Chill Guy is a viral meme illustration that took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch a Solana-based token. Learn more here.

What started as a simple illustration of a laid-back dog has become a global meme sensation, with the cartoon character known as Chill Guy dominating both social media trends and cryptocurrency markets. Created by artist Phillip Banks in October 2023, the easygoing canine character sparked a viral movement that has attracted major brands worldwide.

This article follows Chill Guy’s transformation from a social media sensation to a cryptocurrency asset. We'll examine its viral beginnings, community growth, market impact and what potential investors can expect from CHILLGUY in the future.

 is a viral meme illustration by artist Phillip Banks, depicting a laid-back dog in casual clothes whose easygoing attitude took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch Just a Chill Guy as a Solana-based token.

What Does Just a Chill Guy Aim to Achieve?

The CHILLGUY meme coin aims to spread a "Why worry?" philosophy into cryptocurrency markets by embracing the laid-back, stress-free attitude that made the original meme go viral. The project transforms this easygoing vibe into a community-driven token, where being low-key isn't just a catchphrase — it's a shared mindset among holders.

The CHILLGUY community brings this philosophy to life by sharing endless variations of the CHILLGUY meme across social platforms. Through market swings and viral trends, CHILLGUY keeps his iconic pose: hands in pockets, subtle smirk, perpetually relaxed.

Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY) operates as a Solana Program Library (SPL) token on the 

 blockchain, leveraging the network's ultrafast speeds and low costs to ensure smooth trading. The token was created using Pump.fun, a specialized platform that lets users launch Solana-based tokens without any fees, removing traditional barriers to token creation.

CHILLGUY is a community takeover (CTO), meaning it's completely owned and directed by its token holders with no central team in control. This decentralized structure ensures the project stays true to its community-driven nature, its holders collectively guiding its future while embodying the laid-back spirit of the original meme.

The CHILLGUY token launched with a maximum supply of 1 billion tokens, of which 999,965,435 are currently in circulation. This near-complete distribution of tokens to the market supports active trading and community participation.

What makes CHILLGUY's tokenomics particularly notable is its widespread distribution across more than 142,000 unique holders (as of Nov 27, 2024), achieved in just 12 days. This rapid expansion of its holder base demonstrates strong community adoption and aligns with the project's decentralized, community-driven principles.

CHILLGUY has exploded across social media, especially on TikTok, where the meme has amassed hundreds of millions of views. Its laid-back character resonates with users worldwide, inspiring countless creative adaptations.

Major brands worldwide have embraced CHILLGUY in their marketing campaigns. From Sprite Europe to NFL on CBS, the character has resonated across mainstream media, even catching the attention of global figures like El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele.

The “Chill Guy” meme’s influence spans multiple social media platforms, with a growing community of followers: 96.6K on X (

). On the other hand, the meme token itself also has a vast community, with 39.9K on X (

) and an active Telegram channel of over 15,000 members. These numbers reflect the meme's ability to engage audiences across different platforms.

The token's popularity in cryptocurrency markets matches its social media success, with CHILLGUY maintaining a substantial 24-hour trading volume of over $330.03M as of Nov 27, 2024. This high trading activity demonstrates the strong market interest in CHILLGUY beyond its meme status.

Looking to trade Just a Chill Guy tokens? Bybit now offers the CHILLGUY/USDT Spot trading pair and CHILLGUYUSDT Perpetual contract. To get started, you’ll first need to create a Bybit account, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

While CHILLGUY has maintained strong trading volumes and continues gaining mainstream attention through its viral social media presence, investors should carefully weigh its strengths and risk factors before making investment decisions.

With its widespread brand adoption, sustained trading activity and explosive community growth of over 142,000 holders, CHILLGUY demonstrates significant market potential. However, meme coins are inherently volatile. Potential investors should 

 and invest no more than they can afford to lose.

CHILLGUY is the latest viral sensation to harness the power of the attention economy to convert social media momentum into crypto market success. While CHILLGUY has already demonstrated its ability to capture mass appeal, its position as a leading meme token will depend upon how effectively it maintains its cultural relevance and community engagement in this fast-moving market.

