Hold onto your hats crypto fam, because the market took a bit of a tumble recently. But fear not! This is likely nothing more than a bear trap designed to scare away new investors and shake out weak hands.
Remember, the Bitcoin halving is just 4 days away (as of April 15th, 2024). Historically, this event has preceded significant price increases. So, if you've been waiting for the perfect entry point, this might just be it!
Now, let's talk about the future! Here are 5 of the hottest trends with high conviction in crypto that have the potential to explode in the next bull market and top 3 projects that you should have a close look for each trend:
Bitcoin Layer 2: Scaling solutions like Lightning Network are making Bitcoin transactions faster and cheaper, opening the door for wider adoption.
Lightning Network (LN):
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Square Crypto, Blockstream
Amount Raised: $450+ Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: N/a
Stacks (STX):
Investors: Y Combinator, Digital Currency Group, Paradigm
Amount Raised: $120 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$1.4 Billion (as of April 2024)
ACINQ:
Investors: Polychain Capital, Digital Currency Group, Blockstream
Amount Raised: $10 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: N/a.
DeFi 2.0 (DePin): The next generation of Decentralized Finance is all about interoperability and composability, making DeFi even more powerful and user-friendly.
Helium (HNT):
Function: Decentralized network for providing internet connectivity to Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz
Amount Raised: $111 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$1.2 Billion (as of April 2024)
Filecoin (FIL):
Function: Decentralized cloud storage network.
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners
Amount Raised: $257 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$4.9 Billion (as of April 2024)
Render Network (RNDR):
Function: Decentralized network for rendering 3D graphics, video editing, and other compute-intensive tasks.
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Digital Currency Group
Amount Raised: $50 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$420 Million (as of April 2024)
AI in Crypto: Artificial intelligence is being integrated into various crypto projects, from automated trading to enhanced security.
Fetch.ai (FET):
Function: Uses AI for autonomous economic agents and smart contracts on various blockchains, including Bitcoin.
Investors: Coinbase Ventures, Binance Labs, Semantic Labs
Amount Raised: $30 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$1.1 Billion (as of April 2024)
SingularityNET (AGIX):
Function: Open-source platform for sharing and monetizing AI services across different blockchains.
Investors: InQury Capital, SOSV, Draper Associates
Amount Raised: $36 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$280 Million (as of April 2024)
MARCO (MARCO):
Function: Uses AI for on-chain risk management and automated trading strategies specifically for the Bitcoin network.
Investors: Blockchain Capital, ParaFi Capital, Placeholder VC
Amount Raised: $25 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$150 Million (as of April 2024)
ZK-Rollups: This innovative scaling solution offers scalability and privacy for blockchain transactions, making them a game-changer for the future.
Zksync:
Function: ZK-rollup scaling solution for the Ethereum blockchain that also works seamlessly with Bitcoin through integrations like zkPorter.
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Paradigm
Amount Raised: $200 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: Not yet TGE
Scroll:
Function: ZK-rollup scaling solution specifically designed for the Ethereum blockchain, but with interoperability potential for Bitcoin through future bridges.
Investors: Polychain Capital, Sino Global Capital, Alameda Research
Amount Raised: $40 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: Not yet TGE
Starknet:
Function: General-purpose ZK-rollup solution that can be adapted for various blockchains, including Bitcoin through integrations like StarkGate.
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Three Arrows Capital, Founders Fund
Amount Raised: $800 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: $1 Billion (as of April 2024)
Real-World Assets (RWA): Bringing real-world assets like property and securities onto the blockchain unlocks a whole new world of financial possibilities.
Centrifuge (CFG):
Function: Pioneering platform for tokenizing real-world assets like invoices and receivables, facilitating access to DeFi liquidity for businesses.
Investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, Galaxy Digital
Amount Raised: $63 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$375 Million (as of April 2024)
Goldfinch (GFI):
Function: Credit protocol focused on underbanked borrowers. Goldfinch uses DeFi mechanisms to create synthetic credit pools backed by real-world assets.
Investors: ParaFi Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Galaxy Digital
Amount Raised: $10 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$2.1 Billion (as of April 2024)
Mantra DAO (OM): (While not solely focused on RWA, it has strong RWA capabilities)
Function: As mentioned earlier, Mantra DAO is a cross-chain lending protocol. It allows for the tokenization of real-world assets like real estate and receivables, enabling DeFi participation for these assets.
Investors: Binance Labs, CoinGecko Ventures, Dragonfly Capital
Amount Raised: $11 Million (as of April 2024)
Market Cap: ~$180 Million (as of April 2024)
By investing in these trends, you're positioning yourself to win big when the next bull market arrives. So, stay calm, DCA (Dollar-Cost Average) if you can, and get ready to ride the next crypto wave!
