Altcoins, or alternative cryptocurrencies, continue to be a popular investment for those looking to make gains outside of the mainstream option of Bitcoin. In this article we will take a look at 5 high performing altcoins from 2021.
These coins have seen significant price increases and boast impressive features that could see them continue to thrive in the coming year. Whether you are already invested in these cryptocurrencies or are thinking of doing so, read on to find out why these altcoins could be worth your attention and lessons from their growth in 2021 could apply to other altcoins in 2022.
1. Elrond (eGLD)
January 1, 2021 Elrond Price: $25.89 USD
December 31, 2021 Elrond Price: $244.82 USD
2021 Elrond All Time High Price (November 21): $490.35 USD
Elrond refers to themselves as “The Internet Scale Blockchain.” As the first carbon neutral blockchain, it also features fast speeds and low transaction fees. Elrond uses a secure proof of stake consensus mechanism, which means it chooses a random selection of validators to validate transactions to maintain lower transaction fees. They also use the scaling technique, adaptive state sharding, to reach speeds up to 15,000 transactions per second (TPS).
Elrond holders may stake their eGLD in the Maiar wallet. Elron aims to build an entire ecosystem on its blockchain. The introduction of the Mair Wallet, creation of the Elrond bridge, launch of multiple dexes and an NFT Marketplace including the Faceless Many NFT Project all assisted in the growth of Elrond in 2021.
2. Axie Infinity (AXS)
January 1, 2021 Axie Infinity Price: $0.54 USD
December 31, 2021 Axie Infinity Price: $94.04 USD
2021 Axie Infinity All Time High Price on November 16: $160.36 USD
Axie Infinity is an NFT game built on the Ethereum blockchain, known as the “Pokemon of Crypto.” Players build kingdoms for their pet Axie monsters to earn AXS tokens. The most expensive Axie sold for a mighty 300 ETH.
By earning AXS tokens players partially own and operate the future of the Axie Infinity game. Competing in battles, breeding Axies and collecting rare Axies are all opportunities to participate in earning real monetary value within the AXS ecosystem. The foundational pillar of the Axie Infinity game is player owned economics. On the Axie Infinity roadmap for 2022 is the mainstream release of the Axie Infinity game on IOS and Android.
3. Solana (SOL)
January 1, 2021 SOL Price: $1.79 USD
December 31, 2021 SOL: $178.52 USD
2021 SOL All Time High Price on November 5: $258.93 USD
SOL is the native token of the Solana blockchain. Solana is an open source permissionless decentralized blockchain that prioritizes scalability. In 2021 Solana not only became the fastest growing blockchain in the world, but also the fastest growing ecosystem in all of crypto.
Solana’s scalability allows for low cost fees and fast transactions. In comparison to Ethereum, Ethereum can process about 15 transactions per second, while Solana can process 50,000 transactions per second. In a research note by Bank of America, they believe Solana blockchain could become “The Visa of the digital-asset ecosystem.”
4. Terra (LUNA)
January 1, 2021 Terra Luna Price: $0.6314 USD
December 31, 2021 Terra Luna Price: $91.36 USD
2021 Terra Luna All Time High Price on December 24: $98.18 USD4
Luna is used in the issuance of stablecoins on the Terra blockchain, as a price stability mechanism. Designed to maintain the price with a central bank controlled by smart contracts, the Luna Token is an algorithmic stable coin, instead relying on volatile fiat currencies. This moves cryptocurrencies one step closer towards becoming routine for everyday life.
The increased adoption of Defi projects created on the Terra blockchain has skyrocketed Terra to become the second largest Defi blockchain. Since the Luna token serves as a foundation asset for the entire Terra network and ecosystem, Luna became the 9th largest cryptocurrency in 2021 with no signs of slowing down. Terra blockchain’s goal is to become a worldwide decentralized payment system.
5. Polygon (MATIC)
January 1, 2021 Matic Price: $0.019 USD
December 31, 2021 Matic Price: $2.57 USD
2021 Matic All Time High Price on December 24: $2.87 USD4
Matic is the native token to the Layer 2 Polygon proof of stake blockchain, formally known as the Matic Network. Polygon provides scalable solutions for Web 3 developers to work out Ethereum’s pain points and inefficiencies. Their framework connects to Ethereum blockchain networks to aid in the reduction of gas fees, increase speeds, and minimize their carbon footprint while maintaining security. Matic is currently the 13th largest cryptocurrency.
OpenSea now supports NFT trading on both the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains. Polygon accepted 7,200 new developers in December of 2021 alone and is continuously creating several large partnerships every week.
With the cryptocurrency market continuing to grow, it’s important for investors to keep an eye on what coins may be poised for success. Here we took a look at five high performing altcoins from 2021 that are worth watching in 2022 and beyond. Will we see continuous growth from these 5 altcoins? Which altcoin do you think will outperform the rest in 2022? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