Intermediate

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Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY): Embracing the Art of Nonchalance

Zircuit (ZRC) combines optimistic and ZK rollups with AI-driven security, offering fast, low-cost Ethereum Layer 2 solutions. 

 network has flourished, mainly due to the ongoing network congestion, high fees and poor scalability of the latter. Many of these platforms use rollup technology, whereby batches of multiple transactions processed off-chain are bundled together and posted in bulk to the underlying Layer 1. Ethereum-linked rollups mainly come in two varieties 

 (ZK). While optimistic rollups boast lower computational overhead, the ZK variety of these networks features a higher degree of security.

Zircuit (ZRC) is a Layer 2 chain that adopts a hybrid approach, combining the elements of optimistic and 

. This lets the platform offer the performance benefits of optimistic technology along with the security of ZK validity proofs. To further enhance overall security, Zircuit uses a unique 

 (AI)–driven system of monitoring for malicious transactions.

 (ZRC) is a hybrid Layer 2 blockchain that combines the features of optimistic and ZK rollups, and uses AI-driven monitoring for potentially harmful transactions. 

 rollup development technology, a popular framework for building optimistic rollup networks. Additionally, it uses zero-knowledge proofs, which lets the platform offer the best of both worlds 

 the performance benefits of optimistic rollups and the security of ZK technology. Zircuit is 

The Zircuit project takes security very seriously, and has introduced a unique system of AI-based protection against malicious transactions at the sequencer node level. The use of ZK proofs and an AI-based protection system make Zircuit one of the most secure platforms in the competitive world of Ethereum Layer 2 chains.

Along with its excellent security benefits, Zircuit also boasts low costs, fast transactions, excellent scalability and 2-second block production intervals. All these features make it an ideal environment for 

 (DApps) in various niches, particularly 

 (DeFi). In fact, the leading protocols within the Zircuit ecosystem are all dedicated to the finance niche, with Zircuit Staking being the largest application by TVL.

With its heavy focus on DeFi, Zircuit aims to become a leading liquidity hub for various token types within the sector, including 

. These assets can be staked through the Zircuit staking program — supported by the platform's Liquidity Hub — to earn staking APRs, airdrop rewards and points based on the Zircuit Point program (covered further in our article).

The platform also operates a secure native bridging solution, 

, to help users transfer assets between its Layer 2 network and Ethereum Layer 1.

The company behind the project, Zircuit Ltd., was founded in 2021 in Canada by Dr. Martin Derka, Jan Gorzny and Angel Xu. Zircuit's testnet was launched in November 2023, but made headlines in April 2024 when the project reported that its 

 (TVL) had soared past $2 billion. While testnet TVLs are more a gauge of future potential for a blockchain than an indicator of its existing worth, the news attracted the attention of industry observers toward the platform. Following its highly publicized testnet success, Zircuit launched the first phase of its mainnet in August 2024. This was followed by the launch of the platform's native token, ZRC, in November 2024.

As a typical rollup, Zircuit uses an off-chain sequencer node to batch and organize Layer 2 transactions for subsequent posting to the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. The batches have ZK validity proofs attached to them to signal to Layer 1 validators that they’re free from fraudulent transactions. Zircuit's architecture also includes prover nodes, whose job is to produce these validity proofs.

However, unlike other rollups using ZK proofs (also known as validity proofs), Zircuit doesn't generate validity proofs for every block of transactions. Instead, some blocks have pre-generated template proofs, while others go through the process of having a dedicated validity proof created for them. After a few blocks featuring validity proofs, there are several more that utilize template proofs. The image below illustrates this approach.

The key reason Zircuit has adopted this form of proof design is that the process of generating ZK proofs is computationally intensive. By using template proofs for some of the blocks in a sequence, Zircuit can reduce the overall computational overhead. However, the project’s team has stated that the template proof model is temporary, and will be phased out in the future. At that stage, the platform will move to generating ZK proofs for each block.

Zircuit features a highly modular design whereby provers — responsible for generating validity proofs on the platform — can easily be plugged into or removed from the network. This modular approach is distinct from the standard ZK rollup design, in which provers are more tightly and less flexibly integrated into the overall architecture.

