Best crypto to hold for the long term

Thinking
of
going
long
on
crypto?
Check
out
our
list
of
the
best
crypto
to
hold
right
now,
including
Bitcoin
(BTC),
Ethereum
(ETH),
and
Solana
(SOL).

The
rise
of
meme
coins
has
popularized
short-term
crypto
investments,
especially
among
people
looking
for
quick
profits.
A
recent
CoinGecko

report
indicated
that
meme
coins
were
the
most
profitable
cryptocurrencies
in
Q1
2024,
with
popular
ones
posting
average
yields
of
more
than
1312%.

However,
these
coins
have
a
high
risk
of
volatility,
which
may
lead
to
significant
losses.
As
such,
some
hopeful
crypto
investors
would
rather
resort
to
less
hyped
but
relatively
more
stable
crypto
coins
for
long-term
investment. 

But
not
every
cryptocurrency
is
built
for
the
long
haul.
Finding
the
best
cryptos
to
buy
and
hold
requires
some
research
on
your
part.
It
would
help
if
you
examined
their
underlying
fundamentals,
the
size
of
their
ecosystems,
and
their
use
cases
within
and
outside
those
ecosystems. 

Additionally,
you
will
need
to
consider
their
value
proposition
and
potential
for
long-term
growth
and
adoption.
In
this
article,
we
have
considered
all
that
and
created
a
list
of
the
top
5
cryptos
to
hold.
Read
on
to
find
out
more. 

Bitcoin
(BTC)

Having
Bitcoin
on
the
list
of
best
cryptocurrencies
to
hold
long
term
is
a
no-brainer.
Not
only
is
it
the
oldest
cryptocurrency
in
existence,
but
it
boasts
the
highest
market
capitalization,
at
more
than
$1.3
trillion,
which
is
currently
about
53%
of
the
entire
crypto
market’s
value. 

Data
from
the
investment
platform
Curvo

shows
that
Bitcoin
has
delivered
triple-digit
annualized
returns
for
over
ten
years.
It
was
also
among
the
best-performing
assets
globally
between
2011
and
2023,
per
data
collected
by
market
analyst
Charlie
Bilello.

Furthermore,
the
greenlighting
of
spot
Bitcoin
exchange-traded
funds
(ETFs)
in
January
2024
gave
institutional
investors
access
to
the
cryptocurrency,
giving
it
a
measure
of
mainstream

legitimacy.

A
look
at
Bitcoin’s
all-time
price
chart
above
shows
that,
in
between
a
few
dips,
the
coin’s
value
has
increased
over
time
and
is
currently
trading
at
some
of
the
highest
levels
it
has
been
at
since
its
launch
in
2009.

Additionally,
Bitcoin’s
scarcity
makes
it
a
good
candidate
for
those
looking
to
buy
and
hold.
Scarcity
often
breeds
value,
and
only
21
million
Bitcoins
will
ever
exist,
meaning
there’s
a
high
chance
its
price
will
go
up
even
further
in
the
future.
Some
experts
like
ARK
Invest
CEO
Cathie
Wood
have

suggested
the
price
of
Bitcoin
could
rise
to
as
much
as
$1.5
million
by
2030.

Bitcoin’s
biggest
downside
is
that
the
blockchain
wasn’t
built
to
support

decentralized
applications
(dapps)
or
non-fungible
tokens
(NFTs).
As
such,
it
may
limit
its
functionality
and
use
cases
and
disadvantage
it
against
other
blockchains
and
cryptocurrencies. 

Ethereum
(ETH)

Ethereum
is
the
second-largest
crypto
asset
by
market
cap
after
Bitcoin,
and
as
such
it
qualifies
to
be
one
of
the
top
5
crypto
to
hold.
It
has
great
potential
as
a
long
term
investment.
The
project
offers
a
wide
range
of
utilities,
a
solid
use
case,
and
ongoing
improvements. 

The
blockchain’s
total
value
locked
(TVL)
currently
exceeds
$64
billion,
nearly
three
times
more
than
its
next
five
competitors
combined.

Furthermore,
since
its
launch
in
2014,
when
ETH
changed
hands
at
just
$0.31,
the
token
has
shown
impressive
growth.
It
reached
a
new
all-time
high
(ATH)
in
2021
but
then
experienced
a
decline
during
the
2022
crypto
winter.
However,
2023
saw
a
rebound,
with
ETH
hitting
a
yearly
high
of
$2,120
in
April. 

2024
has
been
a
strong
year
so
far,
with
ETH
nearing
its
all-time
high
again
in
March
when
it
reached
$4,067.

According
to

data
from
CoinGecko,
if
you
bought
ETH
a
year
ago
and
held
on
to
it,
your
investment
would
have
been
up
nearly
100%
at
the
time
of
this
writing.

