The crypto market grew from $1.49 billion in 2020 to $1 trillion in 2021. Over the same period, crypto investing also gained much momentum. Approximately 106 million people are investing in cryptocurrencies currently, along with institutions like Tesla, Microsoft, Paypal, Twitter, and more engaging with it.
But why is everybody rushing towards cryptocurrencies?
Why Invest in Cryptocurrencies?
There could be many reasons to invest in cryptocurrencies, but any investment’s primary objective is to generate returns.
However, ‘returns’ are the outcome of adding value. In short – any investment will only grow in monetary terms if it adds value. Cryptocurrencies are built on the disruptive technology called the blockchain.
Today, the internet has become centralized. A few big players control everything that we see and do. It is harmful because we are at their mercy to do the right thing with their power. Blockchain is here to change that by decentralizing everything. It will give you the remote of what you see and do.
Hence, investors are looking at cryptocurrencies as a potential investment opportunity as it is forecasted that the world will eventually become decentralized.
Top 10 Benefits of Investing In Cryptocurrency
No matter the size of your portfolio, you must consider investing in cryptocurrencies. Most people are afraid of the volatility and hence stay away from it. However, they do not realize the true benefits of investing in cryptocurrency. Following are the few advantages of cryptocurrency.
1. Potential for high returns
One of the primary benefits of investing in cryptocurrency is that they have high growth and thus high return potential.
They have been a top-performing asset over the past few years. For instance, Bitcoin and Ethereum have grown approximately 1000% and 500% in the last five years, respectively. Compared to that, the stock market index of Nifty 50 has only increased about 65% over the last 5 years. However, like with any other investment, there are risks involved with crypto investments, too, that one must be aware of.
2. Global market
Unlike the stock markets, the crypto market is global. There are two ways to look at this –
First, the stock market concept was introduced to different geographies at different points in time. The New York Stock Exchange was launched in 1792, while the Bombay Stock Exchange was launched in 1875. This gave NYSE a headstart over BSE. Effectively, the investors in the former market also got early exposure to the investment opportunities. On the other hand, crypto being global was introduced to the world at large and not to specific geographies. It gave an equal chance for people across to invest.
Secondly, it is still complicated for people to invest in foreign markets, thereby limiting investment opportunities by geographies. However, anybody can invest in projects in any part of the world with cryptocurrencies.
3. Deflationary
Inflation refers to the decline in the value of money. For instance, $1 could get you a lot more in the 1900s than it can today because inflation decreased its value. It happens for many economic reasons, the most common being printing more money. So paper money is inflationary.
However, some cryptos are deflationary; over time, their value increases. For example, Bitcoin. 1 Bitcoin was worth $2000 in 2017, and now it is worth $19000. It is possible because Bitcoin has a limited supply of 21 million, unlike paper money.
4. Easier to buy and sell
With the emergence of many crypto platforms, it has become very easy to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Some platforms let you buy cryptos in just a few clicks. Concepts like staking and yield farming have also emerged, which help crypto investors earn interest on their holdings.
5. Accessible 24×7
Money never sleeps. This is a typical dialogue echoed in major financial cities like London and New York. Yet the stock markets and banks are open only 8 hours a day and closed on weekends. What if you have an emergency in the middle of the night and need funds? What if your family is in a different country and suddenly needs funds on the weekend? You cannot rely on stock markets to liquidate your investments or the banks to transfer money in such citations.
Fortunately, you can trust cryptos. Cryptocurrencies are accessible 24×7, 365 days a year. You can buy or sell cryptos anytime as the exchanges are open 24×7, including weekends. You can also transfer money to your friends and family in an hour of need without relying on banks or other intermediaries. This is one of the important benefits on investing in cryptocurrency.
6. High degree of security when making transactions
Cryptocurrency transactions are encrypted using cryptography. It ensures that only authorized people have access to your data.
By being built on blockchain technology, it is also very difficult to transact fraudulent transactions with cryptocurrencies. Everyone on the blockchain network has a copy of all the transactions on the network. If anybody tries to make a false transaction, others would know.
Cryptocurrency transactions are also immutable. Once a transaction is recorded, it cannot be edited, thus preventing tampering with records.
7. Fast and efficient
Have you ever tried to transfer money abroad? To give you context, it might take up to 2 days to transfer money from India to New York, USA. This is because of a lengthy chain of intermediaries that the transaction must go through. Cryptocurrency disrupts this entire segment.
