Cryptocurrencies are rapidly gaining widespread acceptance as a popular investment option. Markets for computerized monetary standards like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: In 2012, Bitcoin (BTC) was practically unheard of, but it has since developed into a huge industry.
Investing in technologies that link the digital blockchain space with society could be even more lucrative than guessing which token will become the next Bitcoin or Ethereum, given that there are more than 10,000 different cryptocurrencies on the market and the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world further into the digital realm. ETH). Additionally, a plethora of innovative businesses are attempting to bridge the gap between the two.
Blockchain technology, a digital ledger that automatically tracks transactions between parties and confirms ownership of a crypto asset, was originally designed to create a borderless, efficient, and secure peer-to-peer electronic cash payment system. Digital currency companies hold significant potential.
Investors certainly have the option of purchasing cryptocurrencies themselves, perhaps by purchasing small amounts of multiple cryptocurrencies. In any case, a superior method for acquiring openness to the area is to put resources into greater and more settled organizations that advantage from expanded ubiquity of blockchain and crypto resources. Over the course of the past few years, the amount of money crypto service providers are making from blockchain technology has skyrocketed.
When it comes to processing payments, businesses that use blockchain technology, particularly those in the financial sector, may have a significant advantage over traditional rivals. Additionally, exchanges that only offer traditional assets like stocks and bonds may not attract as many customers as brokers that offer digital assets.
However, the market’s sharp swings can affect the sector. In June 2022, its peak value of $3 trillion decreased to less than $1 trillion as rising inflation dissuaded many investors from investing in high-risk securities. This was not the first massive drop in the cryptocurrency market, nor will it be the last. Risks are inherent in every investment, so only put money into something you won’t need in the near future. In the highly volatile crypto industry, this guidance is even more crucial.
In accordance with that advice, the following are some of the best stocks for cryptocurrencies to consider:
NASDAQ: Coinbase Global Coinbase Global In April 2021, COIN, a leading cryptocurrency trading platform, held its initial public offering (IPO). The company is a popular place to buy major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Cardano, and Bitcoin (CRYPTO: ADA), and users can trade more than 160 altcoins with it.
The rise in the value of cryptocurrencies has been a major factor in the success of the Coinbase platform. As a result, millions of new users have signed up for accounts. Coinbase procures a little exchange expense each time somebody submits a request to trade a digital money. However, the company intends to be more than just a marketplace for business. It has also launched a cloud platform for businesses that use and store digital currencies and sponsors a debit card that lets customers spend from their digital wallet balance.
Coinbase provides two revolutionary innovations. The first is making asset loans available to everyone, as they were previously only for wealthy investors. Users can get a low-interest loan to cover expenses by pledging their Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as collateral. When investors use cryptocurrencies as collateral, they avoid having to sell their assets in the event of an emergency, allowing the principal to continue to grow while they deal with the immediate issues.
The increasing use of Coinbase’s blockchain analytics by governments and financial institutions is the second innovation. The company is able to use the data and keep an eye on it for rogue transactions and wallet addresses because the majority of blockchains operate on a public ledger.
Imagine that cybercriminals were successful in breaking into a person’s computer and demanding a Bitcoin ransom to unlock the device. In that case, millions of know-your-customer (KYC) data points on Coinbase’s platform could be used to match the hacker’s wallet address. This could assist law enforcement in locating the source of the funds and apprehending cybercriminals, thereby increasing trust in the crypto industry.
[Cryptocurrency] is a new asset class, but there is only so much Earth, just like real estate. As a result, it is defined, and the commodity’s moving price reflects the value or desire of this new asset class within its limited class of commodities.
The absence of central intermediaries (and, consequently, lower costs for businesses and consumers) is at the heart of every digital payment protocol, according to David Gardner, co-founder of PayPal Holdings and The Motley Fool Block. Block, Inc. (NYSE: PayPal and SQ) (formerly Square) (NASDAQ: Providing users with the ability to purchase and store cryptocurrencies within a digital wallet represented a significant business opportunity for PYPL).
