Top 10 best DeFi coins to invest in and watch in 2022

These DeFi cryptocurrencies have the potential to give good returns in 2022

DeFi or decentralised finance coins are now a household feature in the crypto market. Their importance in the financial world can now not be ignored. DeFi platforms provide a space for borrowing, saving, lending and trading without the traditional bureaucracies of the financial markets. This popularity is making them a good option for investing. Since there are many such projects, it might be hard for you to decide the best that you can invest in. Here are some of the top ten best DeFi coins that you should consider.

Solana

Solana (SOL) is leading the pack thanks to its consensus mechanism. This coin utilises a proof of history mechanism to verify transactions. This mechanism has replaced mining and staking common in many projects. Instead, transactions on Solana are proven true by following a timestamp of previous transactions on the blockchain. This consensus mechanism allows faster transaction times. The coin is also a layer-1 platform since it does not require assistance from other platforms to enable transactions. These features make it a valuable and promising coin that you can expect to grow soon.

Avalanche

Avalanche or Avax is a top contender in the top ten best DeFi you can invest in. The coin is in direct competition with Ethereum because of cheaper transaction costs and faster transactions. Currently, the coin claims to be the fastest smart contracts platform in the crypto and blockchain industry. Avax recently raised $230 million to support its projects and has had some meaningful connections with other blockchain projects, including Graph, Chainlink and SushiSwap. With the progression, this coin is taking and the interest it is garnering in this space, it is bound to be a top contender to invest and watch in 2022.

Fantom

Fantom is another coin that you should consider adding to your investment portfolio. Fantom presents attractive features that are set to make it a big deal in the blockchain industry. It is secure, enables breakneck transaction speeds, it is open-source, permissionless and decentralised. The coin has a high market capitalisation sitting at more than $3 billion and has recently recorded a high trading volume. This trend will continue into 2022 as the coin’s popularity grows in the crypto industry. It is a viable coin to invest in, in 2022 and expect good rewards.

Harmony

Launched in 2019, Harmony developers intended the coin to bridge scalability and decentralisation. It focuses on creating viable markets for intangibles and fungible tokens and sharing data. This project has had several significant partnerships and has raised about $300 million to develop its ecosystem. This fund has pushed up the value of this coin and attracted more users. The project’s primary focus is on improving scalability between networks, making it a popular platform and an investment option. Projections indicate that the coin’s price will increase in the next few months.

Waves

Wave is a unique coin operating a three in one ecosystem. It works as a decentralised exchange, a platform for launching tokens and a digital asset. It aims to encourage the mass adoption of digital coins and enhance flexibility in the industry. The platform allows developing and deploying smart contracts. It also makes it easy for users to create tokens without having any programming knowledge. With such features, the project is set to attract a lot of users that will give it more value. It is a viable coin to watch and invest in in coming 2022.

THORChain

Another top ten best DeFi is THORChain. Built using the Cosmos SDK and powered using Tendermint consensus mechanism, this protocol ensures that data for all transactions are untraceable. This feature has made it particularly popular with a lot of users and investors. THORChain is also fungible, meaning that owners can govern their currency without the need of a third party and at no cost. Its trading data shows that this token has a relatively high trading volume and a market cap exceeding $1.8 billion. With its popularity and quick adoption, THORChain is bound to grow in 2022, making it a good coin to invest in.

Kadena

Kadena is not a very popular coin, but it is making waves in the cryptocurrency industry. In the last 10 months, this coin has grown by an impressive 11256%. In about three months, the coin has recorded some big leaps rising from $2 to $27. Kadena, like most smart contracts platforms, is focusing on faster transaction speeds at a lower cost. It can currently handle about 480,000 transactions per second as compared to Ethereum’s 20. This feature is attracting new users to the platform and pushing its price up. You should consider investing in it if it will keep up with its growth pattern. 

Curve

Curve is an interesting coin in the DeFi sector. The curve Finance project is currently the biggest decentralised exchange on Ethereum. Curve or Curve DAO is the governance token of the Curve Finance platform. The platform has two major use cases, including swapping cryptocurrencies and staking. It also has very low fees and some of the smallest price variations between stablecoins. Curve token is, thus, increasing in value as its platform continues attracting new users.

