Crypto's Top 10: What? When? Why?

Bitcoin (BTC) – The Digital Gold Standard

Born: 2009 (courtesy of the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto)
TLDR: Pure, decentralized money with no CEO or head office

Bitcoin remains the king of crypto not because of flashy features, but because of what it doesn’t do, which is lucky because it doesn’t do HEAPS of stuff! Unlike traditional currencies, there’s no Federal Reserve printing more BTC. The supply is forever capped at 21 million coins, making it the closest thing to "digital gold." Today, Bitcoin serves three main purposes: as a hedge against inflation, as collateral in decentralized finance systems, and increasingly as actual payment in places like El Salvador. While transaction speeds can’t compete with newer blockchains( in fact they’re actually really, really slow. Ironically, if you built a blockchain today that ran like Bitcoin, no one would use it) Bitcoin’s unparalleled security and brand recognition keep it at the top.

Ethereum (ETH) – The Internet’s ‘Backbone’

Born: 2015 (thanks to wunderkind Vitalik Buterin)
TLDR: The foundation for most Web3 apps you’ve heard about

Ethereum took Bitcoin’s concept and supercharged it with smart contracts, which are self-executing code that powers everything from NFT marketplaces to billion-dollar lending protocols. Today, Ethereum is essentially the operating system for decentralized finance (DeFi), hosting over 3,000 dApps (decentralized applications) that let users trade, borrow, and earn interest without banks. With that in mind though, ETH has some problems of its own, and it has had competitors breathing down their neck for a while now. 

The 2022 "Merge" upgrade shifted Ethereum from energy-intensive mining to eco-friendly staking, while layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum now handle over 70% of transactions to keep fees low. Though competitors have emerged, Ethereum remains the go-to for developers building serious blockchain projects, for now.

XRP – The Banking Disruptor

Born: 2012 (developed by Ripple Labs)
TLDR: SWIFT network’s crypto competitor

XRP was designed for one job: move money across borders faster and cheaper than traditional banking systems. While banks take 3-5 days for international transfers (and charge hefty fees), XRP settles transactions in 3-5 seconds for pennies. Over 100 financial institutions now use RippleNet (the network powered by XRP), particularly in corridors like US-Mexico where remittances are huge. After winning key legal battles against the SEC in 2023 and having the remaining battles walked back this year, XRP has seen renewed adoption; even the UK’s FCA recently approved it for use in financial services.

BNB – Binance’s Ecosystem Token

Born: 2017 (Binance’s in-house crypto)
TLDR: The loyalty points of crypto exchanges

Originally just a discount token for Binance trading fees, BNB has evolved into the fuel for an entire blockchain (BNB Chain). Today, it’s used to pay transaction fees across Binance’s ecosystem (the world’s largest crypto exchange), participate in token sales, and even book travel (yes, you can book hotels with BNB through Binance’s partnership with Travala… if you were that kind of person). The BNB Chain now hosts over 1,400 dApps, though it remains controversial due to Binance’s regulatory battles. Every quarter, Binance "burns" (aka destroys forever) millions in BNB to maintain scarcity—so far removing nearly 40% of the total supply.

Solana (SOL) – The Speed Demon

Born: 2020 (by ex-Qualcomm engineers)
TLDR: Ethereum’s faster, cheaper cousin

Dubbed the "Ethereum killer," Solana processes transactions at speeds comparable to Visa (65,000 per second vs Ethereum’s 15-30), with fees averaging $0.00025. This makes it ideal for high-frequency trading apps and NFT projects; popular platforms like Magic Eden and Jupiter Exchange run on Solana. After surviving the 2022 FTX collapse (FTX was a major backer fyi), Solana rebounded big time, with its price surging 700% in 2023. Upgrades like Firedancer aim to push speeds even higher while preventing network outages that plagued its early days.

Cardano (ADA) – The Academic Approach

Born: 2017 (by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson)
TLDR: Blockchain with peer-reviewed research

Cardano bills itself as the "scientific" blockchain, with every upgrade rigorously peer-reviewed before implementation. This methodical approach powers its Ouroboros proof-of-stake system, which uses 95% less energy than Bitcoin mining. While slower to develop than competitors, Cardano now hosts over 1,200 projects—particularly in identity verification (like DISH’s partnership for credentialing) and agriculture (tracking coffee bean supply chains in Ethiopia). ADA holders can stake their coins to earn ~4% annual rewards while securing the network.

A quick nod to USDT and USDC also - these "stablecoins" peg 1:1 to the US dollar, offering crypto traders a way to park funds without cashing out to fiat. Tether (USDT) dominates with $110B+ in circulation, while regulated USDC is preferred by institutions. Both act as the dollar’s proxies in DeFi lending and trading. But we aren’t gonna go too much into them because… well they’re stablecoins and not particularly interesting ones either.

Dogecoin (DOGE):

Born as a joke in 2013, this Shiba Inu meme coin now powers Twitter/X payments and has been adopted by Tesla for merch. Its unlimited supply keeps prices low but community enthusiasm high. Recently though, since Elon started getting more and more into it, people are turning off of Doge. When your defacto spokesperson starts acting… erratically, people go elsewhere. Just look at Tesla!

TRON (TRX):

Justin Sun’s entertainment-focused blockchain hosts most USDT transactions and dominates porn/prediction market payments. Its high throughput (2,000 TPS) comes with heavy centralization tradeoffs.

And there you have it!

That’s your top ten (kind of) covered. What’ll be really interesting is to see which of these remain five to ten years from now. Each have carved out such a unique path, but the technology is moving really fast, and what works today might not work tomorrow, or even be tolerated by users.