In the last decade, the cryptocurrency marketplace has exploded into the most diversified wild bunch of digital investments. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies to invest in, but some can probably easily argue that one of those is the best: Bitcoin. The top 10 cryptos to consider buying today based on market cap and technological backlog that can be expected to grow higher later include:

Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency and, at present, has the largest market capitalization. It was created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto via a decentralized blockchain. The proof of work consensus ensures the security and integrity of Bitcoin. The price of Bitcoin has soared, making it an absolute necessity in every cryptocurrency portfolio.

Why to Invest?

• Market Leader – Being the first cryptocurrency, it has an edge of stability.

• Store of Value: It is equated to digital gold, a place where you put your money when you’re worried about inflation.

• Widespread Adoption: Acceptance by businesses and financial organizations is increasing.

Ethereum is known as a blockchain and the name of a cryptocurrency that developers prefer for its capability of including smart contracts. This one was released in the year 2015 by Vitalik Buterin, hence following it, is the backbone for decentralized applications and non-fungible tokens. The transition to Ethereum 2.0 aims at improvements in the scalability of this token as well as those that reduce its energy consumption.

Why to Invest?

• Smart Contracts: They allow for automated—most importantly—secure transactions, along with peer-to-peer contracts with minimal interference.

• DeFi and NFTs: Ethereum is the base infrastructure for the world of decentralized finance and the new markets for NFTs.

• Future Upgrades: Ethereum 2.0 is said to be much, much better in terms of performance and sustainability.

Tether is a stablecoin, which in basic terms means it operates on a blockchain but is pegged, in its value, to a reserve of fiat currency like the US dollar. A hot favorite among investors who do not have the time or the patience to jump from coin to coin holding different values, Tether can do the job with ease. Tether project is built for use as trading and transferring value on blockchain networks

Why to Invest?

• Proven stability, even in volatile market environments.

• Liquidity: It’s very liquid with a very high trading volume in the entire crypto market.

• Utility: Provides a simple way to hedge against market fluctuations.

Binance Coin is the native token of the Binance platform, one of the largest digital exchanges in the world of cryptocurrencies. The Binance Coin on Binance is the transaction fee placement medium, and holders can also swap it for other cryptocurrencies. As such, Binance continually expands and innovates at large, and this contributes to the return of BNB.

Why to Invest?

• Exchange Utility: Discounts on trading fees when using BNB.

• Ecosystem Growth: Huge list of products and services that Binance offers.

• Burn Mechanism: Regularly burned tokens ensure that the supply is reduced which may drive up its value

Solana is a high-performance blockchain platform known for its super-high processing transaction speed, greatly combined with very low rates. It can interoperate with smart contracts and dApps – making it one of the unbeatable rivals of Ethereum. To improve its scalability and efficiency, Solana introduced a unique type of consensus mechanism called the Proof of History (PoH).

Why to Invest?

• Speed and Scalability: Thousands of transactions per second.

• Growing Ecosystem: Several projects and dApps built on Solana are growing in number.

• Innovation: Continuous development and improvements in technology.

Cardano is a blockchain that aims at delivering sustainability, scalability, and interoperability. It was drafted by one of Ethereum’s co-founders Charles Hoskinson and also utilizes a consensus mechanism for a proof-of-stake officially known as Ouroboros. The platform works toward offering a safe infrastructure for DApps and smart contracts.

Why to Invest?

• Research-led: Developed from scientific principles and peer-reviewed research.

• Sustainability: It adopts an energy-efficient proof-of-stake consensus.

• Connection and interoperability of various blockchain networks.

Ripple is a digital payment protocol and cryptocurrency together. It allows fast and cheap cross-border money transfers to happen. Many partnerships that Ripple has made with financial organizations and banks worldwide help boost its reputation and adaptive capabilities. Even though the company seems to face its share of legal issues, Ripple is, after all a significant player within the segment of digital currency.

Why to Invest?

• Payment Solutions: Inexpensive solutions across borders.

• Institutional Adoption: Partnerships with leading financial institutions.

• Potential Attractive Upside: Legal resolution could create an upward trend in value.

It started as a joke, but it soon received a massive following and has since achieved an impressive market value. Dogecoin has since followed a mainstream path because of community support and increased endorsements from famous personalities such as Elon Musk. Lacking technical development compared to other cryptocurrencies, its ability to be supported is just undeniable.

Why to Invest?

• Popular among people because of strong and active community support.

• High Liquidity as it is widely traded in all large exchanges.

• Potential for Growth: Continuous endorsements and patronage.

Polkadot is a decentralized, multi-chain blockchain platform for cross-operability. Being created by Dr. Gavin Wood, who is another co-founder of Ethereum, the Polkadot network seeks to be a decentralized web. It has a unique, scalable, and flexible architecture.

Why to Invest?

• Interoperability: Has connections to multiple blockchains.

• Scalability: Creates an effective and scalable network.

• Strong Team: Backed by experienced blockchain developers

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network. It acts as a medium that connects smart contracts to real-world data, which can come from any other API and payment systems. The importance of Chainlink’s activity became invaluable for most of the DeFi applications

Why to Invest?

• Oracle Solutions: Crucial for the operation of smart contracts.

• DeFi Integration: Heavily used in the DeFi ecosystem.

• Collaborations: Collaborations with flagship companies and projects.