Zimbabwe’s new currency, the ZiG, strengthened a day after its debut, the central bank said.

The currency gained 0.2% to 13.53 per US dollar, according to data published on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s website on Tuesday.

The rand was trading at R18.47 to the dollar by 12h20 on Tuesday.

The ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold, was introduced on Monday, Zimbabwe’s sixth attempt to resuscitate the local currency. Its predecessor, the Zimbabwe dollar, lost value every single trading day of this year before being abandoned April 5.
Zimbabwe’s sixth try

The ZiG began trading on Monday as businesses struggled with the nation’s revamped unit.

Reserve Bank Governor John Mushayavanhu set the introductory exchange rate of 13.56 per US dollar for the ZiG, short for Zimbabwe Gold, where it started trading.

The daily exchange rate will be determined in the interbank market from now on, Mushayavanhu said during an April 5 presentation of his first monetary policy statement.
Five previous attempts to resuscitate a local currency have failed largely because the cash-strapped government resorted to printing money to fund the budget.

While Mushayavanhu repeatedly said that won’t happen under his watch, it will be an uphill battle for the ZiG to gain acceptance among a public who’ve repeatedly seen the value of their locally priced assets wither.

The authorities didn’t help confidence in the Zimbabwe dollar by demanding that payment for services including road toll fees and passports be made using greenbacks.

Peter C. Earle, senior economist at the American Institute for Economic Research, is skeptical the ZiG will be any more of a success than its predecessors.#XRPRealityCheck

From bitcoin and Ethereum to Dogecoin and Tether, there are thousands of different cryptocurrencies, which can make it overwhelming when you’re first getting started in the world of crypto. To help you get your bearings, these are the top 10 cryptocurrencies to invest in based on their market capitalization or the total value of all the coins currently in circulation.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Market cap: $392.4 billion
Year-over-year return: 81%
Both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform, Ethereum is a favorite of program developers because of its potential applications, like so-called smart contracts that automatically execute when conditions are met and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

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Top 10 Cryptocurrencies Of April 2024
Michael Adams
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Lisa Dammeyer
Deputy Editor, Investing & Retirement
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Updated: Apr 2, 2024, 11:04am
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Top 10 Cryptocurrencies Of April 2024
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From bitcoin and Ethereum to Dogecoin and Tether, there are thousands of different cryptocurrencies, which can make it overwhelming when you’re first getting started in the world of crypto. To help you get your bearings, these are the top 10 cryptocurrencies to invest in based on their market capitalization or the total value of all the coins currently in circulation.

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Best Crypto To Buy Now
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
Market cap: $1.3 trillion
Year-over-year return: 130%
Created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoin (BTC) is the original cryptocurrency. As with most cryptocurrencies, BTC runs on a blockchain, or a ledger logging transactions distributed across a network of thousands of computers. Because additions to the distributed ledgers must be verified by solving a cryptographic puzzle, a process called proof of work, bitcoin is kept secure and safe from fraudsters.

Bitcoin’s price has skyrocketed as it’s become a household name. In May 2016, you could buy one bitcoin for about $500. As of Apr. 2, 2024, a single bitcoin’s price was around $64,861. That’s a growth of 12,872%.

Related: How To Buy Bitcoin

2. Ethereum (ETH)
Market cap: $392.4 billion
Year-over-year return: 81%
Both a cryptocurrency and a blockchain platform, Ethereum is a favorite of program developers because of its potential applications, like so-called smart contracts that automatically execute when conditions are met and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Ethereum has also experienced tremendous growth. From April 2016 to the end of April 2024, its price went from about $11 to around $3,268, increasing 29,612%.

Related: How To Buy Ethereum

3. Tether (USDT)
Market cap: $104.7 billion
Year-over-year return: 0%
Unlike some other forms of cryptocurrency, Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin, meaning it’s backed by fiat currencies like U.S. dollars and the Euro and hypothetically keeps a value equal to one of those denominations. In theory, this means Tether’s value is supposed to be more consistent than other cryptocurrencies, and it’s favored by investors who are wary of the extreme volatility of other coins.

4. Binance Coin (BNB)
Market cap: $82.1 billion
Year-over-year return: 76%
Binance Coin (BNB) is a form of cryptocurrency that you can use to trade and pay fees on Binance, one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. Since its launch in 2017, Binance Coin has expanded past merely facilitating trades on Binance’s exchange platform. Now, it can be used for trading, payment processing or even booking travel arrangements. It can also be traded or exchanged for other forms of cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum or bitcoin.

BNB’s price in 2017 was just $0.10. By late April 2024, its price had risen to around $549, a gain of 549,220

5. Solana (SOL)
Market cap: $78.8 billion
Year-over-year return: 768%
Developed to help power decentralized finance (DeFi) uses, decentralized apps (DApps) and smart contracts, Solana runs on a unique hybrid proof-of-stake and proof-of-history mechanisms to process transactions quickly and securely. SOL, Solana’s native token, powers the platform.

What are Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs)?
Decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) are blockchain protocols that build, maintain, and operate physical hardware infrastructure in an open and decentralized manner.The DePIN industry covers infrastructure for data storage, wireless connectivity, computing, energy, data collection, and more.

DePIN protocols have garnered crypto investor interest lately due to their potential to impact a wide range of industries, including the Internet, artificial intelligence (AI), energy, wireless communications, and more.
#Memecoins #Nonfarm

Shiba Inu developers are working with internet domain player D3 to introduce a “.shib” internet and top-level domain to the market as part of a push toward identity-focused projects.
Representatives for the Shiba Inu network told CoinDesk in a Telegram chat that they are working with D3 on the application for the .shib top-level domain and plan to apply through ICANN, a global database for internet domains, during the next application window.Every internet domain application is passed and vetted by ICANN, giving its owners the right to sell all of the domains within a specific suffix, such as ".xyz" or ".app." While crypto domains attempt to take this a step further – tying a wallet’s owner to a domain name that can be used as proof of identity on blockchain applications – they do not work across the internet through browsers, email, or mobile devices.
By applying for the real .shib top level domain, Shiba Inu expects to become one of the first Web3 networks with its own DNS namespace.
“Our partnership with D3 allows us to scale outside of the existing ShibArmy and give over 5 billion Internet users direct access to the SHIB ecosystem,” said Shytoshi Kusama, Lead Developer of Shiba Inu. “Bringing real domains to SHIB is a big deal, expanding our vision for digital identities within our decentralized ecosystem while driving long-term revenue generation within the ecosystem.”
Shiba Inu’s existing Shib Name Service (SNS) will transition to D3's infrastructure. SNS is a product released in November that serves as a means to introduce digital identity verification for all products built on Shiba Inu blockchain and Shibarium, a layer 2 network.#SHIB #Memecoins