As noted earlier, Zircuit uses a dedicated sequencer to organize and batch transactions into blocks. The platform also applies AI-driven monitoring at the sequencer level (the Sequencer Level Security, or SLS) to spot and exclude fraudulent transactions before they’re finalized on Layer 2.

When transactions are first posted to Zircuit, they enter the 

 — a temporary area from which the sequencer picks and organizes individual transactions into blocks. The mempool is being monitored at all times, using AI algorithms to identify suspicious transactions. If a transaction in the mempool raises a flag, it's quarantined and assessed for validity before the sequencer can include it in a block. The image below shows how this process works.

One of the distinct features of Zircuit is its hybrid architecture, which combines the properties of optimistic and ZK rollups. At the base level, Zircuit is built using Optimism's Bedrock development framework, a technology popular for optimistic rollup networks. However, the use of ZK proofs — or, to be more precise, a combination of validity proofs and template proofs — ensures that Zircuit enjoys a security level that standard optimistic rollups normally can't match.

The use of AI-based SLS provides robust security to Zircuit, complementing the already highly secure ZK proof system. Very few Layer 2 networks in the industry currently feature anything similar, making the platform a true pioneer of AI use for sequencer-level operations.

Like any rollup based on Optimism Bedrock, Zircuit enjoys EVM compatibility. This allows for smooth interoperability with the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. EVM compatibility also makes it easy for developers familiar with Ethereum’s environment to develop Zircuit-based DApps, or to port existing Ethereum applications to the platform. Developers can take advantage of technologies commonly used for Ethereum (e.g., the Solidity programming language and the Hardhat development framework) to build Zircuit applications and smart contracts.

Zircuit Bridge is a native bridging solution designed to easily transfer tokens between Ethereum and Zircuit. It boasts high security, low transaction fees and fast transfers, and allows users to move a variety of cryptocurrencies between Ethereum and Zircuit, including ETH, 

) and LRTs like Super Symbiotic LRT (weETHs). As of late November 2024, the total number of cryptos supported by the bridge is close to 30.

Zircuit has launched a reward program called Zircuit Points. Users can earn these Points by staking supported assets, and by participating in the Build to Earn initiative (more on this below). Accumulated points will be converted to ZRC tokens in the future. Points also create the opportunity to qualify for token airdrops.

The primary way for most users to earn Zircuit points is via 

. The Zircuit Staking program lets you stake LSTs, LRTs, popular stablecoins, some wrapped tokens and Ether (ETH) to earn points. Using LSTs and LRTs, you can earn yields (along with native Zircuit staking APRs and Points) from the respective staking and restaking platforms that issue these assets.

Zircuit Points earned via staking have different multipliers, depending upon the asset. For example, Ether has a multiplier of 0.5, while LSTs, LRTs and stablecoins have a multiplier of 1. Multipliers for different LST and LRT assets may be subject to change in the future.

Build to Earn is another way to qualify for Zircuit Points. The program allows developers to contribute to the Zircuit ecosystem and earn Points in a number of ways, including:

Launched in November 2024, ZRC is the platform's native cryptocurrency. It's an 

 asset deployed on both Zircuit and Ethereum Layer 1. ZRC is mainly used for reward distributions, and participation in token airdrops for ecosystem DApps. Currently, transaction fees on the network are paid in Ether. It's possible that, in the future, ZRC might be used for some transaction fee payments.

ZRC is also used for rewards under the Gas Rebate program. As users conduct transactions on the platform, they 

. Zircuit’s Gas Rebate program provides rebates to offset some of the incurred fees. The amount of ZRC earned as a rebate is proportional to the amount spent on gas in ETH; the project's documentation states that for each ETH spent on gas, the user earns 125% in ZRC. All kinds of gas fee payments qualify for the rebate, including ordinary asset transfers and transactions involving interaction with Zircuit DApps.

ZRC is a supply-capped token, with a maximum and total supply of 10 billion. The token's supply allocation shares are as follows:

The ZRC token is available on Bybit's Spot market as a swap pair with USDT (

 to grab a share of the 5 million ZRC prize pool. New users who sign up for a Bybit account and complete identity verification can earn ZRC rewards by accumulating a deposit volume of at least 2,000 ZRC, or by depositing 100 USDT and trading 100 USDT worth of ZRC via their first trade with Bybit. 

