionally it will support auction based listings, governance and voting mechanisms, trade history tracking, user rating and other advanced features.

As a first step towards its fully comprehensive service, XENO NFT Hub launched a recent VIP service to select users and early adopters in December 2020 with plans for a full Public Beta to open in June 2021. 

“NFTs are extremely flexible in their usage, from digital event tickets to artwork, and while NFTs have a very wide spectrum of uses and categories XENO will initially focus its partnership efforts and its own item curation on three primary areas: gaming, sports & entertainment, and collectibles.”, said XENO NFT Hub president Anthony Di Franco.

He also added “This does not mean we will prohibit other types of NFTs from our ecosystem However, it simply means that XENO’s efforts as a company will be targeted into these verticals initially as a cohesive business approach.”

Development and Procurement Lead, Gabby Dizon explained, “Despite our initial focus, we found ourselves with a unique opportunity to host some of the works of Mr. Hiro Yamagata. We are collaborating with Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata to enshrine some of his artwork into NFTs.”

Mr. Yamagata has…

Continue Reading

Trending