2021 has been quite the journey from the Earth to the Moon and then back to Earth. No we are not talking about any scientific achievements, but the hype about investing in Cryptocurrencies. It’s fascinating to explore the top cryptos, especially how the top 10 has changed over the last year. Some currencies have entirely disappeared from the list, while others have reached time highs and other favorites have retained their positions.

Let’s take a deeper look at these top 10 Cryptocurrencies that reached New heights in 2021. 

• Bitcoin (BTC)

Even though its popularity is fading, the first digital currency continues to lead the crypto charts. Bitcoin’s market capitalization was about $550 billion a year ago, accounting for more than 60% of the whole cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin only accounts for around 40% of the whole market today, with a market capitalization of nearly $1 trillion.

• Ethereum (ETH)

On the charts, Ethereum has remained in second place. Ethereum, dubbed “silver to Bitcoin’s gold” by some, was the first cryptocurrency to use smart contracts. These tiny bits of code live on the blockchain and allow new applications or cryptos to be built on top of them.

Although Ethereum has the most applications, it also has network congestion and hefty transaction fees. The upgrade to Ethereum 2 is estimated to be ready next year, which will address some of these concerns. Several other programmable cryptos, however, are gaining traction in the meanwhile.

• Binance Coin (BNB)

BNB, the Binance exchange token, has seen a lot of growth this year. It’s a utility token that allows Binance clients to save money on trading costs while also powering the Binance Smart Chain, which is one of several programmable blockchains. Binance has encountered some regulatory challenges this year, but it expects to be back on track in 2022.

• Tether (USDT)

Tether, a stablecoin, has lost some ground this year. USDT was outlawed in New York by the Attorney General’s office in February. Its examination revealed that Tether, which is supposed to have enough cash on hand to back all of the USDT it issues, hasn’t always been able to do so. Authorities remain sceptical about Tether’s reserves, especially the portion held in short-term debt. One of the reasons we’re likely to see more stablecoin regulation next year is because of this.

• Solana (SOL)

Solana has risen to the top of the cryptocurrency charts this year as a result of its lightning-fast processing speed and low transaction fees. Developers and investors flocked to the possible Ethereum alternative, propelling the coin to new heights. Solana was up almost 11,000 percent from the beginning of the year at the time of writing.

• Ripple (XRP)

Ripple is a financial services industry-focused blockchain-based digital payment system. The SEC took action against Ripple at the end of 2021, accusing it of functioning as an unregistered security.

It’s remarkable that XRP, or Ripple, hasn’t dropped even more this year while it battles an SEC lawsuit. XRP is no longer traded on several U.S. crypto exchanges, but it is still traded overseas.

• Cardano (ADA)

Cardano had a roller coaster year. In August, it snuck into the top three cryptos by market cap in anticipation of the release of smart contract capability. Cardano has a methodical approach to development, hence its smart contract implementation was delayed compared to that of many other coins.

It appeared, however, that it was a case of “buy the rumour, sell the news.” The market’s reaction to the introduction was lukewarm, and Cardano fell a few spots in the last months of the year.

• USD Coin (USDC)

USD Coin is another stablecoin linked to the US dollar. The Centre consortium, of which Coinbase and Circle are founding members, created it. USDC has attempted to promote itself as a more transparent initiative than Tether, but it has been dogged by suspicions about the coin’s backing.

• Terra (LUNA)

Terra is a global digital payment system that uses algorithmic stablecoins as its foundation. The LUNA token is part of the mechanism that maintains the pricing consistent and is pegged to various fiat (conventional) currencies, such as US dollars or euros.

• Avalanche (AVAX)

The last of our top ten cryptos is Avalanche, a smart contract platform that some regard as a potential Ethereum replacement. The most likely scenario is that four or five smart contract platforms, including several of the cryptos on this list, will emerge ahead of the pack.

So these were the top Cryptocurrencies that rocked the market in 2021. Now that the year is about to end, Which Cryptocurrencies do you think will conquer this list in the coming year?