Bitcoin trading was made possible by Block’s Cash App, a consumer-facing app, at the end of 2017. Block made a lot of money in 2020 and 2021 from Bitcoin, but the trading feature did little to help the company’s bottom line.
In any case, the organization is assisting with cultivating the utilization of Bitcoin among its business clients (through the Block biological system), and it could turn into a top stage for crypto exchanges among organizations and their clients. This is particularly promising for disrupting conventional international transactions, which typically involve banks charging significant fees for foreign exchange. In April 2022, Cash App added support for the Bitcoin Lightning network. This made it much faster and free for customers to transfer Bitcoin. This feature will “increase the usability of Bitcoin all toward an open global monetary transmission network the world can trust,” according to CEO Jack Dorsey on the subsequent earnings call.
Similarly, PayPal’s Venmo digital wallet and peer-to-peer payments app, which unlocked cryptocurrency trading at the beginning of 2021, provide a mix of straightforward banking features and tools for mass-market cryptocurrency trading. Venmo supported Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash trading at launch (CRYPTO: Litecoin, Ethereum, and BCH (CRYPTO: LTC). Venmo has the most users of any peer-to-peer money transfer app, so its new feature could make it a leading cryptocurrency platform. Investors who want to buy major cryptocurrencies and then use those funds to buy altcoins or access decentralized finance (DeFi) applications can use it as a reliable entry point.
Canaan and Hut 8 Mining Bitcoin mining has undergone significant transformations in recent years. Nowadays, businesses like Canaan (NASDAQ: In order to brute-force guess the correct network hash (passcode), high-powered, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) machines are designed specifically for this purpose. Canaan’s next-generation Avalon ASICs, which are millions of times more powerful than AMD’s, can make tens of trillions of guesses per second for the right hash to validate Bitcoin blocks. Nvidia’s (NASDAQ: AMD) NVDA) the most recent GPUs for this hyper-specific purpose. Due to the device’s low energy consumption and affordability, sales have skyrocketed, resulting in increased profits for miners.
Hut 8 Mining is one of the most well-liked Bitcoin mining stocks (NASDAQ: HUT). The Canadian company has a significant minority stake in the Bitcoin network as a whole and generates very strong cash flows in comparison to revenue. Hut 8 Mining maximizes returns for shareholders by lending them out and farming yields, resulting in compounded returns, rather than selling the Bitcoin it mines on the market. Additionally, investors can rest assured that the business will not be involved in environmental issues related to the practice. Hut 8 Mining leases for a decade and generates electricity from a combination of wind, solar, and natural gas sources.
Chipmakers Nvidia and AMD are the most prominent designers of graphics processing units (GPUs) despite not directly dealing with cryptocurrencies. GPUs now enable computing-intensive applications like data centers, artificial intelligence, and the creation of crypto assets. They are best known for powering high-end video game graphics.
Cryptography and blockchain creation require monstrous computational power, and GPUs are appropriate for the gig. As digital currency miners (people who use their computers to create new units of digital assets) scrambled to purchase GPUs for the task, Nvidia and AMD stock prices rose in 2018 as a result of soaring cryptocurrency prices. GPUs are still a crucial piece of hardware for creating and managing crypto assets. At the beginning of 2021, Nvidia even introduced a new line of chips designed specifically for crypto mining.
Through acquisitions, Nvidia and AMD hope to strengthen their leadership positions in chip technology. AMD wanted to acquire the leader in field-programmable chips, Xilinx, and Nvidia recently attempted to acquire ARM Holdings, which licenses chip architecture design for data centers and smartphones. AMD’s Xilinx buyout was completed in February 2022, while Nvidia had to give up on its ARM deal. Nvidia and AMD are poised to continue capturing market share in the semiconductor industry, regardless of the acquisitions, and they are leading the development of additional emerging technologies like blockchain ledgers.