Oasis Network

The Oasis Network is a project working to rise through the ranks of the DeFi space. The platform is a layer-1 privacy blockchain that makes use of a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Unlike Ethereum, where transactions are publicly accessible, on the Oasis Network, users can enjoy confidentiality. Its technological design is also quite impressive as it is a hybrid of Polkadot and Ethereum. Investors are also considering its transaction speeds of more than 1000 transactions per second. The token is bound to grow in value as it attracts more users making it a worthwhile investment.

Polkadot

Polkadot is an interesting project. It is a platform that allows independent blockchains to transfer information and transactions between one another using the Polkadot relay chain. This ability significantly increases the speed of transactions on this blockchain and is more scalable as compared to Ethereum. Providing such a platform enabling easy development of DeFi projects makes this a popular coin and a good investment option.

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3 of the best NFT tokens by market cap to buy today

With these staggering statistics, it’s hard to argue against NFTs, and as an investor, here are 3 NFT tokens to get your hands on.

Decentraland (MANA)

Decentraland (MANA) is a blockchain-powered virtual platform where users can buy and develop virtual plots of land. These plots can also be used for various activities, including hosting concerts within virtual reality.

Data Source: Tradingview.com

MANA, the native token for the platform, has a market cap of $6 billion, with each coin selling for $3.31 at the time of writing this post.

Axie Infinity (AXS)

Axie Infinity (AXS) is an NFT based token based on the blockchain fighting game by the same name. Players earn rewards by fighting NFT monsters called Axies. These monsters can be sold and bought through the platform’s NFT marketplace. At press time, AXS was selling at $96.97 with a market cap of around $5.9 billion.

The Sandbox (SAND)

The Sandbox (SAND) is also a blockchain-powered virtual world where users can create and sell digital assets. It was one of the older virtual platforms, having been founded in 2011. The native token is called SAND, and at the time of writing, it was trading at $5.21 with a market cap of $4.7 billion.

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Argo Blockchain CEO says Bitcoin mining extremely profitable in 2021

  • Argo’s CEO Peter Wall says that mining was extremely profitable in 2021 and will likely continue to be even when more miners switch on their machines to increase hashrate in 2022.

  • He also notes that miners understand the need to reduce the carbon footprint by moving away from fossil fuels to renewables.

Argo Blockchain CEO Peter Wall has said 2021 has been a good year for Bitcoin and that his firm saw record profits through the year even with the dip in crypto prices in May and over the last month or so.

Argo is a crypto-focused firm based in the UK and has emerged as one of the leading Bitcoin miners, an aspect Wall highlighted in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.

According to the Argo CEO, the broader crypto market saw a remarkable year, and he doesn’t think it would be wise to bet against it despite the current bearish outlook, especially not for Bitcoin.

He noted that the benchmark cryptocurrency has “been knocked over” several times but it still does what it does- bouncing higher and proving its worth and its importance every time. He suggests that this remains the case.

It’s good to note that the cryptocurrency’s value has declined by almost 30% since mid-November, with the rot pushing prices from highs of $69,000 to lows of $44,000 before its current bounce to levels around $48,000.

Wall says the Bitcoin ecosystem has matured going into 2022 and that factors such as increased interest in the asset class as capital inflows surge, regulatory clarity and resilient mining industry will likely aid BTC price over the next year.

We’re seeing everything mature so quickly you know, not just capital markets but regulators are taking the space more seriously,” he explained.

Argo’s near extreme end of profitability

Wall also spoke about Bitcoin mining and how the explosion in Bitcoin prices over the past one and half years has seen companies make massive profits on their investments.

Argo Blockchain’s returns from mining over 2021, he said, have been record margins and not just for the UK-based miner but for most other crypto mining businesses. Asked to comment at what price of Bitcoin the firm would be profitable, he said they are looking at $5,000-$10,000 and that this depends on the cost of power among other factors.

