Top 10 Crypto to Look Out for in 2023 (Not Bitcoin & Ethereum)
Despite the current crypto winter, experts are speculating the next bull run to hit as early as this year’s second quarter, creating a golden opportunity for investors betting on the top crypto in 2023. Read our Q1 Bitcoin Analysis for more.
Bear markets are actually ideal for doubling down and diversifying your investments if you know what you’re doing.
Bitcoin and Ethereum should always be your primary investment choice as they are safe bets and are almost guaranteed to rise in the future. But there are plenty of other cryptocurrencies with the potential to go up. Invest in them now when the market is still down and prices are plunged to reap the benefits later.
That is why we’ve compiled this list of the top 10 crypto to look out for in 2023.
But before that, how do we gauge the potential of a coin?
Factors to Consider While Choosing the Top Crypto in 2023
Since cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, it’s almost impossible to predict with complete conviction. However, the following factors can help you make the highest probability choices.
Note that the following factors not only apply to cryptocurrencies but to any crypto projects, like NFTs, new platforms, protocols, etc.
Market Capitalization
Market capitalization, the total value of all mined coins, is calculated by multiplying the number of coins in circulation by their current market price. It indicates the dominance and popularity of a particular crypto. A low market cap isn’t necessarily bad, as it may suggest room for future growth.
However, the market cap alone doesn’t mean anything unless backed by multiple positive factors that we’ll discuss next.
Uses Cases & Utility
As the name suggests, use cases and utility refers to the real-world applications of a crypto. For example, Ethereum’s smart contract feature is responsible for powering the majority of DeFi protocols. Stablecoins, like Tether, on the other hand, are used by day traders to move funds between exchanges.
The better the utility, the more it’s likely to grow.
Developers & Associations
The developing team behind a crypto project matters.
Why? Well, if a team consists of members with an excellent track record and past experiences with successful projects, you’re more likely to bet on it compared to a team with no history and credibility.
Associations with reputable and credible individuals and organizations can make a huge impact too. So, look out for that as well.
Community
Lastly, the community can tell a lot about the future of a coin. More than the size of the community, what matters is how engaged they are and how much faith they have in the project and why.
1. Polkadot
Polkadot (DOT) is an up-and-coming cryptocurrency project founded by Dr. Gavin Wood, a co-founder of Ethereum.
It aims to solve scalability and interoperability issues in the blockchain ecosystem by creating a more decentralized, interoperable, and scalable web. Its unique architecture enables the seamless integration of different blockchain networks, creating new decentralized applications and services.
With a current price of around $5.59 and a market capitalization of over $6 billion, Polkadot is currently the 12th most popular cryptocurrency globally. The tremendous growth in its market capitalization and consistently high trading volume since its launch in 2020 indicates strong investor confidence and interest.
Polkadot has a top-notch team of developers and advisors and is supported by reputable organizations, such as the Web3 Foundation, which funds and supports the development of decentralized technologies.
All this combined, makes Polkadot one of the top cryptocurrencies in 2023.
2. Cardano
Cardano, founded by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson in 2015, is a third-generation blockchain platform that aims to provide a secure, sustainable, and scalable infrastructure for decentralized applications and services.
The blockchain is designed to support various use cases, including financial services, identity management, supply chain management, voting systems, etc., with a focus on minimizing carbon footprint and environmental sustainability.
As of writing, the price of Cardano (ADA) is around $0.3096, with one of the largest market capitalizations of over $10 billion. Furthermore, its active community of developers, investors and users is a positive sign for its future growth and success.
3. Solana
Solana (SOL) is a blockchain platform created to provide fast, secure, and inexpensive transactions for dApps and cryptocurrencies. Launched in 2017, Solana quickly became one of the largest cryptocurrencies in the world, with a market cap of over $6 billion. Currently, it’s trading at $17.53.
Solana has a strong team of developers led by Anatoly Yakovenko, someone with extensive experience in the technology industry.
Its fast, scalable and cost-efficient infrastructure is designed to support a broad range of use cases, including decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs and crypto games, making it one of the top cryptos in 2023.
Launched in 2014, Tether is a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar at a 1:1 ratio, meaning it’s designed to remain constant at $1.00.
4. Tether
Tether is typically used to move funds between different cryptocurrency exchanges quickly and easily without involving fiat currency and potentially triggering crypto taxes. It’s probably the most used stablecoin in the world, with a market capitalization of over $70 billion, making it one of the best cryptos to invest in.
The developers claim that the number of Tether coins in circulation is equivalent to the US dollars held in reserve to provide stability. However, critics have alleged this to be a false claim, causing a lot of controversy and scrutiny over the transparency of its reserves, especially after the Terra-Luna crash.
