In our we talked about some of the most popular crypto brands and services in different categories. They included exchanges, stablecoins, wallets, and foundations. Now, it’s time to learn more categories of crypto names and brands you should know. previous article, As we mentioned before, according to the , They include exchanges, funds, marketplaces, market research, supply chain management, mining, payment ramps, investments, wallets, security, e-sports, gaming, Metaverses, trading, smart contracts, identity, and much more. Let’s discover what else they can offer!\ research firm Golden there are over 11,000 crypto companies and projects worldwide. Development Companies Not every cryptocurrency project or their development is led by non-profits. Indeed, there are a lot of (for-profit) companies behind popular coins and other crypto products. Let’s see some of them. Ripple Labs This American company promotes itself as “the leading provider of crypto solutions for businesses.” It was founded in 2012 by Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb, and , which specializes in international payments. It’s also widely known for its legal battle against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This entity accused them of selling non-registered securities (XRP) in the country. it’s better known for the creation of one of the most popular coins to date, XRP (originally Ripple) Lightning Labs Lightning Network is a second-layer solution for faster, cheaper transactions via off-chain payment channels —and likely the first-ever layer-2 (secondary chain). It was designed for Bitcoin, but it also works in Litecoin and . Lightning Labs, founded in 2016 by Elizabeth Stark and Olaoluwa Osuntokun, , and actively promoting Lightning Network adoption. other altcoins is a key American developer of Lightning Network technologies, offering products like LND and Neutrino Blockstream This is a Canadian blockchain company founded in 2014 by its current leader, Adam Back (a cryptographer cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper). mainly on Bitcoin-related services, Blockstream also supports the development of the first cryptocurrency by funding several Bitcoin Core open-source developers. They work including the sidechain Liquid and their satellite network to make offline transactions worldwide. More firms Of course, there are way more crypto developers for-profit. We can mention EMURGO and IOHK (Cardano/ADA), Solana Labs (Solana/SOL), Polygon Technology (Polygon/MATIC), Ava Labs (Avalanche/AVAX), Protocol Labs (Filecoin/FIL), TrustToken (Stablecoin issuer), Anchorage Digital (Crypto Infrastructure for Business), Galaxy Digital Holdings (Crypto Asset Management), Block/Square (Crypto Payment Processing), Chainalysis (Security and Analytics), and Digital Currency Group (venture capital and owner of CoinDesk, Foundry, Genesis Trading, Grayscale Investments, and Luno). Crypto News Portals These are websites or platforms dedicated to providing up-to-date information and analysis about different tokens and the crypto industry. They offer news, market data, educational content, and insights. Some of the most renowned are: CoinDesk It was founded in 2013 by entrepreneur Shakil Khan, and eventually acquired by the Digital Currency Group. It provides extensive cryptocurrency news, market data, and event coverage. , and also for reporting first the infamous balance that led FTX Exchange to bankruptcy. It’s known for its international-attended annual event Consensus Bitcoin Magazine Established in 2012 by Mihai Alisie and Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum founder), is still an influential crypto publication. It was sold in 2014 to BTC Inc., an American company. Bitcoin Magazine It offers articles, insights, and educational content about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. CoinTelegraph It was established in 2013 by an international team, and it’s now based in the United States. offers a wide range of crypto news, interviews, analysis, and educational resources. Besides, The portal it’s available in eleven languages, including English, Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish. More portals Other popular crypto portals include Decrypt, CryptoSlate, NewsBTC, and CryptoPotato. These platforms provide a mix of news, analysis, market data, and educational content, catering to a diverse audience interested in cryptocurrency. You can also find more local crypto portals in every country, covering national news. Metaverses A crypto metaverse is a virtual, decentralized, and ledger-based environment where users can interact, create, play, and transact using digital assets within a shared, immersive, online space. You can have your own avatar on them, and this one could be a Non-Fungible Token (NFT). Decentraland Founded in 2017, Decentraland is an Ethereum-based metaverse. The creators, Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano, originate from Argentina. . It also has its own native cryptocurrency, MANA. It offers a user-owned virtual world where users can buy, sell, and build on virtual lands (as NFTs) The Sandbox This crypto Metaverse