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The best option for you will depend on your investment goals and risk appetite. How to store cryptocurrency Once you have purchased cryptocurrency, you need to store it safely to protect it from hacks or theft. Usually, cryptocurrency is stored in crypto wallets, which are physical devices or online software used to store the private keys to your cryptocurrencies securely. Some exchanges provide wallet services, making it easy for you to store directly through the platform.
However, not all exchanges or brokers automatically provide wallet services for you. There are different wallet providers to choose from. Cold wallet storage: Unlike hot wallets, cold wallets also known as hardware wallets rely on offline electronic devices to securely store your private keys. Typically, cold wallets tend to charge fees, while hot wallets don't. What can you buy with cryptocurrency? When it was first launched, Bitcoin was intended to be a medium for daily transactions, making it possible to buy everything from a cup of coffee to a computer or even big-ticket items like real estate.
Even so, it is possible to buy a wide variety of products from e-commerce websites using crypto. Here are some examples: Technology and e-commerce sites: Several companies that sell tech products accept crypto on their websites, such as newegg.
Overstock, an e-commerce platform, was among the first sites to accept Bitcoin. Shopify, Rakuten, and Home Depot also accept it. Luxury goods: Some luxury retailers accept crypto as a form of payment. For example, online luxury retailer Bitdials offers Rolex, Patek Philippe, and other high-end watches in return for Bitcoin. Cars: Some car dealers — from mass-market brands to high-end luxury dealers — already accept cryptocurrency as payment.
Insurance: In April , Swiss insurer AXA announced that it had begun accepting Bitcoin as a mode of payment for all its lines of insurance except life insurance due to regulatory issues. Premier Shield Insurance, which sells home and auto insurance policies in the US, also accepts Bitcoin for premium payments.
Cryptocurrency fraud and cryptocurrency scams Unfortunately, cryptocurrency crime is on the rise. Cryptocurrency scams include: Fake websites: Bogus sites which feature fake testimonials and crypto jargon promising massive, guaranteed returns, provided you keep investing. They may also use messaging apps or chat rooms to start rumours that a famous businessperson is backing a specific cryptocurrency.
Once they have encouraged investors to buy and driven up the price, the scammers sell their stake, and the currency reduces in value. Romance scams: The FBI warns of a trend in online dating scams , where tricksters persuade people they meet on dating apps or social media to invest or trade in virtual currencies. Otherwise, fraudsters may pose as legitimate virtual currency traders or set up bogus exchanges to trick people into giving them money.
Another crypto scam involves fraudulent sales pitches for individual retirement accounts in cryptocurrencies. Then there is straightforward cryptocurrency hacking, where criminals break into the digital wallets where people store their virtual currency to steal it.
Is cryptocurrency safe? Cryptocurrencies are usually built using blockchain technology. Blockchain describes the way transactions are recorded into "blocks" and time stamped. It's a fairly complex, technical process, but the result is a digital ledger of cryptocurrency transactions that's hard for hackers to tamper with. In addition, transactions require a two-factor authentication process. For instance, you might be asked to enter a username and password to start a transaction.
Then, you might have to enter an authentication code sent via text to your personal cell phone. While securities are in place, that does not mean cryptocurrencies are un-hackable. Several high-dollar hacks have cost cryptocurrency start-ups heavily. Unlike government-backed money, the value of virtual currencies is driven entirely by supply and demand. This can create wild swings that produce significant gains for investors or big losses.
And cryptocurrency investments are subject to far less regulatory protection than traditional financial products like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Four tips to invest in cryptocurrency safely According to Consumer Reports, all investments carry risk, but some experts consider cryptocurrency to be one of the riskier investment choices out there. If you are planning to invest in cryptocurrencies, these tips can help you make educated choices.
Research exchanges: Before you invest, learn about cryptocurrency exchanges. Do your research, read reviews, and talk with more experienced investors before moving forward. Know how to store your digital currency: If you buy cryptocurrency, you have to store it. You can keep it on an exchange or in a digital wallet. While there are different kinds of wallets, each has its benefits, technical requirements, and security. As with exchanges, you should investigate your storage choices before investing.
Diversify your investments: Diversification is key to any good investment strategy, and this holds true when you are investing in cryptocurrency. Don't put all your money in Bitcoin, for example, just because that's the name you know. There are thousands of options, and it's better to spread your investment across several currencies.
Prepare for volatility: The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, so be prepared for ups and downs. You will see dramatic swings in prices. If your investment portfolio or mental wellbeing can't handle that, cryptocurrency might not be a wise choice for you.