Meanwhile, existing users can qualify for ZRC rewards by trading at least 500 USDT worth of ZRC on the Bybit Spot market, with the possibility of earning up to 10,000 ZRC based on trading volume. The 

 event will run through Dec 10, 2024, 8:59AM UTC.

Zircuit is among the pioneering Layer 2 platforms to adopt a hybrid design for a rollup network. Thanks to the platform's architecture, users can take advantage of low transaction costs, fast transfers and great scalability while enjoying the benefits of high security delivered by ZK proofs and AI-driven mempool monitoring. AI-based monitoring for fraudulent transactions is a particularly notable feature of the platform and is undoubtedly among the most advanced technologies employed in the blockchain industry.

User security combined with faster and cheaper transactions for the Ethereum network — all in one package — is now feasible, thanks to Zircuit's innovative technology and unique approach!

Advanced

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What Is Zircuit (ZRC): Where Performance Meets Cutting-Edge Security

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the #Super6Bybit event, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token.

Daily Top Performer — Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.38% as tech stocks dropped and inflation data reinforced a hawkish Fed outlook. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 0.40%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 1.86% and 1.79%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is VIRTUAL, which surged 53.6% following the launch of the $MUSIC token by Agentstarter, featuring AI-driven music video capabilities and community-focused tokenomics.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), founded in 2021, allows users to invest in and co-own AI-driven virtual assets like companions and influencers. Its model fosters community ownership, transforming AI agents into revenue-generating assets across platforms like Roblox and TikTok. The platform attracts contributors from AI and gaming to drive innovation in virtual economies. 

, using AI to create music videos and offering features like animated videos, voice mimicry, and karaoke tracks. The tokenomics allocate 60% for airdrops, 20% for liquidity, and 10% each for the development team and Virtuals Protocol.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the 

, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token. Launched in September 2024, bbSOL is the first exchange-backed Liquid Staking Token on Solana, providing liquidity and staking rewards. The campaign, running from November 28, 2024, to January 6, 2025, invites participants to build, transform, and supercharge their bbSOL through tasks, leaderboards, and community milestones, increasing rewards. The event combines gaming mechanics, community engagement, and opportunities to win prizes while promoting innovation and growth in the crypto space.

Yesterday, there were no flows in BTC Spot ETFs, including GBTC and non-GBTC categories.

. Stake BNB on Lista's portal to get slisBNB, then deposit it into Astherus to earn airdrop points with multipliers (3X for Lista, 1.15X for Astherus). No lockup is required, and slisBNB is the most efficient option.

Beginner

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Bybit Celebrates 6th Anniversary with $1.2M Prize Pool and bbSOL Supercharging Campaign

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events, the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume, and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

ETH has outperformed, bolstered by SEC Chair Gary Gensler's announcement of his Jan 20, 2025 departure, and suggested by growing open interest in ETH perpetual. This positive momentum extends to several large-cap altcoins previously scrutinized by the SEC, as indicated by bullish funding rates for long positions.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

ETH Open Interest Grows While BTC’s Declines

ETH is outperforming BTC following the announcement of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s departure, as evidenced in perpetual swap markets. BTC open interest has decreased from last week's highs, while ETH contracts have increased. Additionally, ETH trade volumes constitute a larger share of daily trading as compared to much of the past six months, despite an overall dip in trade volumes this week. The gradual decline in BTC open interest, without a surge in trading activity, indicates a strategic repositioning, rather than a wave of liquidations.

BTC Option Curve Inversion Deepens as Price Retreats

The pullback in the spot BTC price from the $100K target has led to a flat ATM volatility term structure, with short-tenor options dropping below 60%. 

This trend continues the correlation between term structure inversion and BTC spot price returns observed since the U.S. election on November 5, 2024

. The decline in front-end volatility aligns with lower realized volatility levels. While demand for short-tenor options has moderated, there hasn't been a notable change in open interest for calls or puts. Instead, their growth has stalled at the week's start.

Sentiment in ETH options markets seems moderately more bullish than in BTC's during the recent decline in momentum from the post-election rally. Call options lead in both trading volumes and open interest. 

