Today’s outperformer is LSK, which jumped 17.63% after Lisk partners with Velodrome to enhance blockchain access and drive ecosystem growth.

The SPX index is down 0.22% as the market anticipates less Federal Reserve rate cuts, considering the possibility of no cuts this year. The broader cryptocurrency market is up, with Bitcoin and Ether rising by 4.18% and 3.19%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Lisk (LSK), launched on May 2016, is a cryptocurrency platform that enables developers to build decentralized applications (dapps) using JavaScript and TypeScript. It supports custom "sidechains" within its network, offering tools like a software development kit. Lisk has announced a partnership with Velodrome to support and expand its blockchain ecosystem. Lisk will purchase and lock $VELO tokens for voting, directing VELO emissions to key pairs on Lisk. This collaboration aims to support existing protocols on Lisk, attract new developers, and enhance blockchain accessibility and adoption in emerging markets. Velodrome will back Lisk's Layer 2 initiatives, aligning with the goal of creating a scalable, interoperable Ethereum future.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

The Runes protocol is set to debut alongside Bitcoin's 2024 halving, heralding a new phase in Bitcoin's evolution by enabling the creation of fungible tokens directly on its network. This follows the impactful Ordinals protocol, which significantly expanded Bitcoin's functionalities. The Runes protocol will spark competition among developers to issue and acquire the first tokens, with global exchanges ready to support these tokens from day one. The halving event will also feature a race to mine a highly valuable "Epic" satoshi. As Bitcoin approaches this transformative era, extensive preparations and educational initiatives are underway to equip users for the forthcoming changes, marking a profound shift in Bitcoin's operational and cultural landscape.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have yet another day of outflow, however, yesterday’s outflow was close to neutral. The market has seen fluctuating flows in these ETFs, with significant activity in some and none in others, reflecting mixed investor reactions. Recent substantial outflows echo trends from March, but analysts regard such fluctuations as typical for ETFs and not indicative of failure. Despite this volatility, the outlook for Bitcoin ETFs remains positive as they continue to draw institutional interest and shape market dynamics.

Avail, a blockchain data-availability protocol developed using Polygon’s SDK, has announced an airdrop of 600 million AVAIL tokens, marking its one-year anniversary since spinning off from Polygon Labs. The "Unification Drop" aims to bring together various blockchain communities by rewarding developers, governance contributors, educators, rollup users, stakers, and others who have significantly contributed to the ecosystem. Avail's infrastructure includes three segments: Nexus for cross-chain transactions, Fusion for liquid staking on chains like Ethereum and Bitcoin, and DA for scaling rollups through technologies like KZG commitments. The airdrop will distribute tokens to 354,605 wallet addresses and includes significant allocations for various roles across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and more, emphasizing a unified Web3 environment.

Intermediate

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Runes Protocol Revolutionizes Bitcoin with New Token Capabilities Ahead of 2024 Halving

Saga is a Layer 1 blockchain protocol that allows developers to design their own dedicated chains for running applications. Learn more in this article.

 universe right now is the lack of accessible tools for developers. Many people interested in designing new 

 projects struggle to find the right software developer kits (SDKs) for their projects. The Saga ecosystem aims to fix this issue by providing unparalleled support to app and game developers. 

Can the Saga ecosystem really become the premier chain for web3 development? Keep reading to learn how it works and see whether it's likely to attract new developers.

 blockchain protocol. It allows developers to design their own dedicated chains for running applications. People who work on Saga all share the same security, scaling solutions and SDKs, but they each get their own unique chain that they can customize to suit their needs.

 of technology, crypto and finance enthusiasts. CEO Rebecca Liao is a co-founder of the Skuchain project, the designer of the 

 and a former international corporate attorney. Other members of the founding team include former Tendermint executive Jin Kwon, Blocktech Ventures founder Bogdan Alexandrescu and 

. They realized that there was a major need for a development-focused blockchain specifically designed for game project development. Saga's mission has attracted many major investors, 

Saga aims to create a new system for web3 project developers. Currently, most developers have to choose between the ease of working on an established chain like 

 versus the convenience and customization of designing their own chain. The Saga team realized that the most effective option for game developers would actually be a combination of the two types of development environments.

