Looking for the best cryptocurrencies to invest in 2019?
With 2018 being a hard year for cryptocurrency so far, some investors are expecting a bull run in 2019.
So which blockchain projects look the most promising?
And which altcoins have the most solid investment fundamentals?
In this list, you’ll discover the top 5 best cryptocurrencies to invest in 2019.
1. Binance Coin (BNB)
Binance is the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world right now.
And as we go into 2019, I can only see it becoming bigger.
More people are going to be investing in cryptocurrency, which means Binance’s user base could grow.
As they’re so well established, it’s the first port of call for rookie cryptocurrency traders.
And because of people’s reliance on Binance, the BNB token is one of the most traded coins on the market.
Why?
Because when you trade with BNB coin, you get a discount on exchange fees.
They also have a decent affiliate referral scheme that has contributed to the company’s growth.
Plus the exchange is pretty easy to use and hasn’t had any serious security problems yet, unlike other high profile cryptocurrency exchanges.
Is Binance Coin The Best Cryptocurrency To Invest 2019?
Pros:
- Binance is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world
- They have a huge audience to market the coin towards
- BNB a clear use case – mainly because users discounts on exchange fees if they trade via Binance
- They have a great team that’s ambitious and experienced in the cryptocurrency world
- BNB coin have a smart referral scheme that’s helped grow their platform’s adoption
- They’re expanding their user base – and that could continue throughout 2019
- Their customer service is pretty responsive – unlike many competing exchanges
- BNB coin is creating an ecosystem within Binance – rewarding customers for their loyalty
- It’s an easy to use exchange platform
- They already have an established brand and a strong marketing strategy
Cons:
- Cryptocurrency exchanges often get hacked – and Binance is a prime target
- Governments are cracking down on cryptocurrency exchanges
- That means Binance will have to adapt to more regulations and legislation
- Some investors don’t like the power centralized exchanges hold over the market (check out Vitalik Buterin’s comments here)
- Binance has been criticised for their expensive listing fees – it’s unaffordable for smaller blockchain projects to get listed on their exchange
- There are loads of competitors within the cryptocurrency exchange world – many are launching their own coins
2. Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin dominates the cryptocurrency market.
It’s the main trading pair for every other altcoin out there:
So if you want to trade OmiseGo for example, you need Bitcoin to buy it.
And if BTC prices go up, so does the rest of the market. If Bitcoin goes down, every other altcoin is affected.
Bitcoin also has the highest market cap, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency community and it’s the most talked about brand in crypto right now.
In other words, Bitcoin is one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in 2019.
Whilst BTC’s dominance is gradually falling, right now it’s still king of the crypto world.
Is Bitcoin The Best Cryptocurrency To Invest 2019?
Pros:
- Bitcoin is the most dominant cryptocurrency on the market right now
- It’s the most well known brand in the blockchain world
- Whilst most people outside the crypto world don’t understand how Bitcoin works, it’s extremely well known
- Bitcoin tends to dictate the rest of the market’s value
- BTC is a store of value – you can measure the rest of the market’s value by comparing the price of Bitcoin
- Lightning network updates are being to released to increase Bitcoin’s scalability for real world transactions
- BTC has a huge community of followers and it’s an open source project that anyone can contribute to
- BTC Core development team is constantly striving to improve the Bitcoin network
Cons:
- Bitcoin’s share of the cryptocurrency market’s total market cap is gradually falling – that could continue throughout 2019
- It doesn’t have much of a use case compared to other coins on the market
- BTC is more like a store of value than a practical cryptocurrency
- There are faster and more practical coins out there – like Litecoin for example
- Bitcoin isn’t very scalable for real world transactions (yet)
- They have released the lightning network – but it’s struggled so far (with DDOS attacks for example)
- There are a lot of critics of Bitcoin – it’s a controversial cryptocurrency that divides the investment world
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3. OmiseGo (OMG)
OmiseGo is a payment platform.
Launched in South East Asia, it’s aiming to create a cryptocurrency exchange where customers and merchants can easily transfer cryptocurrency assets.
It’s like a cryptocurrency version of Stripe or PayPal.
They’re part of the Omise group, a company that’s had years of experience delivering payment technology.
They’ve also announced partnerships with McDonald’s Thailand and the Thai Government.
With 2 billion people around the world still without bank accounts, OmiseGo could be a very useful alternative. This project could completely disrupt the financial sector.
Plus, they’re soon releasing the Plasma Protocol.
This could make OmiseGo capable of handling thousands of transactions, driving more users to the platform.
Is OmiseGo The Best Cryptocurrency To Invest 2019?
Pros:
- OMG makes it much easier for people to exchange fiat into cryptocurrency – driving more mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies
- It allows people without bank accounts to hold digital assets
- OmiseGo could completely transform the financial landscape in 2019
- Their Plasma Protocol upgrade should make OmiseGo a more scalable platform
- You don’t have to worry about a third party financial institution handling your financial information
- It cuts out the middleman for transactions (e.g. banks) – decentralizing payments
- They’ve partnered with some of the biggest institutions and corporations in Thailand
- They’ve strategically located their operation within South East Asia – where the financial sector could seriously benefit from cryptocurrency
Cons:
- The payment platform industry is extremely competitive – because OmiseGo is competing as an alternative to banks and payment processors like PayPal/Stripe
- There are scalable payment alternatives such as Stellar (XLM) that are indirectly competing with OMG
- OmiseGo doesn’t have as big a following as Ethereum or Bitcoin
- It doesn’t receive as much attention as other top cryptocurrency projects
- They’ve been promising the Plasma Protocol for a few months now and there’s still no release
- Their roadmap is a little vague – there are no exact dates as to when major development milestones will be hit
4. Lisk (LISK)
Lisk is a platform for creating decentralized apps.
