1. Bitcoin (BTC):
- Market cap: $959.8 billion
- Created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto
- Runs on a blockchain
- Price growth: From $500 in May 2016 to around $48,902 in February 2024 (9,680% increase)
2. Ethereum (ETH):
- Market cap: $314.9 billion
- Both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform
- Features smart contracts and NFTs
- Price growth: From about $11 in April 2016 to around $2,620 in February 2024 (23,722% increase)
3. Tether (USDT):
- Market cap: $96.7 billion
- Stablecoin backed by fiat currencies
- Designed for stability compared to other cryptocurrencies
4. Solana (SOL):
- Market cap: $48.2 billion
- Designed for DeFi, DApps, and smart contracts
- Utilizes hybrid proof-of-stake and proof-of-history mechanisms
- Price growth: From $0.77 at launch in 2020 to around $110.19 in February 2024 (14,210% increase)
5. Binance Coin (BNB):
- Market cap: $47.9 billion
- Used for trading and paying fees on Binance exchange
- Expanded beyond exchange use
- Price growth: From $0.10 in 2017 to around $320 in February 2024 (320,295% increase)
6. XRP (XRP):
- Market cap: $28.3 billion
- Facilitates currency exchanges on the Ripple network
- Price growth: From $0.006 at the beginning of 2017 to around $0.52 in February 2024 (8,539% increase)
7. U.S. Dollar Coin (USDC):
- Market cap: $27.8 billion
- Stablecoin backed by U.S. dollars
- Powered by Ethereum
8. Cardano (ADA):
- Market cap: $19.1 billion
- Utilizes proof-of-stake validation
- Enables smart contracts and decentralized applications
- Price growth: From $0.02 in 2017 to around $0.54 in February 2024 (2,594% increase)
9. Avalanche (AVAX):
- Market cap: $14.5 billion
- Focuses on fast transaction speeds and low fees
- High total value locked in DeFi protocols