Saga wants to let developers set up their own sovereign blockchain so they can decide how things like 

 and transaction fees work. However, Saga also aims to provide extensive support for developers in its ecosystem. Its underlying framework ensures that people still have excellent security and a reliable validator set, no matter what their gaming project is.

 ecosystem, whose interchain web development standard is a set of protocols that allows a broad variety of blockchains to communicate with each other. The Saga network uses the 

 and the shared security system of the Cosmos ecosystem to manage the network, and has created its own Layer 1 chain that runs the entire Saga ecosystem and can do things like automatically launching 

The Saga Mainnet handles each developer's compiled smart contract binary. However, it also runs parallel dedicated chains that function as virtual machine (VM) modules capable of handling a specific set of smart contracts. End users for blockchain games and other apps interact only with the dedicated blockchain, while the developer's system manages the fees and individual transactions on the Saga Mainnet.

All of the chains on Saga are validated through optimistic coordination, which requires every Saga validator to validate each chain in the Saga ecosystem via 

 validation, verifying transactions by temporarily locking Saga tokens.

The Saga network contains a lot more than just the basic features offered through the Cosmos SDK and ecosystem. In addition to the software development tools and helpful interface for Saga's validators and developers, the ecosystem also contains the following features.

The overall layout of the Saga ecosystem starts with the Saga Mainnet. Built on the Cosmos hub, this framework includes a full validator set and a dedicated blockchain for handling all smart contracts. The basic protocols are passed on to each child chain in the system, and information is relayed back and forth between the main chain and all of the secondary chains. Saga's validators stake tokens, and then check to make sure every element of the topology follows Saga’s regulations.

 are a method for creating a dedicated blockspace that a developer can manage. These chainlets function as virtual machines that can handle smart contracts and automatically launch Celestia rollups. Each chainlet is its own blockchain that handles nothing but a specific gaming project. Developers decide on the gas fees they'll charge users, and can add chainlets as their projects expand and require more throughput from the remaining validators.

Saga's shared security relies on both the Cosmos hub and its own set of validators to secure the network. Validators on Saga’s network are monitored by auditors who can catch potential issues with individual dedicated chains. If anyone in the validator set fails to properly confirm a smart contract, their staked tokens are automatically confiscated.

 is a publishing system for gaming developers who want to create their own blockchains with help from Saga. It offers infinite scalability, seamless 

 and transactions without gas fees. In addition to use of the Cosmos SDK, developers who choose to publish their game through Saga Origins receive access to a variety of helpful marketing and distribution tools.

 is an interconnected blend of all the developers and projects in the Saga system. Though each sovereign blockchain is fully independent of others, they all join together to offer users a variety of exciting web3 projects. People interested in checking out the latest blockchain designs can join the Multiverse and browse all the neat concepts built on Saga.

To help get the Saga validator system started, Saga released 

 to its community members. People were eligible for the 

 if they had participated in the staking program or played in tournaments to promote Saga ecosystem games. The airdrop eligibility period required remaining validators and other participants to be active between January and October of 2023. Once the airdrop began allowing people to claim tokens, it continued to run until Mar 27, 2024.

 consists of four separate phases. The company has already completed the Andromeda and Cassiopeia phases, which focused on designing the Mainnet and setting up the system of Saga validators. Currently, the Saga team is in the Pegasus phase, which is about releasing tokens and opening the Saga Mainnet to the public. Sometime in late 2022, Saga’s team hopes to reach their Mainnet V2 phase, which will prioritize a new version of the Saga Mainnet with more features and options for dedicated blockspace.

