It wasn’t long ago that investing in cryptocurrency was just for hackers and techies, but with each passing day the interest in cryptocurrency grows amongst the mainstream crowd of investors and risk takers.

Why the sudden interest?

Many who have already invested in cryptocurrency have made near inconceivable returns in the last 12–24 months, with the crypto market itself appreciating more than 1,200% in 2017, with the market cap just recently reaching over $470 billion.

So — what should you invest in 2018?

If you missed the opportunity, or are looking for the next best cryptocurrency to invest in, here are the top ones to purchase in 2018:

Bitcoin

This year bitcoin has risen 1000%, currently trading at over $11,000 USD. If you’re starting to think this might be a good investment you’re not alone — governments and large financial institutions are beginning to invest too.

Source: coinmarketcap.com

Did you know: Bitcoin became an official method of payment in Japan in April 2017, which lead to over 260,000 food and retail establishments accepting the cryptocurrency. We now see other governments exploring cryptocurrency, perhaps following Japan’s lead.

Ark coin

Ark coin is the token for the Ark platform, which is designed to offer services according to customer’s choice. Ark coin holders get to have a say in the future course of action by way of a voting system, similar to grassroots democracy.

Source: coinmarketcap.com

Key features are adaptable nature, physical card system, optional privacy and an interplanetary file system. Ark coin is currently trading at just over $4.00 USD.

Ethereum

When it comes to market cap, Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency in the world. Not only has is it typically considered the best alternative to Bitcoin, but the number of transactions on the Ethereum network is much higher than transactions made on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Source: coinmarketcap.com

Ethereum uses smart contracts, which means it can be used to manage agreements between two parties and ensure payments are made (or not made) according to the agreement.

Ethereum is currently trading at just under $880 USD.

An Initial Coin Offering (ICO) of your choice

Source:bitemycoin.com

An ICO is when a business offers investors a new cryptocurrency or crypto-token (which is usually integral to the application or product they are creating) in exchange for a cryptocurrency that already has value (i.e. Bitcoin, Ethereum). The idea is that the application the business creates will be successful, which will then generate demand for the tokens, thereby increasing their value.

When choosing an ICO to purchase, consider:

Demand for the product

Whether the application needs the token to work

Risk; as with all investments

Airdrop Campaigns (FREE Tokens)

An airdrop campaign is when a business offers FREE tokens to the public, Now you ask what company would give away tokens for free? Well to name a few big companies.

Stellar Lumens

OmiseGO

TRON

The idea is that the company gives out FREE tokens to users to generate an initial user base. Let someone try your product suite for FREE before they purchase. Heres a couple listings we think look promising..

Rublix Development

A company I have been following for a couple of months now, I saw the CEO present in Miami at the North American Bitcoin Conference. Here is a link to the presentation.

Cool product, FREE Tokens and looks to be one of the most promising utility tokens for 2018.

DOCK.IO Airdrop

Interesting product suite that simplifies your life by connecting all of your apps and sharable media into one platform. Once again Tokens are FREE, I’ll be keeping my eyes on this one. I quote directly from the Dock website.

“User data is the core value of all consumer facing apps. Centralized platforms mine and productize data for their own agendas, leaving control in the hands of a few companies. At dock.io we believe in this value being shared between users and apps to create a more connected and decentralized internet.”

Think we missed the next big thing for 2018? Comment below and let me know!