Decided SOL is a good investment? You can get SOL on SoFi today!
Decentralized finance (DeFi) is becoming increasingly popular. Many believe that DeFi is where a majority of the uses for crypto can be created. However, some blockchains, such as Ethereum, that allow for the use of DeFi protocols have issues with transaction fees and scalability.
Solana is attempting to fix the shortcomings of Ethereum by providing low transaction fees and ease of adoption. Learn more about Solana (SOL) now.
What Is Solana (SOL)?
Solana is a blockchain that looks to use decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts with improved scalability of blockchain networks. Its uses range from music streaming to non-fungible tokens (NFTs.)
The blockchain combines micropayments with a proof-of-history (PoH) and proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus model to verify its millions of micro transactions. SOL is the native utility token and allows users to process transactions and stake for rewards.
The Solana founders stated that the SOL supply would be capped at 489 million tokens. With currently around 300 million tokens in circulation, millions of tokens are still to be minted.
Solana currently uses a combination of a PoS and a PoH consensus model to verify transactions. PoS works by employing validators who own SOL to lock their investment on the blockchain. They can then verify the legitimacy of transactions and earn rewards for doing so. The chain holds the token as collateral so they punish those who do not validate correctly.
PoH is a relatively new concept that Solana is employing in coordination with its PoS system. Solana is one of the only blockchains to use it, and it is working very well. The Solana chain keeps a time record of all transactions and then divides up the validation process using a verifiable delay function (VDF.) PoS does not have a clear sequence of transactions in terms of time. By combining the 2 consensus models, Solana is able to process transactions much faster and more efficiently.
Solana (SOL) Price History
SOL has a market capitalization of around $65 billion. It is currently the 6th most popular cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization. In October 2021, it is currently trading around $200 per token.
SOL skyrocketed this year, going from just over $1 to a high of nearly $220. If you invested at the SOL’s low in early 2021, you could have seen a return of over 20,000% on your investment.
SOL is currently trading near its all time highs, which happened in late October 2021.
Solana (SOL) Competition
Solana’s main competition is Ethereum. Both chains use smart contracts and dApps to facilitate DeFi projects. However, the chains differ in terms of uses, scalability and verification.
Solana is much more efficient for sending and receiving micropayments as it offers much lower transaction fees. Because of this, projects on the Solana chain are often related to exchanges and lending. Exchanges process millions of transactions a day, so low transaction fees can save investors large amounts of money.
One project that takes advantage of low transaction fees is SolFarm. SolFarm allows for yield farming, which is essentially a way for users to lend cryptocurrency and earn rewards. SolFarm uses the low fees on the Solana network to provide very high interest rates on crypto. As of late October 2021, the highest APY offered is 350%.
Ethereum looks to use its chain on a larger scale, with a lower emphasis on everyday payments. One use is in real estate. The chain can potentially use NFTs to verify ownership and smart contracts to automate the buying process. Also, many high-net-worth traders use Ethereum because it’s the most secure blockchain platform. However, Ethereum transaction fees can be very expensive and prevent mass use of the chain.
Solana is much more scalable than Ethereum, mostly due to lower fees. Ethereum fees can easily surpass $30 per transaction, whereas Solana transaction fees average around $0.00025. This difference means more users will want to execute trades on the Solana network, as it is less costly for them. It is not efficient to pay over $30 every time you want to make a trade, especially for investors without large amounts of capital.
As of right now, Ethereum uses a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus model. The chain uses computing power to verify transactions. Ethereum currently uses PoW but has plans to switch to PoS in 2022. Solana’s combination of PoS and PoH is much more energy efficient than Ethereum and allows for lower transaction fees.
How to Buy Solana (SOL)
Solana is becoming increasingly popular. Its market cap and number of users have greatly increased over the past year. Because of this, it is available on a variety of prominent crypto brokerages.
The 3 main crypto brokerages that offer SOL are Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN), Crypto.com and SoFi Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFI). These brokerages offer a combination of education, consolidation of finance and ease of use. Creating an account is fairly easy. Once you sign up using an email and password, you provide some basic personal information. This process typically takes around 5 to 10 minutes, and you can begin trading afterwards.
Each brokerage differs slightly, so it is important to research each one before deciding on which to use.
SoFi takes a modern approach to personal finance. It recently created buzz with the release of SoFi Crypto, a way to trade cryptocurrency on the app. The platform allows investors to familiarize themselves with crypto. It offers a high level of security, great customer support and an intuitive interface. However, it does have shortcomings with the number of cryptos offered and geographic restrictions.
Best For
- Beginners
- Centralization of your money
- Charges low or no fees for some functions within the interface.
- Relies on Coinbase, a very secure platform, to process transactions.
- Presents a low barrier of entry — you only need $10 to start trading.
- Currently only offers 28 coins.
Coinbase is one of the Internet’s largest cryptocurrency trading platforms. From Bitcoin to Litecoin or Basic Attention Token to Chainlink, Coinbase makes it exceptionally simple to buy and sell major cryptocurrency pairs.
You can even earn cryptocurrency rewards through Coinbase’s unique Coinbase Earn feature. More advanced traders will love the Coinbase Pro platform, which offers more order types and enhanced functionality.
Though Coinbase doesn’t offer the most affordable pricing or the lowest fees, its simple platform is easy enough for complete beginners to master in as little as a single trade.
Best For
- New cryptocurrency traders
- Cryptocurrency traders interested in major pairs
- Cryptocurrency traders interested in a simple platform
- Simple platform is easy to operate
- Comprehensive mobile app mirrors desktop functionality
- Coinbase Earn feature rewards you with crypto for learning about available coins
- Higher fees than competitors
Best Hardware Wallet For Solana (SOL)
While crypto brokerages can allow for an easy experience buying cryptocurrency, they may not be the safest location to store crypto. Hardware wallets offer an extra level of security for your crypto investments.
Best Hardware Wallet: Ellipal Titan
The Ellipal Titan hardware wallet is a powerful tool that offers both a hardware and software walle, allowing you to store crypto on a mobile app or on a physical device. The physical device offers a full touch screen where you can view your crypto holdings. It is very sleek and looks much like a phone.
The platform supports 41 chains and over 10,000 tokens, so there is a high probability that it is compatible with any token you may want to store.
Cryptocurrency Market Outlook
In late October 2021, many cryptocurrencies saw new all-time highs. The charge was led by Bitcoin, which rose to record highs above $66,000.
Some believe that this is the beginning of another crypto bull run, while others believe that there will be a fall from these highs. Either way, the crypto market is very volatile, and all trades should be made with risk tolerance in mind.
Is Solana (SOL) a Good Investment?
Solana is a chain that looks to combat the issues of chains like Ethereum. If Solana can expand its uses, it may be able to compete with larger chains. However, Ethereum is hoping to fix some of its shortcomings. If Ethereum can become more scalable in 2022, Solana may not be as useful as it is now.
Benzinga crafted a specific methodology to rank cryptocurrency exchanges and tools. We prioritized platforms based on offerings, pricing and promotions, customer service, mobile app, user experience and benefits, and security. To see a comprehensive breakdown of our methodology, please visit see our Cryptocurrency Methodology page.
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