The first and largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Bitcoin introduced the concept of a decentralised peer-to-peer electronic cash system secured by proof-of-work mining. It remains the dominant digital store of value.
Ethereum is the leading smart contract platform. It allows developers to build decentralised applications (dApps) and enabled the explosion of DeFi, NFTs, and token issuance. Transitioned from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake in 2022.
Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform built on peer-reviewed academic research. Founded by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, it takes a methodical, research-first approach to development. Its Ouroboros consensus mechanism was the first provably secure PoS protocol.
Solana is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain capable of processing up to 65,000 transactions per second using a novel Proof of History consensus mechanism. It has become a major hub for DeFi, NFTs, and consumer crypto applications.
XRP is the native asset of the XRP Ledger, designed for fast, low-cost international payments. Ripple Labs uses XRP to facilitate cross-border transactions for banks and financial institutions. It has been at the centre of a landmark SEC lawsuit.
Dogecoin started as a joke cryptocurrency based on the popular Doge meme. Despite its comedic origins, it became one of the most widely-held cryptocurrencies in the world, driven largely by community enthusiasm and Elon Musk's social media activity.
Bitcoin Cash is a fork of Bitcoin that increased the block size to enable more transactions per second and lower fees. It emerged from the 2017 scaling debate and positions itself as the original vision of Bitcoin as peer-to-peer electronic cash.
Cosmos is a network of interconnected blockchains — the Internet of Blockchains. It provides a framework (Cosmos SDK) for building custom blockchains that can communicate via the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. Dozens of major blockchain networks are built with the Cosmos SDK.
Polkadot is a Layer 0 multi-chain network that allows different blockchains to interoperate. Created by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood, it uses a relay chain and parachain architecture letting multiple specialised blockchains run in parallel and communicate securely.
Avalanche is a smart contract platform that achieves high throughput through a novel Avalanche consensus mechanism. It supports custom blockchains called Subnets, making it attractive for enterprise and gaming. Its C-Chain is EVM-compatible, allowing Ethereum dApps to deploy easily.
Monero is the leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency, offering fully anonymous transactions by default. It uses ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transactions to obscure sender, recipient, and amount. It is the cryptocurrency of choice for users demanding genuine financial privacy.
Litecoin is one of the earliest Bitcoin forks, created by former Google engineer Charlie Lee. It processes transactions 4x faster than Bitcoin and uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Often called digital silver to Bitcoin's digital gold, it has one of the longest track records in crypto.
Terra was an algorithmic stablecoin protocol that spectacularly collapsed in May 2022, wiping out approximately $40 billion in value within days. Its UST stablecoin lost its peg and LUNA became worthless, triggering contagion across the entire crypto market.