When reviewing a cryptocurrency, people generally look at several factors, including:
- Technology: The underlying technology behind the cryptocurrency, such as the type of blockchain or consensus mechanism it uses.
- Adoption: The level of adoption and usage of the cryptocurrency by merchants, users, and developers.
- Community: The strength and activity level of the community supporting the cryptocurrency.
- Partnerships: Partnerships and collaborations the cryptocurrency has with other companies or organizations.
- Regulations: The legal and regulatory environment surrounding the cryptocurrency.
- Competition: How the cryptocurrency compares to other similar projects in terms of technology and adoption.
- Economic factors: Things like market capitalization, trade volume, volatility, price, and other financial metrics that can impact the valuation of the cryptocurrency.
Technology
When reviewing a cryptocurrency, people generally look into the underlying blockchain technology the most. Blockchain is the technology that allows for the creation of decentralized, distributed ledgers that can record transactions across a network of computers.
Some specific aspects of blockchain technology that people typically focus on include:
- Consensus mechanism: The method used to reach consensus on the state of the blockchain, such as proof-of-work (PoW) or proof-of-stake (PoS).
- Scalability: The ability of the blockchain to handle a large number of transactions per second.
- Security: The measures in place to protect the blockchain from attacks and ensure the integrity of the data.
- Privacy: The extent to which transactions and user data on the blockchain are private and protected from unauthorized access.
- Smart contracts: The ability for the blockchain to execute self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into lines of code.
- Data Availability: the ability of the blockchain to provide data to the network.
These features can have an impact on the usage and adoption of the cryptocurrency in question, thus they are key elements to look into.
Adoption
There are several ways to find out which cryptocurrencies have the most adoption.
One way to gauge adoption is by looking at the market capitalization of a cryptocurrency, which is the total value of all coins in circulation. The higher the market capitalization, the more adoption and usage the cryptocurrency likely has.
Another way to gauge adoption is by looking at the trade volume of a cryptocurrency, which is the number of coins that have been traded over a certain period of time. The higher the trade volume, the more adoption and usage the cryptocurrency likely has.
Some blockchains have explorer where you can look at the number of transactions, the number of addresses used, and the number of nodes on the network to understand the level of adoption and usage of the cryptocurrency.
Another way to gauge adoption is by looking at the size and activity level of the community supporting the cryptocurrency. Communities can be found in social media platforms like twitter, telegram, discord, etc.
The partnerships and collaborations a cryptocurrency has with other companies or organizations can also be a good indicator of adoption.
Some cryptocurrencies have real-world usage, for example, being used for micropayments or for remittances, if you are interested in a specific usage you can check which crypto currencies are popular for that specific use case.
It’s important to note that there is no single metric that can accurately gauge adoption, and it’s often a good idea to look at multiple indicators to get a complete picture.
Community
There are several ways to find out the adoption size, activity level, and hype of a specific cryptocurrency:
As mentioned before, the market capitalization of a cryptocurrency can provide a general idea of its adoption size, although this metric does not account for how many people are actually using the coin or token.
Trade volume can provide an idea of the level of activity around a specific cryptocurrency, but it is not necessarily a good indicator of adoption as some projects can be artificially inflated.
Most blockchains have explorers where you can view the number of transactions, the number of addresses used, and the number of nodes on the network. These metrics can give you an idea of the adoption and activity level of the cryptocurrency.
The size and activity level of a cryptocurrency’s community can be an indicator of its adoption and hype. Social media platforms like Twitter, Telegram, Discord, Reddit, etc, can be a good place to look for these metrics.
The amount of news and media coverage a cryptocurrency receives can be an indicator of its hype and popularity. You can find this through Google news search or by following crypto news websites.
Real-world usage and adoption can be harder to measure, but if you are interested in a specific use case like micropayments, remittances, or other verticals, you can check which cryptocurrencies are popular for that specific use case.
It is important to note that these metrics are not the only way to measure adoption, activity and hype, and some projects might present a good value for these metrics but with poor fundamentals, others might not have a good score on some metrics but have a good value proposition. Combining multiple data sources can give you a more accurate picture of the adoption, activity and hype of a cryptocurrency.
Partnerships
There are several places where you can find information about partnerships and collaborations for a specific cryptocurrency.
The cryptocurrency’s official website: The official website of a cryptocurrency is often the best place to find information about partnerships and collaborations. Look for a “Partners” or “Collaborations” page on the website.
Cryptocurrency projects often announce partnerships and collaborations on social media platforms such as Twitter, Telegram, and Discord. Following the official accounts of the cryptocurrency can be a good way to stay up to date on partnerships and collaborations.
