With Q4 already upon us, 2018 is drawing to a close. Some would say that the bear market, regulatory clampdown, and nosedive in industry size would make this a year to forget. But the reality is that a lot of work gets done during bear markets. HODLers and traders may bemoan the tanking price of ETH and XLM. But there are plenty of blockchain companies working hard to launch their platforms for the coming year.

We can expect some eye-opening developments in the months ahead across the board. But let’s check out these top five blockchain companies worth keeping an eye on in 2019.

1. Polymath

With the charismatic CEO Trevor Koverko at the helm, Polymath is causing quite a stir on the circuit lately. Known for his smart investment choices (he went big on Ethereum back in the day and has a large stake in ShapeShift and EOS), Koverko’s also done time on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley. And the advisory board includes names like Partick Byrne of Overstock, Ethereum co-Founder Anthony Di Iorio, and ShapeShift’s Erik Vorhees.

What’s so special about Polymath? In the changing regulatory landscape, 2018 has seen a major shift toward security tokens in the USA. Polymath is creating the ST-20 that aims to be the “Ethereum of Security Tokens.” By offering the next standard in security tokens, the platform will provide companies with the technology layer they need to create their own security token effortlessly. And help trillions of dollars of securities to migrate to the blockchain at the same time.

2. Digitex Futures

Digitex Futures is looking to set the futures trading industry on fire in 2019. With the launch date for the completed exchange set for later this year, the company is rolling out the platform to its first 5,000 waitlist users. It’s then airdropping them 1,000 DGTX (its native token) to experiment with before final roll out. This provides the perfect testing environment for its developers, and also allows keen futures traders to get started faster.

There are a few features that set this crypto exchange apart. Mainly that it offers a commission-free trading model and decentralized accounts. Ex-pit trader CEO Adam Todd frequently saw profitable days turn into losses due to crippling commission fees. Now he’s finding a way to produce a highly liquid exchange that should be the answer to futures traders’ prayers.

3. OST

OST as its own blockchain is amassing a growing number of DApps building on top of its technology. From token design and staking to airdrops and analytics, OST has plenty to offer businesses wanting a native token. Some OST partner companies already include PassKit, LytePay, LGBT Token, and Unsplash.

Continually growing their developer community has already gotten OST a name within the crypto space but their latest news is hot off the press. Revealed during an Ethereum hackathon at ETHBerlin, OST claims to have found the solution to Ethereum’s scalability issues: OpenST Mosaic, a consensus protocol that will run meta-blockchains on top of Ethereum, allowing for tens of thousands of transactions per second.

4. SMART VALOR

Swiss-based SMART VALOR is launching a decentralized global marketplace for tokenized alternative investments, including digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies, and tokenized assets, like private equity and real estate. The company recently announced that it had received regulatory approval to act as a financial intermediary in Switzerland. This is important since the majority of cryptocurrency exchanges currently fail to comply with AML/KYC practices and offer investors little security.

With the VALOR platform set to launch in Q4 this year, SMART VALOR has a history of working with regulators. CEO Olga Feldmeier was dubbed by the media as the “Bitcoin Queen” of Switzerland’s Crypto Valley. She was instrumental in leading the legislative case for Xapo, one of the largest Bitcoin custodians out there. Focused on democratizing access to wealth, the company aims to open up investment in previously off-limit assets to a far wider investor pool, causing a “revolution in global investment.”

5. Lucidium Health

Lucidium Health is bringing Blockchain to clinical trials. According to industry reports, over 70 percent of clinical trial participants drop out of the trial midway. This makes the trial conductors, the CROs, pick larger sample sizes to meet the trial requirements. Lucidium Health uses smart AI and ML to match the most suitable trial participants with the clinical trials.

To ensure adherence to the trial protocols, Lucidium Health will use the Stellar Blockchain and its unique feature of trust lines. The team comprises veteran clinicians who understand the industry inside out and have partnered with Turing Labs, a Blockchain development company, to build this well-planned project.

Wrapping It Up

With a heavy focus on regulation and compliance, as well as innovation, 2019 promises a ton of new developments in the blockchain world. As companies start to deliver on their promises and provide the platforms their investors expect, and new solutions are discovered to improve existing infrastructure, 2019 could be the year we cross the chasm to mass adoption after all.

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Disclaimer: This article should not be taken as, and is not intended to provide, investment advice. Global Coin Report and/or its affiliates, employees, writers, and subcontractors are cryptocurrency investors and from time to time may or may not have holdings in some of the coins or tokens they cover. Please conduct your own thorough research before investing in any cryptocurrency and read our full disclaimer.