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Bybit X Block Scholes Crypto Derivatives Analytics Report (Nov 27, 2024): Signal on ETH Outperformance Against BTC Surfaces on Long-Term Contracts

Investing

The best crypto IRA firms to diversify your investments and grow your retirement savings include Bitcoin IRA, iTrustCapital, and BlockMint. Read on to find the best Crypto IRA for you.

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Cryptocurrency as an asset class is finding more ways into traditional investment schemes. It’s now possible to hold crypto under a variety of individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Interest in this option has grown considerably recently when the largest retirement accounts provider, 

, announced plans to offer crypto within its 401(k) accounts. The move is widely viewed as a precursor to making crypto available under the company’s IRAs as well. Boasting significant taxation benefits — such as no capital gains tax, and tax-deductible contributions — crypto IRAs are a new hidden gem for retirement-oriented investors.

IRAs were first introduced by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). They’ve long been the staple of retirement investment for the self-employed, freelancers, small business owners or, in fact, anyone who wants to actively manage their own retirement funds. These accounts differ from the employer-sponsored 401(k), and are based on your own individual contributions. IRAs allow you to invest in a variety of asset classes, typically stocks, bonds, mutual funds and index funds, but also less conventional alternative investments. Cryptocurrency is also a legitimate asset to own under an IRA.

However, traditional IRA providers have long been reluctant to offer crypto or any other high-risk asset class to these accounts. Nevertheless, as often happens, the niche hasn’t remained vacant for too long. Over the last few years, several crypto IRA providers have emerged in the market. These financial companies offer cryptocurrencies within their IRA products. Among the most popular crypto IRA providers are Bitcoin IRA™, iTrustCapital, Alto Solutions and BitIRA™. While the niche of crypto IRA providers is still relatively small, it’s growing fast. Fidelity’s plan to offer crypto in its 401(k) products is also an indicator of traditional IRA providers’ interest in this area.

IRAs have typically been used for the tax advantages they offer. Depending on the type of IRA (of which there are several), your tax benefits will work differently. Out of the variety of IRA types, the two most common ones are standard IRAs, also referred to as traditional IRAs (or simply IRAs), and 

Standard IRAs — IRAs, hereafter — let you make tax-deductible contributions. However, your withdrawals from such an IRA in retirement are not tax-deductible. In contrast, contributions to a Roth IRA are not tax-deductible, but withdrawals you make in retirement are.

The key difference between IRAs and Roth IRAs

The majority of crypto IRA providers offer both IRAs and Roth IRAs. Some providers only have crypto available as an eligible asset class within their retirement account products, while others offer a mix of crypto and various assets.

The market of crypto IRAs is growing by the day, with an increasingly diverse choice of providers and products available to retirement-focused investors. Among this variety, we’ve analyzed and selected the best IRA providers based on six key factors — Bitcoin-specific offers, suitability for beginners, coin variety, suitability for self-directed investments, fees and security — as well as the best overall IRA provider. 

1. Best Overall — Jointly Bitcoin IRA and iTrustCapital

We decided to pick two providers as joint winners for our best overall IRA — 

. In the individual categories below, we’ll take a closer look at these two companies. Bitcoin IRA is our pick in the best Bitcoin-specific investment category, while iTrustCapital is the winner of the low fees category.

We’ve chosen Bitcoin IRA as one of the two best overall IRAs because cryptocurrency investing is still heavily dominated by 

 (BTC). This is particularly relevant for retirement investing, since the majority of 

 are considered more volatile than the world’s first and largest crypto. Thus, it’s not surprising that our best provider for Bitcoin-specific IRAs has been (jointly) crowned as the best overall as well.

As for iTrustCapital, the company’s leadership in the fees category, low barriers to entry for investing and a diversity of assets on offer are its key strengths. These factors help iTrustCapital make crypto IRAs as affordable as possible for diverse segments of investors, something that — in our view — definitely warrants the best overall IRA award.

2. Best For Bitcoin Investors — Bitcoin IRA

Bitcoin IRA is our pick for the best Bitcoin-specific IRA. As a large and well-established provider, Bitcoin IRA is capable of offering a 24/7 trading platform, easy setup, and custody insurance of up to $700 million. You can roll over your existing IRAs, and even 401(k) into an IRA product offered by the company. The company’s main IRA product requires a minimum investment of $3,000.