SAGA tokens are the primary method for paying fees on the Saga network. These tokens are also used for staking, and function as a method of confirming Saga transactions. There are a total of 

, of which around 90 million have thus far been released. Saga plans to distribute its tokens as follows:

SAGA is still in the early stages of its token launch. However, it’s already surprised investors, having debuted at $4.91 on Apr 9, 2024 before quickly surging to its ATH to date of $7.60. It then steadily declined over the next few days to its current price of $3.06 as of Apr 19, 2024.

 SAGA, with its experts believing SAGA’s price will reach $15.73 by 2025 and decrease in 2027 to $6.27, before rising again to $13.45 by 2030. This bullish sentiment is amplified by analysts at Changelly, 

 SAGA’s price will increase to $6.91 in 2025, $14.21 in 2027 and $44.36 in 2030.

Looking to trade Saga tokens? Bybit now offers SAGAUSDT Perpetual contracts. To get started, you’ll first need to 

, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

SAGA has done an extremely impressive job of attracting users, and seems poised to become the big coin debut of April 2024 with its high price.

However, it's hard to say whether SAGA can maintain its price in the long run. It's quite common for new startups to have a strong start and then drop in price once their project fails to take off. If the Saga ecosystem can’t attract new developers and continue to release impressive projects, investors could see some major SAGA losses in the future.

Since this coin is so volatile right now, investors need to 

. It has the potential for both big profits and big losses, so you’ll want to carefully consider how these price shifts might affect your portfolio. For best results, avoid investing more than you can afford to lose, make sure you diversify your investments — and 

By offering developers the chance to create their own dedicated chains, Saga offers a more convenient and scalable system for blockchain gaming. Its helpful features and low transaction fees have already attracted many people, and it's no surprise that many others are interested in the project. Furthermore, SAGA tokens have had a promising start with extremely impressive growth. If the Saga company can successfully capitalize on its early buzz, it has a bright future.

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Saga (SAGA): Catalyzing the Multiverse With Scalable Chains

Discover how to easily mint and buy Runes tokens with the Xverse Runes wallet and Magic Eden marketplace, unlocking investment opportunities on the Bitcoin blockchain.

) reward halving is a monumental occasion for both the crypto industry and users. Halving is a once-every-four-years event that always draws significant attention. However, the April 2024 event is special on an entirely new level, thanks to the highly anticipated launch of the 

 protocol, schƒeduled to go live right after the halving kicks in.

Runes is a revolutionary standard for creating fungible tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain. The standard is widely anticipated to set a new paradigm on the Bitcoin network, turning it into a thriving multi-asset ecosystem with significant trading and investment opportunities. Most importantly, Runes is vastly more efficient and user-friendly than BRC-20, an earlier Bitcoin fungible token standard.

 is a new token standard and technology for creating fungible cryptocurrencies on Bitcoin’s blockchain. (This new token standard is not to be confused with RUNE, the native token of 

). It allows users to issue and manage fungible tokens using Bitcoin's unspent transaction outputs (

), which represent the outputs of standard Bitcoin transfers. The concept of Bitcoin Runes was introduced in September 2023 by Casey Rodarmor, the enigmatic developer who also created Bitcoin 

Runes is widely expected to go live right after the Bitcoin 

 event (scheduled to occur on Apr 18, 2024, it's estimated to actually occur on April 19 or 20). The first Runes token will most likely be issued by Rodarmor himself. Following that, it's expected that a large number of Runes tokens will appear on Bitcoin, quickly leading to a thriving trade and creating investment opportunities on a scale that Bitcoin has probably never seen before.

Back in 2023, Rodarmor's Ordinals technology opened up a unique way of creating Bitcoin-based 

. Runes will now usher in an era of fungible crypto tokens on the blockchain. While it's not the first fungible token standard for Bitcoin, it's estimated to be the first technology that facilitates an efficient and user-friendly way of creating Bitcoin-based cryptos.