was first a mobile game released in 2012 by the brand Pixowl. It was transformed into what it is today in 2021 by Animoca Brands. is now . It also offers customized avatars and has its own native coin, SAND. The Sandbox a 3D world based on Polygon where it’s possible to build your own games and NFTs without coding Alien Worlds It was released in 2020 by the firm Dacoco on the WAX blockchain. features six alien worlds where It’s also possible to host events and collect NFTs in the form of avatars, weapons, tools, and other items. This Metaverse explorers can go into missions, own digital lands, and mine Trilium (TLM). More crypto-verses Other notable crypto metaverses include CryptoVoxels, Somnium Space, and Upland. CryptoVoxels is an Ethereum-based virtual world for users to build and monetize spaces. Somnium Space is a VR-centric metaverse with a focus on social interactions. Upland merges the real world with digital ownership, allowing users to buy, sell, and trade virtual real estate. NFT Projects NFT projects, or Non-Fungible Token projects, create and sell unique digital assets that are indivisible and provably scarce on distributed networks. These tokens represent ownership of digital or physical items. Additionally, every project can offer unique features, experiences, and benefits to its owners. CryptoPunks This is likely the first-ever NFT collection, and it was released in 2017 by Larva Labs. All of them were for free initially, but now every piece is valued at over 60 ETH (around $92,880). The rarer units have been sold . It offers 10,000 unique 24x24 pixel art “punk” characters registered on Ethereum. given away for millions Axie Infinity Released in 2018 by the Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, Players can collect, breed, train, and trade axies while earning rewards for doing it. The game has its own chain, Ronin, compatible with Ethereum. Currently, over 11.8 million axies, but only 422,830 are available to trade. it’s a play-to-earn battle game that features NFT creatures called “axies.” there are Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) This collection was released in 2021 by Yuga Labs. They’re meant to represent membership in an exclusive virtual club with social and utility benefits. is currently developing its own Metaverse about it, called “Otherside.” It offers 10,000 “bored apes” images with unique traits, registered as NFTs on Ethereum. Yuga Labs A rain of NFTs There are innumerable NFTs at this point since practically anyone with Internet access can make their own. According to , The most popular projects include CrypToadz, Art Blocks, Pudgy Penguins, Azuki, Meebits, and CloneX. Now, remember that if you want to make your own NFTs, and sell them without coding in the Obyte-based NFT marketplace CryptoThings. NonFungible there were at least 3,724 NFT sales in the last week, amounting to over $2.5 million. it’s possible to create them Bonus: A Blacklist Some names are also important to remember but in a bad way. Seasoned crypto enthusiasts and analysts will talk about them a lot, so you also need to know what happened. Here we have several failed and/or infamous crypto projects that caused a lot of harm to the market in the past. Mt. Gox Founded in 2010 by Jed McCaleb and Mark Karpelès, Mt. Gox was a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, and the largest of its time worldwide. It failed in 2014 due to serious security breaches, resulting in a massive loss of customer funds and insolvency. Terra (LUNA) Terra, created by Daniel Shin and Do Kwon in South Korea, was launched in 2018. Technically, it still exists, but its native stablecoin, Terra USD (UST), failed big in 2022. . A lot of people worldwide suffered the consequences, as their investments and savings in these coins were suddenly erased. Do Kwon was arrested in 2023. UST's price plummeted to $0.1 (90% less than its peg) in May, dragging LUNA (the native currency of Terra) down with it FTX Founded by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and Gary Wang in 2017, FTX was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange globally in 2021. Now, it's nothing but an infamous name. They faced serious liquidity issues to the point of going bankrupt in November 2022. and a lack of financial controls within the company. SBF was arrested in the US. Bankruptcy proceedings revealed massive debts (of around $3 billion), misuse of customer funds, For more blacklisted crypto names, you can check our list of the . Now, if you want to start in this complex world without complications, remember that you can download the user-friendly . Payments, smart contracts, chatbots, exchanges, and more are waiting for you without coding! biggest crypto crashes Obyte wallet Featured Vector Image by Freepik

The writer is smart, but don't just like, take their word for it. #DoYourOwnResearch before making any investment decisions or decisions regarding your health or security. (Do not regard any of this content as professional investment advice, or health advice)

Crypto for Beginners: Must-Know Brands and Names —Part 2

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