5. Binance Coin
Binance Coin (BNB) is the native token of Binance, one of the best crypto exchanges in the US. Initially created as a utility token for discounted trading fees in 2017 on the Ethereum blockchain, BNB has since migrated to its own blockchain, the Binance Smart Chain.
BNB is one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrencies, currently sitting in one of the top cryptocurrencies by market cap. As of writing, BNB is trading at $305.
It has multiple use cases within the Binance ecosystem, including paying for trading fees on the exchange, participating in token sales hosted on the Binance Launchpad, and even booking travel accommodations through Binance’s Travel portal.
BNB has a large community of supporters and a growing social media presence, with over 10 million followers just on Twitter. Its popularity can be attributed to its deflationary model and fee discount scheme.
Nonetheless, Binance has been one of the top cryptos for investors in the past few years, and this year is no different.
6. Ripple’s XRP
Launched in 2012, Ripple’s XRP is a cryptocurrency originally designed to be used as a utility token for the Ripple payment protocol. But it has since significantly risen in popularity, becoming one of the top cryptocurrencies with a market cap of a whopping $18 billion. Currently, XRP is trading at $0.3666.
One of the key features of XRP is its ability to facilitate fast and cost-effective cross-border payments across different currencies, making it a popular choice for traditional banks and financial institutions. Santander (USA), Standard Chartered Bank (UK) and Siam Commercial Bank (Thailand) are a few among many that use XRP to settle international payments.
The developers in the Ripple Lab, a prominent and reputable organization in the space, are actively developing new use cases and features for XRP. Furthermore, XRP has a huge active social media following, with 350k followers on Twitter and almost 30k on Instagram.
With the next bull run around the corner, XRP is one of the top cryptos in 2023 to bet on.
7. Shiba Inu
Shiba Inu is a meme coin launched in August 2020, which has surprisingly gained a significant following due to its cute dog mascot and low prices.
With a market cap of over $5 billion and a price of $$0.00001021, Shiba Inu is a low-risk, affordable investment you can put your money in just for the sake of it.
The coin itself has no use cases or utility, particularly common with meme coins. However, it has a strong community that launched several of its own initiatives, including a decentralized exchange called ShibaSwap.
One of the main reasons Shiba Inu gained so much popularity is its similarity with Dogecoin, also a meme coin featuring a Shiba Inu dog as its mascot. But be cautious with investing in meme coins, as they are highly volatile and mostly thrive on hype, which can end at any time.
8. Metacade
Metacade is an open-source play-to-earn arcade gaming platform built on Ethereum, which rewards players with their cryptocurrency, MCADE, for completing various challenges and missions. Players can use their crypto earnings to purchase in-game items, trade them on exchanges, or hold them as investments.
Its utility lies in its ability to provide a fun and engaging ecosystem for players to earn crypto. Metacade is in presale, selling for $0.02, meaning it’s not trading on any crypto exchanges yet. Its presale numbers quickly crossed $5 million since its launch. You can buy MCADE tokens here.
If you believe in the modern use cases of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, like the play-to-earn model, MCADE is one of the best cryptos for you to invest in, in 2023.
9. Polygon
Polygon is a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum aiming to improve its scalability and usability, and MATIC is its native token. MATIC has seen significant price growth, reaching an all-time high of $2.92 in December 2021. However, due to the recent crypto winter, its price plunged to $1.05 with a market cap of over $8 billion.
It has many use cases and utilities. For instance, it provides a fast and low-cost infrastructure for developers to build dApps and protocols on Ethereum, such as crypto lending platforms and yield farming. Plus, it also enables seamless interoperability between different blockchains.
With over a million followers on Twitter, a strong team of developers and funding from prominent investors like Coinbase Ventures and Mark Cuban, experts believe that MATIC is all set for a significant rise in the coming years, making it one of the top cryptos to look out for in 2023.
10. The Sandbox’s SAND
We already know about Sandbox, one of the top metaverse platforms. Well, SAND is its native token. SAND is trading at around $0.5251 with a market capitalization of over $700 million.
SAND’s growth is directly correlated with the potential of Sandbox, which is already a favorite for many speculators and investors. If the platform grows in popularity, so will SAND. We already discussed how crypto real estate and NFTs may play a significant role in the future of Web3.
Keeping that in mind, SAND may be the most underrated entry in this list of top cryptos in 2023.
Final Thoughts
Before we wrap up, we quickly want to remind you that it’s crucial you understand the fundamental principles of investment, like diversification, risk-to-return ratio, fundamental analysis, and more. Whether you invest in Binance Coin or Shiba Inu, just make sure you do so based on your risk appetite and only put what you’re willing to lose.
Other than that, experts are optimistic about cryptocurrencies in 2023 after the rough patch in 2022. So, make sure you capitalize on this opportunity before the market booms again.