Cryptocurrency can be confusing for even experienced investors. NOVA’s new series Decoding Crypto aims to demystify this complex financial frontier and make investing easier for all involved.
Cryptocurrencies have quickly gained in popularity in recent years. Their rapid, anonymous transfer across borders makes them attractive, yet cryptocurrencies also carry substantial risks and present economic hurdles – not to mention being used to fund bad actors and dissidents.
Algorand
Algorand’s blockchain network is among the most efficient available today, offering high-performance layer 1 solutions that enhance fundamental blockchain functionality by increasing security, scalability and privacy. Furthermore, its unique Pure Proof of Stake (PPoS) consensus mechanism rewards those who stake its native cryptocurrency ALGO by rewarding those who stake it when verifying transactions or producing blocks.
This unique algorithm enables the network to execute smart contracts quickly without compromising decentralization or security, and also supports non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as well as several payment solutions.
Algorand stands apart from major blockchain networks like Ethereum and Cardano that require significant energy resources by being carbon neutral – meaning it uses less energy than its peers while off-chain execution of its smart contracts to avoid raising gas fees results in reduced transaction fees, making Algorand an affordable alternative to Ethereum with regards to transaction fees and cost effectiveness. Algorand offers excellent performance capabilities making it suitable for developing NFTs and dApps.
IOTA
While Bitcoin and Ethereum tend to dominate headlines, other cryptocurrencies also hold great promise – IOTA being an example that boasts partnerships with major tech players like Bosch, Microsoft and Volkswagen.
IOTA was designed to serve as the backbone of the Internet of Things economy. It can process microtransactions required by IoT devices quickly due to its Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) architecture – making it faster than other cryptocurrencies.
IOTA can be used for various uses such as supply chain management and verifying authenticity of products, tracking the location and status of IoT devices and monitoring supply chains. Unfortunately, however, it has some scalability and security issues to resolve; human lives could depend on these devices; this explains its short-term price volatility; but with these issues resolved IOTA could become one of the mainstays in cryptocurrency market.
Avalanche
Avalanche is a blockchain platform that enables users to create subnets with customized rules. This feature makes Avalanche an attractive alternative to Ethereum given the wide array of applications for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (DeFi). Avalanche also boasts high transaction security and fast scalability – up to trillions of transactions per second! Plus its native token AVAX can be used both to pay fees and reward participants who staking the network.
Avalanche was developed to solve the scalability problems associated with existing blockchains like Bitcoin. Its programmable smart contract platform is described as the fastest by time-to-finality and can process up to one trillion transactions per second using Directed Acyclic Graph optimization; token holders of AVAX tokens can earn rewards by either staking their coins or running validator nodes; however, its limited supply ensures staking rewards remain scarce thereby limiting inflation. AVAX mainnet launched on September 2020 with over 1.5 million participants participating.
Litecoin
Investing in cryptocurrency is highly speculative and risky. For this reason, it is wise to consult a qualified financial professional prior to making any decisions regarding this market.
Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer and cryptocurrency entrepreneur, created Litecoin (LTC) in 2011. His intention was for it to complement Bitcoin instead of competing directly against it; its maximum block time of 2.5 minutes makes it ideal for small transactions and quick turnaround times.
Like other cryptocurrencies, Litecoin boasts a blockchain that records transactions. But unlike its rivals, it uses the scrypt mining algorithm for faster and cheaper verification of transactions.
Litecoin’s potential has yet to be fully realized as it struggles to gain market traction due to low media visibility and price volatility, limiting investors from taking full advantage of its value. Its future depends on whether it can increase its market share by increasing user acquisition – for this to occur, partnerships with more mainstream brands and services may be required.