Runes will introduce a lightweight method for creating fungible assets on Bitcoin, thanks to its utilizing the blockchain's native UTXO model. The process of creating and transferring Runes tokens involves attaching messages, called Runestones, to a Bitcoin transaction. As such, there's no need to create any additional UTXOs or other unnecessary elements on the network. By using ordinary UTXOs generated during Bitcoin transfers, Runes avoids placing any significant load on the network.

Which Projects Are Building on the Runes Protocol?

Although the first fungible Runes tokens won't appear on the network until after the halving event, some projects have already begun experimenting with the concept by introducing Runes-themed Bitcoin NFT collections based on the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol. Typically, these projects promise 

 of their future fungible tokens to people who have purchased NFTs from their current collections.

Runestone is one of the earliest and most popular Runes-themed projects. It’s a Bitcoin NFT collection based on Ordinals, with each NFT depicting a 3D stone that has an ancient rune symbol inscribed on it.

There are 112,400 Runestone NFTs in the collection, and many of the items are listed for sale on 

, a popular multi-chain NFT marketplace. As of Apr 17, 2024, the most expensive Runestone NFT is listed for an asking price of 787 BTC. Notably, with a market cap of 9,779 BTC ($606,042,181), Runestone is currently the highest-capped Rune-themed Bitcoin NFT collection and the second highest-capped NFT collection overall, right behind the legendary Ethereum-based 

Rune Pups is another high-profile Runes-themed Bitcoin NFT collection. Each NFT in the collection is a rune-laced drawing of a broadly smiling creature, which does somewhat resemble a pup. There are 10,778 NFTs in the collection.

Pups are among the most popular Runes NFTs, with a highest asking price of 777 BTC (for item #10,733) and a market cap of 1,301 BTC (~$80 million).

 is a collection of 21,000 NFTs, each with a dynamically changing set of ancient rune symbols. Owning an NFT from the collection will automatically open up ways to mine new fungible tokens that the project plans to introduce as soon as Runes is operational. As such, this collection goes beyond simple NFT ownership, turning your non-fungible tokens into yield-generating assets.

Runes isn't the first fungible token standard for Bitcoin. This honor belongs to the 

 standard introduced in March 2023. Unfortunately, BRC-20 is a cumbersome and inefficient way of creating Bitcoin-based fungible cryptos. It relies on inscribing data into tokens using the Ordinals protocol, and generates a lot of "junk" UTXOs on the network.

Due to the novelty of the BRC-20 technology, many Bitcoin users jumped on the idea of using it to issue their tokens, seriously congesting the network and creating a significant "anti-BRC-20" sentiment within the Bitcoin community.

Runes fungible tokens are, however, vastly different from 

. The Runes technology utilizes Bitcoin's native UTXO model, doesn't generate "junk" outputs on the network and places a very modest load on the blockchain. Thanks to all of these advantages, Runes tokens are likely to lead to a much more active and robust trade in fungible assets as compared to BRC-20.

In Runes terminology, issuing a new fungible token is called “etching,” while adding tokens to the existing supply is known as minting. If you prefer to etch and mint Runes tokens on your own, the process is relatively easy for the technically minded.

 software and run your own full network node. Then, install 

 for the Ordinals and Runes protocols. The latter has been implemented under the Ordinals software packages. Ensure that you thoroughly practice etching, minting and transferring on the test network to familiarize yourself with the protocol.

You can also pre-buy Runes on Magic Eden. Probably the best wallet to use for these purposes is Xverse's 

, as it’s specifically designed for user-friendly Runes token management and easy integration with Magic Eden. This marketplace is currently the go-to platform to get early Runes tokens and Runes-themed NFTs.

You can buy any Runes-themed Bitcoin Ordinals NFT on Magic Eden 

 from the Runes protocol directly to your wallet 

once the protocol's operations kick in. Meme tokens minted under the Runes protocol c

ould potentially experience explosive growth similar to the surge o

If you’re not able to buy your NFT in time, it’s still not too late to get your hands on one of the most promising assets in the market. You can still wait for Runes to be listed on 

The arrival of the first Runes tokens is expected to liven up Bitcoin like virtually nothing before. Ordinals were a paradigm-setting innovation, but they were focused on non-fungible assets, which have traditionally lagged behind cryptocurrencies in terms of trading and investment applications. BRC-20 tokens were the first fungible assets on the Bitcoin platform, but their inefficient, network-clogging mode of operation severely limited their adoption and use cases.