Bitcoin IRA also features a very secure storage system. Your funds are held in cold storage, and are protected by military-grade security solutions.

due to its balanced combination of key benefits — the platform’s size and established nature, convenient setup, high insurance limits, numerous rollover options, and great security.

3. Best for Beginning Crypto Investors — BlockMint

Investing in crypto, especially via IRAs, is an area that is still not intimately familiar to many people. This unfamiliarity creates uncertainty and a lack of understanding about the options and strategies for crypto IRA investments. That’s why suitability for beginners is a key category we’ve considered in our crypto IRA review.

Among the plethora of crypto IRA providers, California-based 

 stands out for its great service and tools available to beginning investors. When you open an IRA at BlockMint, you’re guided in the process by your personal BlockMint agent, who is a qualified consultant. This is an outstanding feature for novice crypto investors to help them select the most suitable product, crypto assets and investment strategy.

Past the account opening stage, BlockMint continues to guide you on the platform via a multi-channel support system that includes email, phone and online chat. This provides an opportunity for less experienced investors to adjust their portfolios and strategies regularly, something that many beginners, particularly in the retirement investment niche, often fail to do.

Besides comprehensive support for novice investors, BlockMint boasts other advantages: Insurance coverage up to $600 million and military-grade security for funds’ storage.

4. Best Variety of Cryptos Supported — Regal Assets

Though Bitcoin is still the king of the cryptocurrency world, many investors don’t want to limit themselves to this crypto when devising their investment strategies. Investing in multiple cryptos is becoming increasingly accepted, with some investors actively looking for products with as wide a choice of coins as possible.

, a provider of crypto and precious metal investment products, reigns supreme. Regal Assets offers IRAs with which you can choose virtually any crypto to invest in. There are over 20 popular cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), Cardano (ADA), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), and other 

 cryptos listed by Regal Assets as available within its IRAs. Additionally, the company offers the option to add a custom crypto, per your preference — truly a dream for investors keen on holding a diverse bucket of crypto coins.

This provider also offers investment in precious metals — gold, silver, platinum and palladium. You can diversify your IRA investment with Regal Assets by combining cryptocurrencies with these traditional assets. This could be a great option for many retirement-focused portfolios, as precious metals are widely regarded as a “safety net” and a low-risk investment, while crypto is a high-risk/high-growth asset type.

5. Best For Self-Directed Investments — Equity Trust

The majority of IRAs and Roth IRAs offered by traditional retirement investment providers place restrictions on what types of assets you can hold within these products. Typically, IRAs and Roth IRAs invest in cash and cash equivalents, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index funds and 

 (ETFs). These asset classes are considered to be less risky, and thus more suitable for a retirement portfolio.

However, a special class of IRAs and Roth IRAs — Self-Directed IRAs (SDIRAs) — exists to facilitate investment in a wider assortment of asset classes. An SDIRA may be used to hold 

, such as real estate, private equity, commodities, and even mineral lease rights.

Among crypto IRA providers, our pick for the self-directed investments category is 

, a well-known specialist in the niche of alternative investment products. Equity Trust offers investments in cryptocurrency, as well as in a range of other alternative investment assets which include (but aren’t limited to) real estate, private equity and private lending.

The choice of asset classes offered by Equity Trust is probably more diverse than at any other crypto IRA provider. By talking to the company’s consultants, you may further customize your IRA portfolio and inquire about additional, even more exotic, asset types. SDIRAs often give you complete freedom with regard to your portfolio’s composition. The only asset types explicitly prohibited in an SDIRA are life insurance, collectibles and 

Equity Trust offers both IRAs and Roth IRAs for self-directed investments. Companies may also open 401(k) self-directed accounts for their employees.