Shopify Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: Diem (formerly Libra), a brand-new cryptocurrency that META) once attempted to create Diem was intended to be a global infrastructure and payment platform that could be used by anyone, including the nearly one-third of people worldwide who do not have bank accounts.
Among the project’s setbacks was losing Visa (NYSE: V), Mastercard: MA), PayPal, and its group of well-known members. Since cryptocurrency is still largely unregulated, regulators expressed skepticism regarding Diem, and Meta eventually transferred Diem to Silvergate Capital (NYSE: SI) in a roughly $200 million stock-and-cash transaction. Nevertheless, under the new ownership, work on the project is continuing, and Meta is reportedly contemplating various strategies for entering the cryptocurrency market.
Software and infrastructure for e-commerce company Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) lets businesses that use its platform take payments in cryptocurrencies. By integrating with the cryptocurrency payment processor CoinPayments, it recently enhanced that capability. Meta’s Facebook Shops, a new product for small business e-commerce, was announced in the spring of 2020. The third-party software provider Shopify will power the new online stores. If small businesses and entrepreneurs continue to adopt digital assets, both Meta and Shopify stand to gain.
Small-cap stocks The stock market’s smaller companies may offer significant returns.
Financial stocks There are more than just banks in the financial sector.
Fintech stocks are businesses that combine technology and finance.
Stocks in banks Banks may appear to be complicated, but the way they make money is pretty simple.
NASDAQ: Robinhood Markets Robinhood Markets A well-liked app for discount brokerage, HOOD) lets users buy cryptocurrencies, rare metals, stocks, and options. Seven cryptocurrencies are available for investors to purchase and sell, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE), which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the platform without charging commission. The company already manages tens of billions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrencies, and crypto trading revenue now accounts for a sizable portion of overall sales.
Robinhood has a significant competitive advantage over traditional and decentralized exchanges due to the combination of its commission-free model and scaling the number of cryptocurrencies on the platform. Additionally, the company could provide the same crypto analytics services as Coinbase to increase adoption and build trust in the industry.
NASDAQ: CME Group CME Group Investors can trade futures, which bet on the price of an asset in the future, and options, which give investors the option to sell or buy an asset in the future at a predetermined price, on the world’s largest financial derivatives exchange run by CME. Energy, stocks, currencies, agricultural and mining products, and a wide range of other assets are traded on the CME Group’s exchange. CME Group is a crypto stock because of the latter.
CME launched the first market for Bitcoin futures at the end of 2017. The company established a market for options on Bitcoin futures at the beginning of 2020. Futures on the exchange were also available for Ether, which are units of the cryptocurrency platform Ethereum, as of March 2022. This year, micro futures based on smaller portions of the underlying cryptocurrencies joined Ether and Bitcoin futures.
A way for digital currency owners (individuals and a growing list of businesses that accept cryptocurrencies as payment) to mitigate risk from changes in cryptocurrency prices has been provided by the establishment of a full-featured exchange for derivatives of the most well-known cryptocurrencies. This has given Bitcoin and Ethereum additional legitimacy. CME Group’s market for cryptocurrency derivatives is still small, but expanding the number of crypto asset exchanges in the future is possible and even likely.
The best thing about cryptocurrency stocks is that most of them aren’t pure industry plays, giving investors plenty of diversification as a reward. Cryptocurrencies have a lot of swings in them, which can have a big impact on the profits and revenue of businesses that are in the sector.
The mainstream is rapidly adopting the cryptosphere. United Wholesale Mortgage, which trades on the NYSE as UWMC), the second-largest mortgage lender in the United States, announced that it would accept Bitcoin to settle customer mortgage payments. Crypto stocks will continue to gain momentum as more businesses join the blockchain revolution.
While the crypto market adjusts to the ever-changing global economy, you must also keep an eye on the evolving regulatory framework. The aforementioned stocks are excellent digital currency investments because most of them also run significant business operations outside of the crypto industry. As a result, many investors believe that investing in them makes more sense than purchasing the cryptocurrencies themselves, at least until global governments and regulators agree on a long-term strategy for digital assets.