Cryptocurrency is all the rage right now, but remember, it is still in its relative infancy and is considered highly speculative. Investing in something new comes with challenges, so be prepared. If you plan to participate, do your research, and invest conservatively to start. One of the best ways you can stay safe online is by using a comprehensive antivirus.
Kaspersky Internet Security defends you from malware infections, spyware, data theft and protects your online payments using bank-grade encryption. Today, while many crypto users understand and appreciate these differences, traders and lay investors may not notice the difference because all categories of tokens tend to trade on crypto exchanges in the same way.
Ethereum ETH The first Bitcoin alternative on our list, Ethereum ETH , is a decentralized software platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications dApps to be built and run without any downtime, fraud, control, or interference from a third party. The goal behind Ethereum is to create a decentralized suite of financial products that anyone in the world can freely access, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or faith.
This aspect makes the implications for those in some countries more compelling because those without state infrastructure and state identifications can get access to bank accounts, loans, insurance, or a variety of other financial products. The applications on Ethereum are run on ether, its platform-specific cryptographic token.
Ether ETH is like a vehicle for moving around on the Ethereum platform and is sought mostly by developers looking to develop and run applications inside Ethereum, or now, by investors looking to make purchases of other digital currencies using ether. On Sep. PoS is less energy intensive because it removes incentivized mining, makes the blockchain more efficient, and allows it to scale better.
Ether, launched in , is currently the second-largest digital currency by market capitalization after Bitcoin, although it lags behind the dominant cryptocurrency by a significant margin. Tether USDT Tether USDT was one of the first and most popular of a group of so-called stablecoins —cryptocurrencies that aim to peg their market value to a currency or other external reference point to reduce volatility.
Because most digital currencies, even major ones like Bitcoin, have experienced frequent periods of dramatic volatility , Tether and other stablecoins attempt to smooth out price fluctuations to attract users who may otherwise be cautious. The system allows users to more easily make transfers from other cryptocurrencies back to U. As of Sep. Because Circle is based in the U. It ranked fourth in market cap and trading volume.
It is the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Those who use the token as a means of payment for the exchange can trade at a discount. The Binance Exchange was founded by Changpeng Zhao and is one of the most widely used exchanges in the world based on trading volumes. It eventually had its own mainnet launch.
The network uses a PoS consensus model. Instead, client applications sign and send transactions to the ledger servers. The servers then compare the transactions and conclude that the transactions are candidates for entry into the ledger. The servers then send the transaction candidates to validators, who work to agree that the servers got the transactions right and record the ledger version.
The project was co-founded by Charles Hoskinson, one of the five initial founding members of Ethereum. After disagreeing with the direction that Ethereum was taking, he left and later helped to create Cardano. The team behind Cardano created its blockchain through extensive experimentation and peer-reviewed research. The researchers behind the project have written more than papers on blockchain technology across various topics.
This research is the backbone of Cardano. Due to this rigorous process, Cardano stands out among its PoS peers and other prominent cryptocurrencies. That said, Cardano is still in its early stages. Though it has beaten Ethereum to the PoS consensus model, it still has a long way to go regarding DeFi applications.


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That said, Ripple is still one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies currently at no. But if you believe that Ripple will be a successful payment system, then its low price right now could be a key benefit. Bitcoin and Litecoin work in the same way, but there are a few key features that make them different: Founder Charlie Lee — The founder of Litecoin is well known, unlike the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.
Speed of transactions — Lee, an engineer, designed the Litecoin system to operate about four times faster than that of Bitcoin. This means that Litecoin can confirm the legitimacy of transactions much quicker. Number of coins — Bitcoin has a limit of 21 million coins once all are found, but Litecoin will have 84 million. Why Invest in Litecoin Or Not? Litecoin is nearly identical to Bitcoin, but transactions are faster — which is one of its biggest draws.
However, there is some discussion as to whether this speed makes Litecoin less secure. The potential upside with investing in LTC is that the coin has been around since and is seen as stable. Charles Hoskinson, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, founded Cardano with the intent of being energy-efficient and supporting fast transactions with minimal transaction fees.
Why Invest in Cardano Or Not? It may not be the best time to get into Cardano as the token has seen better days. Binance Coin BNB Binance is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges and the Binance Coin is the medium of exchange for the entire network. You can use your Binance Coin to trade and pay fees on the Binance cryptocurrency exchange. Read more: Binance. There are two factors that make Binance Coin worth considering. The first is its market capitalization. The second factor is that this is a medium of exchange on the largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
You can use your Binance Coin to invest in the Binance Smart Chain network through Metamask if you want to get into the decentralized space. Polkadot DOT Polkadot is a protocol that connects different blockchains with each other like Ethereum and Bitcoin, for example with the goal of weaving blockchains together. Polkadot is often referred to as a multi-chain network because it can join networks together unlike Bitcoin.