He notes that the firm is on the “extreme end of profitability right now” and that the outlook for 2022 remains positive. This, he noted, is the case even if profit margins decline given the expected increase in hashrate as more miners switch on their mining machines.

He added that China’s crackdown on mining pushed many miners offline, but with operations set up in other jurisdictions, more will come online.

Argo on use of renewable energy 

Wall also talked about Argo Blockchain’s move to address the question of Bitcoin’s energy consumption and impact on the environment. According to him, many miners are moving away from fossil fuels and Argo leads the way through an aggressive pursuit of renewable sources of energy, including the use of solar

He noted:

I think miners understand ESG issues and they are looking for renewable power.”

Importantly, Bitcoin miners know about the need for companies to be carbon neutral or even carbon negative, he added.

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The best low-cap Stablecoins that could explode in 2022

Stablecoins are digital assets whose value is based or derived from the value of another underlying asset, mostly another cryptocurrency, fiat currency, or commodity like gold. These coins are used to hedge against market volatility. In recent months, market-wide volatility in the crypto space has been huge, and as such, the growth of Stablecoins has surged. Here are some highlights:

  • In 2021 for example, the Stablecoin market was up by nearly 450% to hit a valuation of $150 Billion.

  • Last month, US Treasury Secretary Janel Yellen admitted that Stablecoins have the potential to support payment systems

  • These coins are expected to keep growing in 2022, with triple-digit growth already in the cards

But what if you are not interested in large-cap Stablecoins like Tether or Binance USD? Well, here are some low cap coins that could explode in value next year: Here they are:

PAX Dollar (USDP)

Pax Dollar (USDP) is a flat collateralised Stablecoin that was founded in 2018. The coin is hoping to use blockchain to help stabilise the US dollar against other fiat currencies. Stablecoin is also planning to develop an advanced ecosystem that would make it easier for people to mobilise digital assets in a more efficient manner. 

Data Source: Tradingview.com 

At the time of writing this post, USDP was trading at $0.9993. The stablecoin also had a market cap of slightly below $1 billion. There is still room for the coin to grow even further next year.

TerraKRW (KRT)

For investors looking for Stablecoins with a significantly low market cap, then TerraKRW (KRT) is a good place to start. Terra basically offers investors a network of “price-stable” crypto assets that are pegged to the leading fiat currencies in the world. The coin at the time of writing was trading at $0.0008537. Besides, with a market cap of around $36 million, there is still a lot of value to be unlocked here.

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Want to Invest in Decentralised exchanges? Here are the best coins to consider

Decentralised exchanges or DEXs have often been touted as the future of crypto exchanges. Although they don’t offer the kind of liquidity associated with centralised platforms, DEXs are mostly permissionless and non-custodial. They also offer added privacy, and from an investor’s point of view, they have grown immensely the past year. Here are some highlights:

  • Data shows that the number of DEXs has grown massively since 2019

  • Also, large crypto transactions are growing at a rapid pace on decentralised platforms

  • Leading DEXs are adding support for a wide range of crypto assets, making them convenient for investors.

In case you’d like to ride the growth of DEXs in the near and long term, then there are two platforms and their native tokens you can consider. Here they are:

AirSwap (AST)

AirSwap (AST) is a fully decentralised exchange built to offer peer-to-peer trading. The platform support transactions in a huge variety of crypto assets with low fees and faster speeds. AirSwap is also noncustodial and uses standard RFQ and Last Look protocols to help power a vast peer-to-peer trading network. 

Data Source: Tradingview.com 

Its native AST token is used for platform transactions and as the governance token as well. AirSwap is one of the most promising DEX projects today. AST tokens were trading at $0.2936 at the time of writing this post. AST also had a market cap of $44 million, meaning the upside for growth is very high.

1Inch Exchange (1INCH)

1Inch.Exchange (1INCH) is more of a DEX aggregator and trading platform that scans the entire crypto market to give you the best trades with the lowest transaction fees. It is also non-custodial and compatible with a wide range of crypto assets and wallets. 

1inch is the native governance token for the exchange, and at press time, it was selling at $2.48 with a market cap of around $1 billion.

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