There are going to be thousands of entrepreneurs with ideas for the blockchain, but they’ll need an easy way to create decentralized apps.
And that’s where Lisk comes in.
Lisk makes it easy for developers to launch their own cryptocurrency token.
How?
Well, mainly because developers can use Java to program their blockchain applications.
If you look at cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, you need to know or hire someone who understands how to program with Solidity.
And that’s no easy or cheap task.
Plus, with new updates constantly being released, Lisk is expected to have a great year in 2019.
Is Lisk The Best Cryptocurrency To Invest 2019?
Pros:
- They’re constantly releasing new updates for the project
- Lisk is receiving hundreds of thousands of new wallet sign ups every month
- Their mainnet has been around for over 2 years now – that’s a long time in the crypto world
- They’re serious about growing the brand – Lisk has over 15 members of staff in their marketing team (way more than most cryptocurrencies)
- There’s a lot of investor confidence in the coin – they are one of the most successful ICOs of all time
- You can create your own sidechain with Lisk with Javascript – millions of developers already know how to program with Java
- You don’t need to learn Solidity to program via Lisk – meaning it could be easier to build decentralized apps with this cryptocurrency than Ethereum
- It solves a lot of the problems with Ethereum’s platform
- They’re hiring and investing in the growth of their development team
- They have their own mainnet/blockchain
- The Lisk project is fairly well established
Cons:
- There are going to be loads of competitors in the ‘build your own decentralized app’ space
- There will be easier ways to create your own blockchain application – such as Fuel cryptocurrency
- Their community isn’t as big as Ethereum’s
5. Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is another platform designed for launching decentralized applications.
Despite facing a lot of competition in the decentralized apps industry, Ethereum’s total market cap is higher than their competitors.
2019 will about making Ethereum more scalable.
Why?
Because scalability is the biggest barrier to the growth of ETH.
And many users have complained that Ethereum is too slow to handle mass volumes of transactions.
So what’s in store for their roadmap?
Well, Ethereum has already developed it’s first version of Casper Protocol, which is currently being tweaked.
This will make Ethereum a Proof Of Stake blockchain – making it more secure and scalable.
Plus, their development team is planning to introduce Sharding around 2019/2020.
Is Ethereum The Best Cryptocurrency To Invest 2019?
Pros
- Ethereum is one of the biggest names in cryptocurrency
- They have a massive community and a huge following
- A lot of investors are very confident in Vitalik Buterin’s leadership skills (founder of Ethereum)
- Ethereum is the most popular platform for launching ICOs – so they’re dominating the market
- They’re actively working on making their blockchain more scalable
- Sharding and Casper Protocol will be two massive updates for the Ethereum blockchain in 2019
- Ethereum’s Smart Contract functionality is one of the most powerful features in the blockchain world
- It’s an extremely versatile decentralized app platform that could be used for launching almost any type of blockchain related idea
- Ethereum is one of the most trusted blockchain projects in the world
Cons:
- You need to program Ethereum apps with Solidity – most people don’t know how to yet
- People have claimed that the Ethereum network is clogged up and slow
- They have a lot of ambitious competition in terms of being a platform for decentralized apps – such as EOS, NEO and Lisk
- Until they introduce Sharding and fully launch the Casper Protocol, their blockchain isn’t fully scalable
- EOS recently launched their mainnet and it could be a serious competitor to Ethereum
- Ethereum Gas fees have risen significantly – meaning transactions are becoming more and more expensive as Ethereum grows in popularity
What Are The Best Cryptocurrencies To Invest In 2019?
So if you’re looking for the best cryptocurrencies for 2019, you need to think ahead and analyse the long term prospects of a coin.
First of all, this market is very unpredictable.
And 2018 has been a terrible year for crypto so far in terms of investment returns.
But a lot of people are more optimistic about 2019.
So how do you pick the best cryptocurrency to invest in for next year?
Here’s a few ways to filter your shortlist down:
- Management: The leadership and development team behind the project are vital in the success of a cryptocurrency’s growth
- Technology Changes: Updates, roadmaps and planned releases for 2019 e.g. sharding for Ethereum. Updates can make a big difference in a coin’s value.
- Community sentiment: Is it positive or negative? Reddit, YouTube and Steemit are good places to look. You should check out the size of their communities too.
- Investor Confidence: Cryptocurrencies with a lot of hype aren’t always a bad idea. The more confidence there is in a project, the more it’s value could increase in the future
- Transparency: A lot of ICOs disappear (sometimes overnight). So try to look for cryptocurrencies that are well established, transparent and clear about their ambitions
Why 2019 Could Be The Best Year Yet For Cryptocurrencies
So will 2019 be a bullish year for cryptocurrencies?
There’s a few promising signs already that the market is looking up.
This includes:
- The biggest asset manager in the world – BlackRock – is planning to open up an exchange for investing in cryptocurrency assets
- The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is taking a proactive approach to monitoring the growth of crypto assets and how they could impact the financial sector
- Goldman Sachs’ new CEO has announced he’s bullish on cryptocurrency long-term. As a major player on Wall Street, opening Goldman Sachs’ up to more cryptocurrency assets could bring in a lot of new investors
Overall, the future of cryptocurrency looks bright in 2019 and the market could grow significantly.
Useful Resources:
Top 28 Best Privacy Coins 2018
Best Cryptocurrency Under $1? Here’s 10
