INDX, the Tokenized Masternode Investment Fund, has calculated the top-10 proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains based on the expected yield of their tokens. The company did this by quantifying the volatility, volume, liquidity, risk and integrity. The tokens appear in order, from one to 10, based on the expected yield, as predicted by INDX’s proprietary algorithm.

Proof-of-stake is a consensus method that states a person can mine or validate block transactions in accordance with the number of coins he or she holds. Some PoS consensus methods also take the age of an asset held into consideration. According to some, PoS provides a smaller possibility for centralization, more security and energy efficiency.

1. Pundi-X

Pundi-X has been making waves lately by completing partnerships with key point-of-sale (the other PoS) companies and is well on its way to its goal of bringing cryptocurrency payments to retail.

Pundi-X announced on July 12 that it integrated its crypto payments system into a VeriFone point-of-sale device, as reported by Cointelegraph. By integrating its XPOS crypto payments tool on VeriFone’s X990, an Android-based point-of-sale terminal, Pundi-X is hoping that shops and retail outlets already using the X990 will process cryptocurrency payments in addition to traditional transactions.

Pundi-X’s token (NPXS) reached an all-time high on July 8, 2018, with a price of $0.004055 and a market cap of $363,499,888, according to Coin360. Pundi-X’s expected yield is 18.46%. The token is up nearly 38% year-to-date.

2. IOStoken

IOStoken (IOST) is a blockchain with a high number of transactions per second that is popular with gamers and started off as an ERC-20 token. On the IOStoken mainnet, though, IOStoken holders vote for Node Partners as part of the staking process. The ERC-20 IOStoken is the medium of exchange on the network. Users earn IOStokens by validating transactions and contributing to the computing power for services.

IOStoken is part of the Ethereum blockchain and is a cryptocurrency that revolves around the Internet of Services and aims to bring structure to new online providers. IOST’s consensus algorithm, called Proof of Believability, allows the network to be fast while still fostering a decentralization of the nodes. Its goal is to process 100,000 transactions per second.

During the token’s initial coin offering (ICO), the price was $0.01. IOST reached an all-time high on Jan. 24, 2018 of $0.12 and a market cap of $863,429,459, according to Coin360. IOStoken’s expected yield is 14.71%. So far, it is up 100%.

3. Cosmos

Cosmos’s software allows blockchains to transact with one another in a so-called “Internet of Blockchains.” Cosmos, which enables interoperability between numerous blockchains, raised $16 million in its initial coin offering in 2017.

The for-profit entity Tendermint built the Cosmos network, which has a native token called ATOM. The token spiked to $8.17 shortly after its launch, marking its all-time high. ATOM’s expected yield is 12.34%. Cosmos launched in March. Since then, its price is down 43%.

4. Waves

Waves is another high-performance blockchain with high throughputs — with up to 6.1 million in a single day being observed. It is active in crypto collectibles and updates can’t be voted in by stakers without 80% of votes agreeing to the change, emphasizing the power of individual token holders. Waves recently introduced an upgrade to its blockchain, enabling decentralized applications.

The WAVES token reached an all-time high of $15.98 on Dec. 21, 2017, with an estimated 24-hour volume of $83,859,200 and a market cap of $1,598,420,000. Waves’ expected yield is 9.21%. Waves, however, is down year-to-date nearly 60%.

5. Qtum

Qtum is a PoS blockchain that utilizes the best of prior blockchains, such as the UTXO model, Solidity smart contracts, and (of course) PoS to bring decentralization to the world. Lately, it has announced plans to implement Mimblewimble — a Bitcoin transaction protocol — and to bring confidential tokens to its blockchain.

Qtum is focusing on smart contracts and decentralized applications, much like Ethereum. The proof-of-stake blockchain is working with Google Cloud as a software partner, as reported by Cointelegraph.

Qtum’s ICO was followed by an all-time price high of $103.45 in January of 2018. The token’s expected yield is 5.60%, and it is up nearly 42% year-to-date.

6. VeChain

VeChain is a PoS blockchain that targets provenance and the supply chain in all of its applications. The VeChain Foundation seems so confident in its product that it has recently bought back $25 million of its own coins. Its year-to-date low is $0.004. VeChain has struck deals with brands in Asia, such as fashion brand Babyghost.

With a market cap of $1,085,620,706, VeChain’s token (VET) reached an all-time high on Sept. 4, 2018. Vechain’s expected yield is 4.61%. It is up 1,400% year-to-date.

7. Tron

Tron (TRX) is a PoS blockchain that focuses on payments — and has even recently been added as a supported currency in the Opera Browser. Tron’s founder, Justin Sun, was scheduled to have lunch with Warren Buffet, and even invited United States President Donald Trump to join in on the education session about cryptocurrency after the president tweeted that he is not a big fan of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Ultimately, however, a dramatic twist led to the postponement of the lunch.

The token’s all-time price high was reached on Jan. 4, 2018, when it climbed to $0.25. TRX’s year-to-date all-time high is $0.04. TRON’s expected yield is 4.35%. It currently sits at year-to-date lows of $0.02.

8. NEM

NEM is a PoS blockchain that can be utilized for private enterprise blockchains. NEM team’s latest Catapult update promises to launch NEM — which its founders call a “permissioned private blockchain.” NEM wrote on Twitter:

"What's new in NEM version 2.0, also known as Catapult? Catapult is a full-featured blockchain engine that powers both private and public networks with its unique smart contract plugins."

The catapult update entails Aggregated Transactions and Multi-Level Multisignature Accounts that expand the use cases of blockchain. The developers explained:

"Aggregated Transactions merge multiple transactions into one, allowing trustless swaps, automatic cross-chain transactions, and other advanced logic. Catapult does this by generating a one-time disposable smart contract. When all parties have approved the transaction, all of them are executed at once."

NEM’s expected yield is 4.20%. Its price is virtually unchanged year-to-date.

9. Neo

Neo is a PoS blockchain that promises to digitize and automize the world’s assets with blockchain technology and smart contracts. The latest Neo 3.0 update has continued the cryptocurrency’s quest to launch a truly “smart economy.”

Neo values regulatory compliance, focusing in on “digital identity” on blockchain. Individuals, businesses and other entities operating on Neo have unique digital identities that can be verified. Nodes on the Neo network also need identification before they can contribute to the transaction verification, accounting and bookkeeping.

Neo’s expected yield is 2.29%. Neo is up nearly 60% year-to-date.

10. EOS

EOS is a PoS blockchain that emphasizes its speed and flexible utility. EOS raised 7.12 million ether (worth $4.1 billion at the time) through its ICO and has continued to make news around the world. Also, it has recently been added to the Lumi Wallet.

John Oliver, host of “Last Week Tonight,” discussed EOS in his show’s monologue in March 2018, warning viewers about the “speculative mania” of ICOs. However, he also compared Bitcoin to Bitconnect. It is worth noting is that the Chinese CCID Research Institute put EOS atop its list of 37 digital currencies in terms of technology, application and innovation. The results were reported by Cointelegraph.

According to Coin360, the token reached its all-time price high of $21.46 on Aug. 28, 2018. EOS’s expected yield is 1.84%. It is up 66.15% year-to-date.