CRYPTOS IS THE FUTURE

INTRODUCTION

A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to secure its transactions, to control the creation of additional units, and to verify the transfer of assets.[Wikipedia]
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BRIEF HISTORY

Bitcoin , created in 2009, was the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Since then, numerous cryptocurrencies have been created.

Compared with ordinary currencies held by financial institutions or kept as cash on hand, cryptocurrencies can be more difficult for seizure by law enforcement.

#In 1998, Wei Dai published a description of "b-money", an anonymous, distributed electronic cash system.

#Shortly thereafter, Nick Szabo created " bit gold ".

#The first decentralized cryptocurrency, bitcoin, was created in 2009 by pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto .

In April 2011, Namecoin was created as an attempt at forming a decentralized DNS , which would make internet censorship very difficult.
#Soon after, in October 2011, Litecoin was released.

#IOTA was the first cryptocurrency not based on a blockchain, and instead uses the Tangle.

#Many other cryptocurrencies have been created though few have been successful, as they have brought little in the way of technical innovation.[Wikipedia]

ECONOMICS

Cryptocurrencies are used primarily outside existing banking and governmental institutions, and exchanged over the Internet. While these alternative, decentralized modes of exchange are in the early stages of development, they have the unique potential to challenge existing systems of currency and payments. As of June 2017 total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies is bigger than 100 billion USD and record high daily volume is larger than 6 billion USD.[Wikipedia]

CRYPTOCURRENCIES

1 Btc - Bitcoin
2 ETH - Ethereum
3 BCH - Bitcoin Cash
4 MIOTA - IOTA
5 XRP-Ripple
6 LTC-Litecoin
7 DASH-Dash
8 XMR-Monero
9 BTG-Bitcoin Gold
10 XEM-NEM
11 ADA-Cardano
12 ETC-Ethereum Cla...
13 XLM-Stellar Lumens
14 NEO-NEO
15 EOS-EOS
16 BCC-BitConnect
17 PPT-Populous
18 LSK-Lisk
19 STRAT-Stratis
20 ZEC-Zcash
21 QTUM-Qtum
22 OMG-OmiseGO
23 WAVES-Waves
24 USDT-Tether
25 MONA-MonaCoin
26 HSR-Hshare
27 NXT-Nxt
28 ARDR-Ardor
29 BTS-BitShares
30 BCN-Bytecoin
31 SALT-SALT
32 STEEM-Steem
33 EMC2-Einsteinium
34 ARK-Ark
35 DCR-Decred
36 VTC-Vertcoin
37 VERI-Veritaseum
38 KMD-Komodo
39 REP-Augur
40 TRX-TRON
41 Doge-Dogecoin
42 QASH-QASH
43 SC-Siacoin
44 GNT-Golem
45 BNB-Binance Coin
46 PIVX-PIVX
47 MAID-MaidSafeCoin
48 PAY-TenX
49 DGD-DigixDAO
50 WTC-Walton
51 POWR-Power Ledger
52 SNT-Status
53 BTCD-BitcoinDark
54 FCT-Factom
55 BAT-Basic Attent...
56 SYS-Syscoin
57 KNC-Kyber Network
58 XUC-Exchange Union
59 GBYTE-Byteball Bytes
60 MANA-Decentraland
61 SAN-Santiment Ne...
62 CNX-Cryptonex
63 PURA-Pura
64 RDNRaiden Netwo...
65 BTM-Bytom
66 GAS-Gas
67 XZC-ZCoin
68 VEN-VeChain
69 AE-Aeternity
70 ICN-Iconomi
71 GAME-GameCredits
72 DGB-DigiByte
73 GNO-Gnosis
74 FUN-FunFair
75 MCO-Monaco
76 ZRX-0x
77 XVG-Verge
78 NXS-Nexus
79 BNT-Bancor
80 XRB-RaiBlocks
81 CVC-Civic
82 BLOCK-Blocknet
83 DRGN-Dragonchain
84 ETHOS-Ethos
85 MTL-Metal
86 AION-Aion
87 GXS-GXShares
88 EDG-Edgeless
89 NAV-NAV Coin
90 DATA-Streamr DATA...
91 MNX-MinexCoin
92 STORJ-Storj
93 RHOC-RChain
94 ETP-Metaverse ETP
95 SKY-Skycoin
96 LINK-ChainLink
97 SUB-Substratum
98 REQ-Request Netw...
99 ACT-Achain
100 PPC-Peercoin

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FUTURE OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES

Some of the limitations that cryptocurrencies presently face – such as the fact that one’s digital fortune can be erased by a computer crash, or that a virtual vault may be ransacked by a hacker – may be overcome in time through technological advances. What will be harder to surmount is the basic paradox that bedevils cryptocurrencies – the more popular they become, the more regulation and government scrutiny they are likely to attract, which erodes the fundamental premise for their existence.
While the number of merchants who accept cryptocurrencies has steadily increased, they are still very much in the minority. For cryptocurrencies to become more widely used, they have to first gain widespread acceptance among consumers. However, their relative complexity compared to conventional currencies will likely deter most people, except for the technologically adept.
A cryptocurrency that aspires to become part of the mainstream financial system may have to satisfy widely divergent criteria. It would need to be mathematically complex (to avoid fraud and hacker attacks) but easy for consumers to understand; decentralized but with adequate consumer safeguards and protection; and preserve user anonymity without being a conduit for tax evasion , money laundering and other nefarious activities. Since these are formidable criteria to satisfy, is it possible that the most popular cryptocurrency in a few years’ time could have attributes that fall in between heavily-regulated fiat currencies and today’s cryptocurrencies? While that possibility looks remote, there is little doubt that as the leading cryptocurrency at present, Bitcoin’s success (or lack thereof) in dealing with the challenges it faces may determine the fortunes of other cryptocurrencies in the years ahead.[Investopedia]

SHOULD I INVEST IN CRYPTOCURRENCIES?

If you are considering investing in cryptocurrencies, it may be best to treat your “investment” in the same way you would treat any other highly speculative venture. In other words, recognize that you run the risk of losing most of your investment, if not all of it. As stated earlier, a cryptocurrency has no intrinsic value apart from what a buyer is willing to pay for it at a point in time. This makes it very susceptible to huge price swings, which in turn increases the risk of loss for an investor. Bitcoin, for example, plunged from $260 to about $130 within a six-hour period on April 11, 2013. If you cannot stomach that kind of volatility , look elsewhere for investments that are better suited to you. While opinion continues to be deeply divided about the merits of Bitcoin as an investment – supporters point to its limited supply and growing usage as value drivers, while detractors see it as just another speculative bubble – this is one debate that a conservative investor would do well to avoid.[Investopedia]

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Conclusion
The emergence of Bitcoin has sparked a debate about its future and that of other cryptocurrencies. Despite Bitcoin’s recent issues, its success since its 2009 launch has inspired the creation of alternative cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin, Ripple and MintChip. A cryptocurrency that aspires to become part of the mainstream financial system would have to satisfy very divergent criteria. While that possibility looks remote, there is little doubt that Bitcoin’s success or failure in dealing with the challenges it faces may determine the fortunes of other cryptocurrencies in the years ahead.[Investopedia]