NFT Labs
5 min readDec 21, 2022

What is the difference between altcoins and stablecoins?

Digital change is embraced in all industries, and the latest technological advances that accompany it appear to be diversifying rapidly. People are immediately enticed to invest in such technologies when they recognize their potential. Cryptocurrencies are a perfect example of this behavior since, because of their enhanced fluidity, they provide tremendous investing opportunities. Blockchain technology, which works as a decentralized ledger and serves as the foundation for cryptocurrencies and a variety of other services, governs digital currency.

Following the cryptocurrency explosion, more focus has shifted to altcoins and stablecoins, which have earned a reputation as successful cryptocurrencies. Some argue that Bitcoin and Ethereum stand-alone, but keep in mind that Ethereum is also an altcoin.

What exactly are altcoins?

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to be offered to the market, and it quickly became the industry’s most popular asset. However, since its inception, other digital currencies have emerged, including Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and numerous others. They are referred to as altcoins since they are described as alternatives to Bitcoin. A mining process is required for a variety of altcoins on the market, including security tokens, utility tokens, and mining-based cryptocurrencies.

However, altcoins are essentially identical to Bitcoin but offer different benefits to users. To sell and hold Bitcoin, altcoins, and tokens, investors require a digital wallet and crypto exchanges. The blockchain system underpins both cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin, preserving transaction details to prevent data erasure or manipulation. Altcoins are distinguished by high price volatility and a volatile market. For example, the Ethereum price has dropped slightly in recent months, but crypto experts predict it to rise again now that the Merge has been completed.

What exactly are stablecoins?

Even while altcoins have acquired significant market acceptance, many investors are wary of incorporating them into their portfolios because of their high volatility. Stablecoins were designed by cryptocurrency developers to address the significant volatility and constraints associated with digital currencies. Stablecoins replicate the characteristics of traditional currencies such as the pound, dollar, or euro, and are distinguished by their relative price stability, which facilitates asset transactions. They achieve price stability because they are backed by a reserve asset.

Stablecoins are altcoins, even if their value is tied to an external asset. When you fix a currency to another asset, you guarantee its value and act in the market as needed to keep its price as close to the external asset as possible.

Why are altcoins important in the cryptocurrency market?

Even though altcoins are a minority in the crypto industry in terms of value, they account for nearly the whole market. As a result, investors looking to profit should add altcoins to their portfolios. Altcoins are important in the market because of the potential they provide.

They are cheap investments. Bitcoin and Ethereum are popular, and so expensive, assets, and few investors can afford to buy them. However, the prices of Ethereum and Bitcoin may prevent new investors who lack the capital to participate in high-priced assets. Other cryptocurrencies are more inexpensive, with investors able to purchase them for a few dollars.

They are new digital assets. Altcoins are all new cryptocurrencies that enter the market. As a result, investors looking to diversify their portfolios should keep an eye on altcoins, which have the potential to produce rapid returns. Undiscovered assets, such as cryptocurrencies, offer a distinct type of profit since, unlike Bitcoin, they are more volatile and have yet to develop a market presence, allowing for big price movements.

They aid in portfolio diversity. Because Bitcoin and Ethereum dominate the market, most cryptocurrency investors have them in their portfolios. Those seeking profits, on the other hand, are looking for methods to diversify their portfolios and invest in cryptocurrencies.

Why are stablecoins important in the cryptocurrency market?

Now, let’s talk about stablecoins, which are assets that most people find difficult to express and comprehend. Stablecoins were established to allow people to transfer money between digital currencies. Despite what industry developers claim, no truly spendable digital currency has yet to be built. Cryptocurrency prices are highly unpredictable, making it difficult for businesses to accept them because processing payments via modern standards take a long time. Furthermore, if investors do not convert all their crypto to cash, they are left with assets that may be worth drastically different from one day to the next.

As a result, traders choose to convert their assets to stablecoins and hold them until they are ready to reinvest or convert them into spendable money. The theory behind stablecoins is that they have a fixed value, which is useful for investors. Remember that stablecoins are not financial assets because their value does not change. If it occurred, an arbitrage opportunity would be created. Stablecoins, according to industry analysts, will become a household payment method because they enable quick and efficient payment choices.

Stablecoins come in many types. Stablecoins rely on widespread technology of many kinds. It permits the production of several sorts of stablecoins depending on how it is implemented.

Smart contracts back up public algorithm stablecoins, which rely on automatic defense measures. Basis, IRON, Fei, and Dai are the most well-known algorithm stablecoins.

Centralized enterprises create public reserve-backed stablecoins that are backed by cash-equivalent stablecoin advantages such as commercial papers, deposits, and T-bills.

Private or institutional stablecoins are created by financial and non-financial organizations to ease transactions between internal accounts for users on the same network.

Crypto-collateralized digital currencies are digital currencies that are used as collateral for stablecoins. They are built on protocols that keep their value constant at $1. The most well-known are Havven and MakerDAO.

Non-collateralized stablecoins are not backed by collateral but are like traditional currencies in that they operate in the same way, therefore they are monitored by a central bank.

Commodity-based stablecoins are backed by valuable items such as precious metals and lubricants.

About us:

NFT Labs is a web3 company exploring big ideas in community, utility and engagement to push the crypto, NFT and metaverse space forward. To learn how your organization can participate in the web3 revolution, write to us at hello@itsmyne.club.

We’re backed by leading blockchain institutions including Longhash Ventures, Antler, Oracles Investment Group, and Shima Capital among others. NFT Labs is also the issuer of the MYNE token ($MYNE), a BEP-20 utility token for Itsmyne and partner applications. MYNE serves as the gateway between traditional social media and blockchain-based social economies.