When
deciding
whether
to
buy
and
hold
ETH,
it’s
crucial
to
consider
its
long-term
utility,
which
is
among
the
best
in
the
crypto
space.
Not
only
does
it
house
a
large
chunk
of
the
dapp
and
decentralized
finance
(defi)
sectors,
but
its
ERC20
standard
is
used
by
some
of
the
most
engaging
projects
in
crypto,
including
meme
coins
such
as
Pepe
(PEPE),
Shiba
Inu
(SHIB),
and
Floki
(FLOKI).

Additionally,
the
recent
approval
of
Ethereum
ETFs
by
the
U.S.
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission
(SEC)
also
bodes
well
for
ETH’s
future.
Considering
all
of
the
above,
Ethereum
makes
sense
as
a
crypto
that
you
can
buy
and
hold.

Best
altcoins
to
hold

Solana
(SOL)

Aside
from
the
crypto
heavyweights
Bitcoin
and
Ethereum,
one
of
the
best
altcoins
to
hold
could
be

Solana.
The
coin
saw
significant
growth
in
the
first
quarter
of
2024,
moving
from
the
$83
range
in
January
to
more
than
$202
in
April. 

With
a
market
cap
north
of
$76
billion
and
daily
trading
volumes
consistently
above
$2
billion,
per
data
from
CoinGecko,
Solana’s
market
activities
indicate
strong
investor
confidence.

The
blockchain
was
designed
for
high-speed,
high-volume
transactions
at
lower
costs,
and
it
supports
tens
of
thousands
of
transactions
per
second.
This
makes
it
a
serious
contender
to
Ethereum
for
dapps,
decentralized
finance
protocols,
and
non-fungible
tokens. 

Furthermore,
the
growing
demand
for
faster
and
cheaper
transactions
could
drive
Solana’s
adoption,
which
many
expect
to
continue
expanding
as
more
use
cases
emerge.

Despite
aiming
for
high
security
and
transparency,
Solana
has
faced
several
network
outages
and
performance
issues,
raising
concerns
about
its
reliability.
Additionally,
its
association
with

Sam
Bankman-Fried,
the
disgraced
founder
of
FTX,
negatively
impacted
its
reputation
and
led
to
a
drop
in
its
price.

However,
the
coin
still
registered
impressive
growth
over
the
last
year.
CoinGecko’s
data
shows
that
anyone
who
bought
SOL
a
year
ago
and
held
it
would
have
been
nearly
690%
richer
at
the
time
of
this
writing.

Solana
currently
has
the
fourth-largest
TVL
amongst
blockchains
and
boasts
a
$230
billion
ecosystem,
per

figures
from
CoinMarketCap.
Additionally,
it
has
introduced
valuable
use
cases
such
as
Solana
Pay,
which
allows
consumers
and
merchants
to
connect
directly
via
the
blockchain,
handling
transactions
in
SOL
or
a
stablecoin
with
instant
settlement
and
virtually
no
fees.

The
blockchain
is
also
exploring
the
mobile
space.
In
2022,
it
launched
the
Saga,
a
web3-enabled
smartphone
aimed
at
onboarding
more
users
to
crypto
by
making
it
easier
to
interact
with
decentralized
applications.

Given
Solana’s
current
fundamentals
and
ongoing
developments,
many
experts
see
it
as
one
of
the
best
coins
for
holding.
A
VanEck

report
from
October
2023
even
predicted
a
staggering
10,600%
price
rally
for
Solana
by
2030,
potentially
putting
its
price
around
the
$3,200
range.

Chainlink
(LINK)

Another
altcoin
that
could
be
worth
a
long-term
punt
is
Chainlink
(LINK).
It
has
seen
a
meteoric
rise
from
its
modest
beginnings
at
$0.29,
achieving
a
staggering
4,790%
increase
between
2018
and
2023.
When
considering
Chainlink’s
all-time
high
of
$52.88,
the
increase
becomes
an
incredible
18,134%.

At
the
time
of
writing,
LINK
was
priced
at
$17.99,
with
a
daily
trading
volume
of
$558.4
million.
Though
currently
65%
lower
than
its
ATH
price,
its
year-to-date
performance
is
still
a
solid
178%,
with
a
30-day
gain
of
38.7%
as
of
May
31,
2024.

Chainlink
boasts
a
market
capitalization
of
$10.7
billion,
indicating
its
robust
potential
for
future
growth.
Although
this
market
cap
pales
in
comparison
to
Bitcoin’s
current
$1.3
trillion
valuation,
some
feel
that
LINK’s
potential
and
utility
could
surpass
Bitcoin,
which
primarily
functions
as
a
decentralized
store
of
value.

While
predicting
the
market
may
be
challenging
due
to
its
volatility,

Chainlink
boasts
numerous
core
strengths
and
innovations
that
could
cement
its
long
term
position
in
the
blockchain
and
defi
space.

It
offers
a
decentralized
oracle
network
that
connects
smart
contracts
on
blockchain
platforms
to
real-world
data
sources.
This
decentralized
structure
eliminates
single
points
of
failure,
enhancing
security
by
using
a
distributed
network
of
node
operators.