Many partnerships and collaborations are also reported by news websites that cover the cryptocurrency industry. You can use Google News or other news aggregator platforms to find articles about the project’s partnerships and collaborations.
Some projects might have an official blog or Medium account where they report on their partnerships and collaborations, but this is not as common as the above sources.
CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko are crypto market tracker websites that provide detailed information about a wide range of cryptocurrencies. They usually list the partnerships and collaborations for a specific cryptocurrency on its page.
It’s important to note that not all partnerships and collaborations are equally important and that some projects might be more prone to announce less relevant partnerships to inflate the hype. It’s important to assess the relevance of each partnership and collaboration and their potential impact on the project’s development, adoption and long-term viability.
Regulations
People are generally worried about several potential impacts of regulations on cryptocurrencies:
- Some worry that overregulation could stifle innovation in the cryptocurrency space by making it difficult for new projects to launch and for existing ones to operate.
- Others believe that regulations could lead to a loss of privacy for users, as governments may require personal information from users and transactions to be reported.
- Regulations could limit their ability to own and trade cryptocurrencies, for example, by making it illegal or difficult to do so in certain jurisdictions.
- Potential price impacts on the value of their cryptocurrency holdings in the event of new regulations being put in place, specially if those regulations imply a large sell off by early investors or a decrease of adoption.
- Some regulations could be aimed at restricting or controlling the anonymity or the location of the actors in the crypto-ecosystem, this could hurt the decentralized nature of many crypto-currencies.
- Some countries have yet to establish clear laws and regulations for cryptocurrencies and this creates uncertainty for investors, traders, and the industry in general.
It’s important to note that regulations are still evolving and being shaped in many countries, and the outcome and impact of regulations may vary depending on the jurisdiction and the specific regulations being put in place. It’s important to keep an eye on the regulations in your area and to consult with legal professionals when necessary.
Competition
There are several ways to find out how a specific cryptocurrency is doing compared to its competition:
- Market capitalization is a good way to compare the overall value of different cryptocurrencies. A higher market capitalization generally indicates a more valuable cryptocurrency.
- Trading volume can indicate the level of interest and activity around a specific cryptocurrency. Comparing trading volumes can give you an idea of how much more or less popular one cryptocurrency is compared to another.
- A more in-depth way to compare the performance of two cryptocurrencies is by using technical analysis to compare their price charts and other market data.
- You can compare the size and activity level of the community supporting different cryptocurrencies. Look for metrics like the number of followers on social media platforms, participation in forums, and the number of developers working on the project.
- Look for real-world usage: like micropayments, remittances, or other verticals, you can check which cryptocurrencies are popular for that specific use case.
- Compare partnerships and collaborations of different cryptocurrencies to see which projects have established more strategic relationships with companies or organizations.
- It’s important to note that it’s a good idea to use multiple methods to compare the performance of different cryptocurrencies, as different metrics may provide different perspectives on the projects’ value and development. Additionally, it’s also worth noting that just because a cryptocurrency has a higher market capitalization or trading volume than another one, it doesn’t necessarily make it a better investment or a better project, you should always do your own research and assess the fundamentals of the project.
Economic Factors
When looking to purchase a cryptocurrency, there are several economic factors to consider:
- Supply and Demand: The supply and demand for a specific cryptocurrency can have a big impact on its price. A limited supply combined with increasing demand can drive up the price, while a large supply and decreasing demand can drive the price down.
- Market capitalization: The market capitalization of a cryptocurrency can indicate its overall value and adoption. A higher market capitalization generally suggests a more valuable and more widely adopted cryptocurrency.
- Trade volume: The trade volume of a cryptocurrency can indicate the level of interest and activity around it. A higher trade volume generally suggests a more actively traded and popular cryptocurrency.
- Volatility: The volatility of a cryptocurrency can indicate the level of risk associated with it. Cryptocurrencies are often more volatile than traditional investments and can experience significant price fluctuations in a short period of time.
- Adoption and usage: The level of adoption and usage of a cryptocurrency can indicate its potential for long-term growth. A cryptocurrency that is widely adopted and used for real-world transactions has a greater potential for growth than one that is not.
- Economic factors : Other factors like Inflation, Interest rates, geopolitical tensions, and general economic conditions, which can impact the overall perception of risk and reward and influence the demand for different types of assets, including cryptocurrencies.
It’s worth noting that these are not the only economic factors to consider and that it’s important to do your own research before making any investment decisions. Additionally, it’s important to remember that the crypto market is particularly susceptible to manipulation and misinformation, so it’s important to use reliable sources and have a clear understanding of the project and its fundamentals, rather than being swayed by short term price movements or hype.