Runes are different: For the first time in the history of Bitcoin, there’s an efficient, native way of creating and managing fungible crypto assets on the Bitcoin blockchain. This heralds a plethora of unique 

 for Bitcoin enthusiasts — at the very moment when the much-anticipated halving has arrived!

Advanced

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How to Get Into Bitcoin Runes With the Runes Launch at Halving

Nolus is a decentralized finance lending protocol with cross-chain capabilities. Learn more about how it works in this article.

One of the big advantages of decentralized finance (

) is that it provides more options for users. People who cannot get traditional loans because a typical bank deems them "high-risk" can turn to the DeFi sector to borrow crypto assets. The Nolus Protocol is a new DeFi lender that offers users all sorts of exciting opportunities. To see how this intriguing project works, explore this guide to learn all about Nolus.

 is a DeFi lending protocol. It has cross-chain capabilities that let people choose the most favorable rates possible and avoid the need to save up funds for liquidity.

Nolus was founded by Ivan Kostov and Kamen Trendafilov. Kostov worked in traditional finance, while Trendafilov has a background in marketing and business. During their time in these sectors, Nolus's founders realized that blockchain networks had the potential to revolutionize banking. They decided to join together and create a new leasing system that makes the most of DeFi products instead of just trying to mimic past banking methods.

Nolus started work on its plans in 2022 and officially launched its mainnet in 2023, having successfully completed several investing rounds and receiving 

 Token Metrics, Autonomy Capital, Everstake and more.

Nolus aims to tackle three problems common in crypto lending markets:

 software developer kit (SDK). Its code is entirely open sourced, and is updated and changed only when all stakeholders in the Nolus community vote to do so. According to the Nolus white paper, its ecosystem’s goal is “to build a novel user experience–driven automated money market” that facilitates direct interactions between lenders and borrowers without involving any other users.

The Nolus lending method starts with lenders choosing to supply 

 to the system. Any borrower who submits a down payment can get a loan from this supply of stablecoins. Both the coins and the down payment are 

, and interest is determined based on the value of the items. There’s no fixed repayment schedule, but the smart contracts ensure that interest is automatically removed from the collateral, and then paid to the lender at regular intervals. Once the user decides to repay the lease, the original assets are released from the smart contract.

Nolus's lending protocol includes many ways for customers to profit and enjoy convenient services. Here are the main DeFi products you can access through Nolus.

DeFi leasing on Nolus is designed to be as convenient as possible. Customers don’t have to go through a lengthy application or pay a lot of fees to other users. You just enter your collateral and get a loan of up to three times the value of the initial investment. Interest rates vary between 11% and 18%, based on the market value of the digital assets. The 

 allow the loan to be repaid on your own schedule. However, keep in mind that you pay more interest if you wait a longer amount of time to repay the loan.

If you want to earn money based on your existing crypto, you can join one of the many 

 on Nolus by submitting stablecoins in exchange for interest-bearing Nolus crypto. When you're ready to withdraw your funds and stop participating in DeFi leasing, you can cash out your Nolus tokens to receive your initial asset, plus any additional interest or network fees you’ve earned.

Nolus's system of money markets isn't the only thing they provide. Users who decide to 

 a crypto asset on Nolus can earn more money. The Nolus ecosystem offers the option of staking NLS tokens in exchange for various incentives. Lenders receive higher amounts of rewards for lending stablecoins, and borrowers get a lower interest rate.

