2022 has been difficult so far. A large-scale, nuclear-backed war in Ukraine is already affecting gas and goods prices in the United States, and the extent to which others will be affected — in terms of price, quality and availability — is impossible to say at this moment. And this is aside from the human cost involved.
Where, then, do you turn for investment prospects?
Cryptocurrency has been an increasingly big fintech force for some years now, and it shows no sign of drying up. With traditional market stabilization more an aspiration than a reality right now, this may be the right time to invest in crypto.
Not sure where to start? Here are 6 smart investments for 2022.
1. Bitcoin
There are market anomalies, and bitcoin is one of them. It has seen dizzying ups and downs since its emergence in 2008. But of late it’s not only remained stable, its value has risen slightly.
Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, and of the thousands that emerged (and will disappear) in its wake it remains among the most popular. Bitcoin “mining” is expensive, time-consuming, and environmentally unfriendly, yes; but a largescale shift from the proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake model may change that.
2. Ethereum
Ethereum refers to both a blockchain platform and that blockchain’s native currency (ETH). As the most popular blockchain platform it hosts, among many, the stablecoin DAI, as well as Uniswap, a decentralized dapp that runs atop the Ethereum blockchain.
Ethereum is the biggest player in the DeFi — decentralized financial — market. Recent regulatory laws may make things hard for them, but there’s a world of people outside the U.S. trading crypto who won’t be touched by regulations by and for Americans.
3. Solana
Solana is a smart chain-functional blockchain network that runs atop Ethereum. Its native coin is SOL.
What Solana has going for it is that it’s cheaper than Ethereum. Solana costs $0.00025 per transaction — about 60,000 times less than an Ethereum transaction fee. Solana price
In other words, Solana capitalizes on Ethereum’s popularity and familiarity while undercutting it on price. It’s been doing this for years and doesn’t look to be slowing down, you can keep up with Solana price fluctuations through the FTX platform.
4. Binance
The world’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance issues two native coins: Binance Coin (BNB) and Binance Smart Chain (BSC).
Binance has experienced some dicey legal issues in the past, but it’s remained a major crypto player, and displayed a conscience where others haven’t: In February, platform leaders donated $10 million to Ukraine for war relief.
5. Lucky Block
Lucky Block runs atop the Binance chain (which itself runs atop Ethereum). Lucky Block is a crypto lottery, which aims to be transparent and equitable.
Stakeholders, whose proof-of-stake is written onto the blockchain ledger, get a fraction of the potentially massive payout lottery winners get.
Lucky Block’s popularity with Bollywood megastars, along with the legalization of online gambling in the U.S. and other nations, suggests the lottery platform could continue to trend upward.
6. Curve
On their own website, admins admit that getting started with Curve “isn’t easy.”
But it may be worth it for the curious, focused investor. Curve is a liquidity pool-utilizing exchange for stablecoins, which are centralized, “fiat” currencies such as the USD that are not affected directly by the DeFi market. Stablecoins are pegged to a fiat currency as close to 1:1 as possible.
Boasting low fees and low slippage, Curve’s stablecoin-first approach offers some rootedness in a disorienting time.
Learn More About Crypto Today
Interested in learning more about cryptocurrencies and exchanges? Head on over to FTX, one of the world’s top trading platforms, for great info and up-to-date news on everything crypto.