However, Polkadot is similar to Bitcoin in the sense that it functions as both a token DOT and decentralized exchange. Polkadot wants to create an even playing field to improve innovation through the different blockchain networks. Why Invest in Polkadot Or Not? Ether is the currency used within the increasingly popular Ethereum. Ethereum presents itself as a kind of financial network available to anyone with an internet connection.
The crucial pivot in this network is the Ether coin. Ethereum mining is also quite popular nowadays. This means that no intermediary is needed to ensure that the transaction is conducted fairly and in accordance with the terms and conditions of both parties. Instead, the agreements about the transaction are put into code and the transaction is carried out independently.
In theory, this is also possible with Bitcoin, but this would take a special programming language. The principle of smart contracts offers another plus. Ethereum also provides financial services. Suppose you are a freelancer but want more security in times of less financial stability. Then, depending on your agreement, the program might automatically transfer Ether to you to make up for your bad month. Another big advantage of Ether is the speed at which transactions take place: Ethereum transactions generally take place within a few seconds.
With Bitcoin, it usually takes a few minutes. Finally, Ether can also be interesting for investors who want to achieve large profit margins in a short time. This cryptocoin is already popular and is rapidly growing. Keep in mind that Ether, like all cryptocurrencies, can drop significantly if it has a setback. As of now, Bitcoin still is the standard among cryptocurrencies. Thus, if you mainly want to use cryptocurrencies to anonymously and easily pay for things online, this is something to keep in mind.
For a list of places that accept Ether as a payment method, you can check out this page. Another disadvantage of Ether has to do with Ether as an investment. Unlike Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies, Ether has not yet defined a fixed amount of cryptocurrency after which the network will no longer expand.
Ripple makes it possible to efficiently and quickly exchange money internationally. With XRP, this often only takes a matter of seconds. In addition, XRP also charges relatively small commissions for transactions, especially compared to Bitcoin. Imagine you want to transfer euros from a European bank account to a family member in the US.
With Ripple, this works differently: the money is converted to XRP and sent to the receiver through the Ripple network. The receiver can choose whether to accept the money in dollars, another currency, or XRP. This is partly because a lot of banks support this cryptocurrency. Ripple creates a bridge between traditional currency and cryptocurrency. Ripple coins will become scarcer. Therefore, the expectancy is that their value will increase in the long run.
At the time of writing, one XRP is worth about 25 cents, which means you can buy coins for a mere 50 euros. Among experts this is cause for concern, as it could lead to overinflation. Another problem that stands in the way of XRP becoming a good long-term investment is the strong competition it faces.
This cryptocoin is what they call a stablecoin. This means that, compared to other cryptocoins, Tether keeps its value and is less subject to price fluctuations. Stablecoins are able to hold their value because they are tied to a so-called reserve. A reserve could be a regular currency or gold. Tether is tied to dollars, euros, Chinese Yuan, gold, and, if Tether has its way, soon also the Japanese Yen.
Tether Pros The biggest advantage of Tether over other coins, like Bitcoin, is of course its stability. If we look at the graph on Investing. This way, Tether combines the best aspects of both traditional money and cryptocurrencies.
It allows you to transfer money quickly, safely, and privately all while its rate remains relatively stable. Moreover, Tether is the most used and most popular stablecoin at this moment. Consequently, you can spend your hard-earned Tether in a lot of places. Click here for a list of the large amount of web shops, cryptoservices, and other websites that accept Tether. Tether Cons While Tether knows a lot of advantages, there are also disadvantages to using this coin.
The biggest disadvantage has to be the controversy surrounding Tether for the last couple of years. Tether was criticized for never undergoing an official financial inspection by a certified accountant. This is needed to proof that they have enough reserve to guarantee that one Tether will remain approximately equal to one dollar.
However, even this law firm states that the research they did does not equal an official financial inspection by an accountant. Moreover, the investigation was done on 1 June and Tether has grown considerably since then. Based on our research of the pros and cons of different coins, we can recommend the following five Bitcoin alternatives: Bitcoin Cash for Bitcoin lovers that want fast transactions.
Monero for users that want more privacy. XRP for people looking for a relatively safe investment. Tether for crypto users who want to try out a stablecoin.