The
platform
is
extensively
used
in
defi
to
integrate
real-world
data
into
decentralized
applications
and
smart
contracts.
It
is
crucial
for
price
feeds,
lending
protocols,
insurance
products,
and
more
within
the
defi
ecosystem.

Additionally,
Chainlink
has
partnered
with
Google
Cloud
to
bring
decentralized
oracle
capabilities
to
the
cloud
platform,
enabling
smart
contract
developers
to
integrate
real-world
data
seamlessly.

It
has
also
integrated
with
the
Tezos
blockchain
and
has
a
significant
presence
on
the
Binance
Smart
Chain
(BSC).
On
Tezos,
Chainlink
is
used
to
enhance
Tezos-based
smart
contracts
with
secure
and
reliable
off-chain
data
while
providing
decentralized
oracle
services
for
BSC
ecosystem
projects.

Another
collaboration
that
could
solidify
Chainlink’s
position
in
mainstream
financial
services
and
its
long
term
future
is
the
one
it
has
with
SWIFT,
which
aims
to
connect
traditional
banking
systems
with
smart
contracts
through
secure
and
reliable
data
feeds.

Considering
all
of
the
above,
it
is
not
unreasonable
to
think
Chainlink
may
have
a
secure
long
term
future
and
could
possibly
be
one
of
the
best
altcoins
to
hold.

Avalanche
(AVAX)

Avalanche
(AVAX)
is
a
layer-1
blockchain
launched
in
2020.
It
was
spearheaded
by
software
engineers
Emin
Gun
Sirer,
Kevin
Sekniqi,
and
Maofan
Yin.
They
designed
it
with
smart
contract
capabilities,
positioning
it
as
a
challenger
to
Ethereum.

Over
the
past
year,
AVAX
has
surged
by
over
156%,
thanks
to
its
solid
market
position,
robust
fundamentals,
and
high
network
performance,
often
rivaling
Ethereum
in
key
benchmarks. 

The
recent
surge
in
the
cryptocurrency
market,
including
major
coins
like
BTC
and
ETH,
has
also
bolstered
AVAX. 

At
#13
on
the
list
of
the
largest
cryptocurrencies
by
market
cap,
AVAX
is
possibly
among
the
best
cryptos
to
buy
and
hold.
Several
factors
drive
us
to
this
conclusion. 

For
one,
the
network
has
secured
partnerships
with
established
projects
and
companies
like
Chainlink,
BiLira,
and
Biconomy.
This
has
attracted
many
users
and
developers,
rapidly
expanding
its
ecosystem.
The
blockchain
is
also
used
for
GameFi
projects
that
merge
online
gaming
with
decentralized
finance.

Avalanche
has
also
teamed
up
with
payment
firm
Stripe
to
simplify
crypto
on-ramping.
The
partnership,
announced
in
April
2024,
is
meant
to
enable
users
to
engage
with
dapps
on
Avalanche
by
purchasing
AVAX
directly
through
Stripe
within
the
Core
wallet,
Avalanche’s
native
wallet
and
portfolio
application.
Analysts
have
suggested
that
this
integration
could
give
Avalanche
a
wider
reach. 

Looking
at
its
roadmap,
the
network
is
also
poised
to
introduce
further
innovations
and
improvements,
enhancing
scalability
through
subnets,
expanding
interoperability
with
other
blockchain
ecosystems,
and
continuously
improving
user
and
developer
experiences. 

While
Ethereum
currently
operates
on
a
much
larger
scale,
Avalanche’s
scalability
may
offer
it
a
long
term
advantage,
especially
if
Ethereum
delays
its
speed
and
scaling
enhancements.
If
that
were
the
case,
then
it
could
see
Avalanche
take
away
some
business
from
Ethereum,
consequently
growing
its
own
ecosystem. 

Considering
all
the
above,
analysts
have

predicted
that
the
price
of
AVAX
could
potentially
go
up
to
as
high
as
$478
by
2030,
making
it
a
good
option
for
those
looking
for
crypto
coins
for
long
term
investment. 

Conclusion

As
we
have
seen,
the
allure
of
meme
coins
and
their
astronomical
gains
might
be
tempting;
however,
they
come
with
substantial
risks
and
volatility.
So,
for
those
eyeing
the
best
cryptocurrencies
to
hold
long-term,
focusing
on
coins
with
solid
fundamentals,
robust
ecosystems,
and
clear
use
cases
is
essential. 

The
cryptocurrencies
listed
here,
from
the
pioneering
Bitcoin
and
Ethereum
to
promising
altcoins
like
Solana,
Chainlink,
and
Avalanche,
all
exhibit
characteristics
that
suggest
significant
long-term
potential. 

Keep
in
mind,
though,
that
this
is
not
financial
advice.
You
should
conduct
thorough
research
and
consider
the
value
propositions
and
growth
prospects
of
these
cryptos
before
investing
in
any
of
them.

FAQ