Nolus has had some impressive growth since its launch in 2023. In just six months, the lending protocol has assisted with thousands of loans, collectively worth $8.6 million in total. Its team calculates that they've managed to achieve an average 

Nolus hopes to expand on this momentum in 2024. Its main plan is to continue marketing the lending protocol heavily, attracting more users who want to do their own research and find the best possible loans. To further attract users from the DeFi sector, Nolus aims to add more support for other crypto tokens and increase network liquidity. Nolus stands for community-led governance, so they don't have a long-term road map in place. Instead, they plan to evolve and adjust to suit whatever community needs arise in the future.

. It allows users to adjust their interest rates, and it's also a 

. People with NLS tokens can vote on how the platform is run and help implement new changes for the platform. The NLS token has a total supply of 1 billion. Nolus’s plan is to gradually mint tokens over a ten-year period, and implement a token buyback program to help maintain value. NLS token distribution will be as follows:

When the NLS token was released in the summer of 2023, Nolus prices were fairly stable. However, now that investors can sell their NLS tokens, prices have become more volatile. Starting in December 2023, NLS prices 

, and although the token currently seems to be dropping from its all-time high of $0.10, more price increases seem likely in the future.

Not only is the market for the NLS token quite bullish right now, but the Nolus lending protocol is also attracting a lot of positive attention in the crypto space. If the network can maintain its positive attention and attract more users, prices seem likely to rise even further. CoinCodex predicts Nolus prices will stay in the $0.04 to $0.19 range for 2025, and hit 

. This attitude is backed up by crypto influencers such as Crypto Revolution, 

 an underrated crypto with a lot of potential for growth.

The Nolus project is a well-thought-out crypto protocol that offers users significant advantages. Its innovative approach to lending could potentially attract a lot of users from the DeFi space. In addition to having a reliable system backed with effective technology and a detailed white paper, NLS digital assets have also experienced some promising growth patterns. The crypto asset has had a slow yet steady climb in price, and now that it's trending in crypto news, it seems poised to take off.

However, keep in mind that it's still important to 

 on digital assets. Some crypto investors might find it concerning that the Nolus project is mostly backed by marketers, instead of blockchain enthusiasts. There have also been some tech issues, such as the 

 that led to some unnecessary margin calls. Subsequent issues could limit price appreciation of its crypto assets. Therefore, it's necessary to approach Nolus with caution and not overextend your finances.

Nolus's DeFi lease system allows people to obtain easy access to crypto. Its innovative approach provides investors with significant advantages. Unlike traditional finance, there's no lengthy application process, and in contrast to many other blockchain networks Nolus doesn't have frequent margin calls or high network fees. As long as Nolus doesn't run into any technological issues or financial problems, its network is likely to have a lot of success in the DeFi space.

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Nolus (NLS): Crafting Liquidity's Future With Leading DeFi Leases

Altcoins

Bitcoin

What makes Bitcoin Cash different from Bitcoin? What exactly is a “fork?” We’re here to take a deep dive into what Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash really are.

Many people tend to confuse Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash because they share the same name. With that in mind, what is the actual difference? Did you know that 

Bitcoin Cash nodes used to be a member of the Bitcoin blockchain. Basically, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a Bitcoin (BTC) clone. However, there are many similarities and differences that the two share. It’s important to be informed on these shared and divided values when investing in either of these coins. 

What makes Bitcoin Cash different from Bitcoin? What exactly is a “fork?” We’re here to take a deep dive into what Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash really are, how they came about, and most importantly, how they differ.

At the end of this article, you’ll have full knowledge of the two coins and how to tell them apart. We’ll unfold their past, their present, and their future. Afterward, you’ll be able to choose which one to invest in, or perhaps choose to invest in both.

Bitcoin, or BTC for short, is the first cryptocurrency ever to be released. It is built on 

 technology, which takes away the need for a trustworthy intermediary, or “third party,” in financial transactions, and avoids counterfeiting.

As of May 2021, there are more than 18.5 million BTC circulating in the market. With Bitcoin, there’s a cap on how many can be mined, with a total of 21 million. Bitcoin’s scarcity has been and continues to be one of the largest driving forces behind its price, according to many crypto analysts.

