Which cryptocurrencies will still be around in 2020?

Any cryptocurrency that has any level of adoption will still be around, as well as any cryptocurrency that has a lot of development activity or offers a compelling solution to a huge problem.

(Technically, every cryptocurrency will be around, it’s impossible to destroy cryptocurrency. But by 2020 hardly anybody will use or buy 90% of the cryptocurrencies that exist today.)

Here are my guesses…ask me again on December 31, 2019:

BITCOIN

DriveChain is attempting to make it easy to create branches rather than forks, leaving the bitcoin blockchain in tact while giving developers new ways to leverage its value as a payment network. Lightning Network is already reducing bitcoin transaction fees to fractions of a penny. Bakkt will eventually offer merchant solutions with bitcoin to settle payments. Dozens of developers working on “second layer” interfaces that leverage bitcoin’s features without actually making people hold it (usage still drives demand for bitcoin itself). Lots of other projects underway to lower costs, increase speed, enable more transactions per second, incorporate smart contracts, and better regulate the market. It’s all happening behind the scenes but you can Google about it and find out all sorts of cool developments.

ADA

This is the cryptocurrency you’ll use on the Cardano blockchain. If successful, it will solve two huge problems: interoperability and complexity of smart contracts. This will allow people to use ADA for virtually every possible use of cryptocurrency. The Cardano project has been around for a while and plans to stick around for a while, certainly into 2020 and beyond.

QSP

This is the cryptocurrency of Quantstamp, a verification system for smart contracts. It’s already helped Binance protect its erc20 tokens. Smart contracts are the killer app of cryptocurrency and projected to explode in use and value, and they hold tremendous value for machine-to-machine transactions. But, they have to be programmed correctly. Quantstamp makes sure the smart contracts are programmed correctly. “Internet-of-Things,” artificial intelligence, and public blockchains will create so much demand for smart contracts, everybody will need Quantstamp, and they’ll have to buy QSP to secure the service.

CND

Cindicator is a AI-based financial prediction bot that claims 60–70 percent accurate predictions (which is insanely good). CND is the token you use to access Cindicator’s services. Cindicator’s team recently redid their web page, launched a newsletter, and upgraded their bot. They’re obviously not going anywhere and they’re targeting a niche—money managers and institutional investment funds—that’s just getting into crypto. They’ll be around in 2020.

STEEM

Steem is the main crypto for Steemit, a social media / networking platform built on the Steem blockchain. The Steem blockchain enables everybody to post videos, blogs, pictures, songs, podcasts, tweets, etc. In 2019, Steemit developers will roll out “Smart Media Tokens” which are kinda like individual currencies built on the Steem blockchain. The idea is, you have a currency for your “brand” and can do crowdfunding, reward followers, and monetize your presence on Steem’s platforms. SMTs will also let people create small communities on the Steem blockchain. It’s incredibly fast and cheap to send and receive. The fees and anti-spam features are built into the backend, so you never have a TX fee. For a user, it’s all seamless. Steemit has several mobile dapps and a very active community. They’ll be around in 2020.

BAT

Basic Attention Token is the crypto for the Brave browser. You don’t need BAT to use the browser and millions have downloaded the browser. I didn’t understand why BAT was valuable at first and I can’t properly summarize so read this, which doesn’t do justice to the project but gives you a sense of how it works. I’m convinced this is a brilliant concept that may revolutionize the way we browse the internet if people use the Brave browser instead of other browsers.

DENT

Could be huge. DENT Wireless created a secondary market for unused mobile data. This is a global market for likely $5–10 billion worth of data people paid for but don’t use. They’ll be around in 2020. In fact they’re just getting started.

IOTA

Tackles blockchain using tangle, a non-blockchain way to do what blockchain does. IOTA aims to be the crypto for Internet-of-Things, where machines send or receive tiny amounts of crypto in exchange for performing certain tasks or providing data. It could also work as a really fast, scalable payment system for humans. Our Vision | IOTA It’ll be around in 2020.

HOT

Holochain created computing platform where “agents” maintain their own records and communicate with each other through the network. HOT tokens will eventually become the “fuel” for the network and a reward for sharing computing power with other users. Holochain hasn’t launched yet.

ETHEREUM

Everybody uses it. It’ll be around for a while.

DASH

Thousands of merchants accept DASH worldwide and the US marijuana industry has adopted it as its preferred method of sending electronic payments. It’s a privacy coin that isn’t really that private, which means law enforcement will be OK with it but users can still get the same benefits as an actual privacy coin. It’s also cheap to send and has a very active and expanding developer community. I doubt it’s going anywhere.

DOGE

Dogecoin is literally a joke but people use it for micropayments and tips. Because people use it, it will be around in 2020.

XLM

IBM is using it as a payment bridge for its blockchain solutions. This means it will get a lot of exposure to “mainstream” businesses who use IBM’s HyperLedger. IBM tested about a dozen cryptocurrencies to fill this role before choosing XLM so you’d bet they’re still going to be using it in 2020.

XRP

XRP is the cryptocurrency Ripple uses to settle global transactions. Ripple is well-capitalized and has already formed partnerships that will last into 2020 and beyond. It will be around.

Every token that’s trying to decentralize power distribution

POWR, WPR, PYLNT are three of several cryptocurrencies trying to decentralize power distribution. Different approaches but all are long-term projects that will take years to bear fruit. The world wastes hundreds of billions of dollars worth of energy, creating a secondary market for unused or surplus energy will unlock untold economic value