Lower fees and other affordability factors — e.g., low minimum investment requirements — are among the most important decision variables for many retirement-focused investors. In this critical category, our choice for the best crypto IRA is iTrustCapital, one of the leading crypto IRA providers in the market.

iTrustCapital charges no monthly fee on individual accounts, which include IRAs and Roth IRAs offered by the company. Very few providers in this market offer zero–account fee IRAs. The company also has some of the lowest minimum investment requirements: You can open a crypto IRA at iTrustCapital with only $1,000. The affordability of the platform is a great opportunity for budget-conscious investors to own a crypto IRA product.

iTrustCapital offers investment in around 60 cryptocurrencies, as well as two precious metals, gold and silver. You may combine crypto and precious metals in your IRA product for further diversification of your retirement portfolio. The transaction fee for purchasing cryptocurrency under an IRA is 1%, also among the lowest in the industry. Precious metal purchase fees are $50/oz. for gold and $2.50/oz. for silver.

iTrustCapital doesn’t compromise on the quality of its offerings, either. The company’s IRAs feature insurance coverage of up to $320 million, secure cold storage, and a 24/7 trading platform.

Our last — though definitely not the least critical — category is security. When it comes to your retirement funds, you don’t want any compromises, do you? So, which crypto IRA provider is the best from a security point of view? The major providers all boast cold storage of funds and generous insurance coverage limits. However, in our view, one provider, 

, goes the extra mile to achieve the best security for your crypto IRA funds.

BitIRA has all the bells and whistles you may find in a leading crypto IRA provider, such as insurance coverage (up to $100 million) and cold storage of funds. Additionally, BitIRA has implemented industry-leading security measures to maximally protect your investment. First, the company’s insurance coverage provides “end-to-end protection.” This means that your investment is fully covered against theft, hacking, physical loss, or any other form of damage or destruction at the stages of purchase, storage and movement of your funds.

This end-to-end coverage is quite different from standard insurance, which normally protects your funds only at the stage of purchase.

Second, BitIRA uses multiple layers of encryption and multi-factor authentication to protect your IRA investment. Malicious actors who may try to hack your funds will find it incredibly hard to penetrate the company’s multi-layer security system.

Finally, BitIRA’s process of creating a digital IRA for a customer must be compliant with Level 2 Cryptocurrency Security Standards (CCSS), a stringent security standard created by a leading crypto security certification body — the 

With all these measures in place, you can be certain that your funds held in an IRA product by BitIRA are guarded 24/7 by some of the best protection mechanisms in the industry.

Crypto IRAs allow you to invest in cryptocurrencies or to mix cryptocurrency and other asset classes under the same account. Some providers focus only on cryptocurrency investments. A number of others — for instance, iTrustCapital, Equity Trust and Regal Assets — have a range of different assets on offer in addition to cryptocurrency.

Providers with different asset classes are a great choice for retirement portfolio diversification. However, if your crypto IRA provider exclusively offers cryptocurrency investments, you can still diversify your IRA holdings. A common way to do so is to open a crypto-based IRA at a specialist provider, and another IRA at a traditional provider that lets you invest in stocks, bonds and other conventional financial assets. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t place any restrictions on the number of IRAs you’re allowed to open or hold. As such, you may open two (or even more) accounts in order to diversify your investments.

When thinking about the multi-account strategy, consider two key factors:

As of late 2022, crypto IRA providers offer only fungible cryptocurrencies as an available investment option. NFTs aren’t on the menu! It is possible that with the further development of the crypto IRA industry, NFTs might become a legitimate form of investment under retirement accounts. As it stands now, the use of 

. Many industry professionals doubt that NFTs will be allowed in IRAs, since the IRS specifically prohibits investment in collectibles under these accounts. While there’s no explicit ruling on NFTs yet, they are likely to be regarded as “digital collectibles” by the IRS, making their use in IRAs problematic.

Crypto IRAs offer some significant advantages to retirement-focused investors. The key pros for these investment accounts include:

Crypto IRAs also have some cons or risks associated with them that you’ll need to consider before opening a crypto-focused retirement account. These include:

Crypto IRAs are no longer an exotic or unheard-of choice for retirement investing. This new class of IRA products is growing fast, offering diversification and growth opportunities that weren’t available to retirement-conscious investors just a few years ago.

The IRAs we’ve included in this article all represent a solid alternative for your crypto investment. Your final IRA choice should be determined by which of the six key factors we’ve covered here that you deem to be the most critical.

7 Best Crypto IRA Companies for Diversifying Your Retirement Plan

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