Bitcoin also has many uses, compared to most of the crypto coins out there. It can be used to purchase and sell goods, services and shares in the same way as other currencies. For instance, you can now buy a Tesla with your BTC. However, the way Bitcoin transfers function is slightly different.

Bitcoin miners are people who essentially are rewarded in Bitcoin to protect its protocol. They broadcast transactions to the network, process them and verify them, resulting in the public ledger or blockchain being modified in the nodes (computers) that hold it. The blockchain is entirely autonomous; these nodes can be owned by anyone and everyone.

The term blockchain derives from the way that transactions are submitted and processed in the form of blocks. Bitcoin blocks are exactly one megabyte in size, and block formation usually takes about 10–12 minutes on average. One of the biggest reasons for both Bitcoin’s limited transaction processing speed, which is about 7–10 

, and its scalability issues is the network’s block size.

Bitcoin Cash (which we’ll get into detail about presently) is one of Bitcoin’s largest accomplishments. By far number one in terms of 

 and price, Bitcoin has the most institutional confidence and third-party providers behind it. BTC reportedly accounts for just below 48% of the global crypto market.

The scalability and transaction speed issues we just mentioned are Bitcoin’s biggest drawbacks when compared to Bitcoin Cash. Bitcoin, being the first-ever 

, uses older blockchain technologies. As a result, the transaction processing times for BTC are longer and the fees are significantly higher. This poses a challenge for BTC as more and more powerful altcoins keep entering the market. However, crypto analysts believe that Bitcoin has already made its permanent place into a kind of “digital gold” as a store of value.

” in the past. But what is it exactly? A hard fork is essentially a massive update to a blockchain’s network protocol. A hard fork divides the blockchain into two separate routes: one that follows the previous protocol, and another that follows a modified version.

The first route, or original protocol, is unaffected by the fork (or, in other words, redesign). When the upgraded nodes break out from the original network, they form a separate blockchain. The coins on the forked blockchain are entirely unique, which results in the formation of a whole new cryptocurrency.

Hard forks are usually initiated by developers or individuals who represent the crypto community and wish to add features to the existing blockchain protocol. This, in addition, allows all of the network nodes and users to update to the most recent version of the protocol.

Cryptocurrency investors are automatically awarded tokens in the current fork as a result of the hard fork. To put it into perspective, if you initially owned 10 BTC before the Bitcoin Cash hard fork in 2017, you would have received the same amount of BCH following the fork. Bitcoin has actually had a number of forks to this date which have resulted in some projects such as Bitcoin Classic, Bitcoin Gold, and Bitcoin XT, to name a few. Bitcoin Cash, however, is undoubtedly one of BTC’s most popular hard forks.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) was created in 2017 as a fork of Bitcoin in order to address some of Bitcoin’s problems as it began to rise in popularity. Bitcoin, which is originally based on the blockchain digital ledger scheme, is able to handle approximately 7–10 transactions per second. This renders it a less-than-ideal cryptocurrency for daily transactions.

Bitcoin Cash came into the picture in an attempt to solve this problem of scalability and transaction speed by raising the block size from 1MB to somewhere between 8MB and 32MB. The larger the blocks, the more transactions that can be accommodated. This then enables miners to process and validate more transactions. When you compare the scalability of Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin, BCH blocks can handle up to 25,000 transactions per block, whereas BTC can only handle up to 1,500. This gives BCH the upper hand, getting it closer to the original Bitcoin vision — which was to provide an alternative for conventional payment systems over simply being an addition to an investment portfolio.

Despite the block sizes and theoretical differences, Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin are relatively similar in terms of how they operate. They both rely on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network of nodes or computers that are rendered operational with the help of miners who validate and process transactions in exchange for incentives. On top of that, they also make use of a 

 (PoW) consensus in order to mine new tokens, with a finite supply of 21 million. Previously, the Bitcoin Cash algorithm was used for the purpose of increasing the mining complexity following any 2016 blocks. However, when miners shifted to Bitcoin, the developers made the mining process much simpler. 

