Here is why Decentraland (MANA) token started the week with a surge

As the crypto markets starts recovering and trade sideways this week, Decentraland token jumped 25% and it’s still green.

At the time of writing, it was up 10.09% according to CoinMarketCap. It hit a high of $2.61 and a low of $2.36 in the last 24 hours.

But why is the MANA coin rallying, let’s take a deep dive to examine what is behind the current MANA price hike.

What is Decentraland?

Decentraland is a virtual reality platform built on the Ethereum blockchain with a Unity game engine to enable players to access exclusive experiences and purchase various NFTs.

Decentraland has two tokens, that is, MANA and LAND. MANA is an ERC-20 token that is burned to acquire non-fungible ERC-721 LAND tokens.

Decentraland has featured a number of experiences like the games and Casinos making it the most popular platform for users integrated with the latest crypto trends such as Play-to-earn, Defi, GameFi, and NFTs.

Why is Decentralnad (MANA) price rallying?

The current Decentraland (MANA) price surge is being attributed to the news of the Australian Open (AOMetaverse) closing party today that will feature Steve Aoki, a world-class artist.

Australian Open is one of the largest tennis tournaments in the world that is held annually in Australia at Melbourne Park.   The budget of the tournament for the year 2022 was $75 million

This year’s winner was Rafael Nadal, who broke a three-way tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, and claimed his 21st Calendar Slam where he won all the four major championships in the same sport and in the same calendar year.

You may be wondering what the connection between a tennis tournament and Decentraland is. But this year the Decentraland had been selected as the host for the Australian Open Tournament closing party. This shows a significant pivoting towards the Metaverse.

The whole event has brought massive attention towards MANA; something attributed to the current bullish momentum.

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LINK vs BAND – Which one is a better investment?

 Chainlink and Band protocol are two blockchain oracles that have been gaining momentum. Oracles are a new type of technology that enables the transfer of real-world data into the blockchain network. They make data readily available for blockchains and their smart contracts. It can be hardware, software, or consensus-based.

 Chainlink is the first oracle platform, and it was launched in September 2017 on the Ethereum blockchain. It aims to integrate off-chain data with existing smart contracts. It provides projects on the Ethereum blockchain with relevant data. In essence, it comprises nodes built on an oracle framework to transmit data and information from off-blockchain sources to the smart contracts on supported blockchains.

 Its execution process includes oracle selection, data reporting, and result aggregation. Like Chainlink, Band protocol connects the blockchain network with verifiable data from the outside world. It was initially built on the Ethereum blockchain in 2017 when it was launched. However, it was recently moved to the Cosmos network.

 It uses the Tendermint Delegated-Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm. Also, it has Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol that allows it to interact with other blockchains. It is aimed at improving speed, scalability, cross-chain interoperability, and data flexibility on the blockchain.

 While both offer nearly the same functionality, the Band protocol is interoperable, cheaper, faster, and easier to use. Moreover, data providers can earn their data native tokens for data provision. While the total and max supply of LINK is 1 billion, BAND is capped at 100 million.

 One LINK is worth $16.26 as of today having dropped by 68.8% from its ATH of $52.70 in May 2021. BAND, on the other hand, costs $3.50 right now which is 84.8% from its peak of $22.83 in April 2021. As blockchain oracles, BAND has the potential of outperforming LINK in the long run and is low right now that you can bag it massively. In the long run, its limited supply will contribute to driving its price upward.

 This is asides from its compatibility with other blockchains and eco-friendly nature. If you are looking for something stable and secure, LINK is the call. But if you want a long-term investment option, then go for BAND.

Cryptocurrency investment is very risky. Do not put the money you can’t afford to lose wholeheartedly. Deal wisely and do your research.

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LUNA vs AAVE – Which one is a better investment?

 Decentralized finance (DeFi) uses smart contracts to decentralize and disrupt the financial system. It aims to eliminate intermediaries, remove paperwork, and create equal opportunities. Blockchain technology has led to the creation of numerous DeFi platforms, including Terra and Aave, which would be a better buy between the native tokens of these two platforms.

 Aave was initially ETHLend when it was launched in 2017 by Stani Kulechov. It was one of the pioneer DeFi platforms that provided liquidity for borrowers and lenders in the crypto space. It also allowed users to stake their AAVE for rewards and discounts. Asides from this, it supports Aave pay, Aave clearing, and Aave gaming.

 LUNA is the native token of the Terra blockchain, a blockchain in 2018 by Daniel Shin and Do Kwon. It was built on the Cosmos SDK and operated on the Tendermint Delegated-Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm. It is a DeFi platform that allows the deployment of stablecoins. Transactions are settled instantly at low fees across borders. Mirror Finance, Anchor Protocol, and CHAI payment app are some projects on the ecosystem.

 While LUNA was created on the Terra blockchain, AAVE is an Ethereum token. This implies that AAVE will be affected by the high transactions fees of the Ethereum network. To get one AAVE, you need $152.65, whereas a LUNA costs $52.72.

 The increase in the adoption of the Terra blockchain is evident in the market cap of LUNA ($21.08 billion), unlike AAVE which has a low market cap ($2.04 billion). Similarly, their 24-hour market cap shows that LUNA is being traded largely compared to AAVE ($3 billion to $125 million). It is predicted that LUNA can do times four its current price before the end of the year.

 LUNA’s price would be driven by its significant role in the Terra blockchain as it helps to stabilize the economy amidst other functions. The price aside, LUNA is the best buy anytime any day. It is advisable to bag as much as you can before the bull run returns.

 However, this isn’t enough; do your research, average the dollar cost, and deal wisely.

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