You can transfer cryptocurrencies globally within minutes and at a fraction of the cost compared to regular bank transfers. Hence, making it faster and more efficient. This is a great benefit for investing in cryptocurrencies as its applications for global payments might have huge potential.
8. Pseudonymity (Private)
Though blockchain transactions are public, they are pseudonymous. Every user has a public and a private address that identifies them. They are a 26-35 character long alphanumeric text. A public address is your pseudonym identity through which all your transactions are identified and can be shared with others to transfer cryptos to you. Whereas a private address is through which you access your cryptos.
Private and public addresses ensure that the transactions are confidential.
9. Control over your assets
There are two keys – a public key and a private key, required to access your digital wallet (just like a locker in the bank). This digital wallet has all your crypto holdings. The public key is held by your crypto exchange (for eg, if you invest through Mudrex, Mudrex has the public key). All you need is the password or the private key to your digital wallet to access your crypto holdings from anywhere and anytime.
No one can access your account with either one key. So even if someone can breach the public key, they will not be able to access your crypto holdings without your private key. Think of it as a combination lock. This gives you complete control over your assets.
10. They are digital
You don’t have to worry about pick-pocketers with cryptos, you know. As mentioned above, the high privacy of the blockchain makes it impossible for anyone to steal your cryptocurrency. And since it is entirely digital, you do not have to carry around a wallet, worry about dropping it or pickpocketing. As long as you remember the login credentials to your digital wallet, you can access your money from anywhere.
How to Choose the Right Cryptocurrency & Platform for Investment?
Everyone has a different level of risk appetite and goals with their investments. Hence choosing the right cryptocurrency varies from person to person. It isn’t wise to copy-paste what others are doing. Learn about the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies and shortlist cryptocurrencies based on your risk tolerance and objectives.
Regarding how one should select their investment platform, you should primarily look at three things.
- The platform should be reliable and trustworthy
- What does the fee structure of the platform look like? Fees can really add up!
- If their product is helping you with your investments
If you are looking for a good crypto investment platform that fits the bill, you might want to check out Mudrex. We are backed by Y combinator and have over 500,000 users on our platform. The fees on our offerings are very minimal. Through our flagship product, Coin Sets, we strive to simplify crypto investments for people. They are a basket of cryptos curated by experts based on various themes, ready for you to invest.
How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud While Investing?
The easiest way to protect yourself from scams and fraud while investing is to DYOR (Do your own research). The internet is filled with self-proclaimed gurus and crypto experts. Do not follow anyone blindly while making investment decisions.
Additionally, if you are unsure of individual projects and tokens, as a beginner, you may opt for other financial products that will let you invest in cryptos wisely—for instance, Coin Sets.
Cryptocurrencies Are the Future
Cryptocurrencies are based on blockchain technology which is a decentralised network. It has massive potential to eliminate the dependency on any centralised authority.
Despite all the benefits of investing in cryptocurrencies, you must remember that all investments carry risk. Cryptocurrency investments too. However, you should not let the fear of risk keep you away from investing in them.
FAQs:
1. Is investing in cryptocurrency a good investment?
Yes, investing in cryptocurrency could turn out to be the right choice. They are an emerging asset class. With the wider adoption of cryptos and the web 3.0, the demand for cryptos may rise steeply. As a smart investor, you should take the early mover advantage by investing in them.
2. Can you get rich by investing in cryptocurrency?
Just to be clear, cryptos are not lottery tickets. They will not make you rich overnight. However, if you invest wisely by conducting your research or using structured products like Coin Sets, you may earn handsome returns on your crypto holdings.
3. Is Bitcoin a risky investment?
All investments carry risk. Bitcoin also carries various market risks like volatility. However, you should not be afraid of it. Bitcoin has had a couple of steep downturns but has always managed to bounce back.
4. Which cryptocurrency should I invest in, in 2022?
Choosing the right crypto can be a challenging task. Everyone has different needs and goals; thus, not all cryptos are suitable for all. As a beginner, you may invest in widely acclaimed blue-chip cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum, etc.
5. How do you choose a good cryptocurrency to invest in?
It’s simple – you do your own research (DYOR). First, understand your risk appetite and set an investment goal. Then conduct fundamental research on the cryptos or projects you are interested in. Good crypto investment is the one that matches your risk profile and goals.