Bitcoin Cash also employs the Segregated Witness approach, otherwise known as SegWit, created by developers. Rather than having to save all of the information related to the block’s transaction in the block, SegWit stores it in a separate file outside the block. This allows the blockchain to provide a higher number of transactions per block, which in turn speeds up the processing. Regardless, cryptocurrency proponents have been critical of the workaround, and it remains to be seen if the Bitcoin Cash blockchain will actually accommodate a large number of transactions.

There are a number of similarities and differences on top of just block size. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Bitcoin Cash holds larger block sizes than Bitcoin does in its blockchain technology. As mentioned, a block in the BCH blockchain is around 32MB, whereas a block in the Bitcoin blockchain is around 1MB. In addition, Bitcoin Cash needs on-chain scaling through the block size, while Bitcoin employs off-chain scaling, using two different layers of technologies. BCH is also relatively robust compared to other extremely volatile cryptocurrencies. It even uses highly secure blockchain technologies to deter data leaks and any potential fund losses.

During Bitcoin Cash’s launch its scalability was touted as one of the product’s key selling points. In addition to Bitcoin’s smaller block size and slower transaction, its transaction fees were higher as well. Bitcoin Cash, on the other hand, has smaller average transaction fees. Bitcoin is having difficulty meeting demand due to its high transaction fees and fixed market supply.

Another key point of dispute among the two coins is that Bitcoin has been viewed more as a store of value than an actual currency. Even now, this is an understandable source of irritation. Bitcoin is already being referred to as “digital gold” with its finite stock, receiving a lot of media coverage. 

On the other hand, as a result of its relatively low fees and fast processing times, Bitcoin Cash is expected to replace Bitcoin as a legitimate currency and provide practical use cases — at least in principle.

Both coins carry substantial worth. While BTC has had morevalue up to now, Bitcoin Cash is rapidly attracting users and value in its own right. Bitcoin Cash is a much younger cryptocurrency, having been around for only several years, compared to Bitcoin, the pioneer crypto.

As a result, it’s also capturing and realizing its own niche in the crypto market. Many people are convinced that Bitcoin Cash’s strengths will enable it to seize a significant portion of Bitcoin’s market share, eventually rendering it the industry’s leading cryptocurrency. According to CoinMarketCap as of the time of writing, Bitcoin has a market cap of $1.08 trillion, while Bitcoin Cash is $25.14 billion.

When it comes to investment, Bitcoin is a pioneer in terms of price. Traditional stock markets crashed just as the global economy entered a major financial crisis in early 2007–08. The price of Bitcoin, on the other hand, increased by more than 12 million percent, which is extremely rare in the field of finance. At the time of writing, it is in a dip from previous all-time highs but is still over 1000% above lows saw during the market crash which happened as the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off in March 2020.

Bitcoin Cash, meanwhile, hasn’t had much of a good run. Its worth has dropped by over 65% since its start back in 2017. More recently, however, it has picked up its pace, running well compared to other top altcoins. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash is worth around $1100.

It’s a common misconception that there’s a competition between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, and that one must be superior to the other. Bitcoin Cash is overall much simpler, more practical and less expensive to use for blockchain transactions. Bitcoin, on the other hand, as the first cryptocurrency is the most widely used coin and is arguably the most valuable store of money in the crypto market. Many understandably refer to it as the “King of Cryptocurrencies.”

With more and more investors and institutions adopting Bitcoin Cash, it has the potential to become the primary tool for international and domestic money transfers. Bitcoin can be used as a store of value and is looked to as the gold standard for digital currencies. Both of these coins, however, have the potential to increase in value and global adoption over time, making them worthwhile investments for any investor to consider. Now that you understand the similarities and differences between these two coins, you can make your decision on whether to invest in one or the other, or even both.

Bitcoin vs. Bitcoin Cash: The Similarities and Differences

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