Latest news with #Cardano
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Got $500? 3 Riskier Cryptocurrencies to Buy and Hold for Decades
Key Points Solana could draw in more developers with the speed of its transactions. Cardano's recent ecosystem upgrades could make it a lot more useful. XRP could gain momentum as a bridge currency for cross-border transfers. 10 stocks we like better than Solana › Many investors flocked back to cryptocurrencies during the past year as lower interest rates made speculative investments more attractive again. Earlier this month, I said the two big blue-chip cryptocurrencies -- Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) -- were still great places to park $1,000 for a few decades. But today, I'll take a look at three riskier cryptocurrencies -- Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA), and XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) -- that could also have a bright future. While they might be a bit riskier than Bitcoin or Etherereum, they might be worth a more modest $500 investment. Solana Solana's blockchain blends together the energy-efficient proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism used by Ethereum with its own proof-of-history (PoH) mechanism. That combination gives it a theoretical top speed of 65,000 transactions per second (TPS), compared to Ethereum's theoretical maximum speed of just 30 TPS. In real world transactions, which are limited by network congestion and other factors, Solana has a daily average speed of over 1,400 TPS -- compared to Ethereum's average speed of 19 TPS. As a PoS blockchain, Solana supports the development of decentralized apps (dApps) and other crypto assets through its smart contracts. Since it's faster than Ethereum and other PoS blockchains, it's becoming a popular platform for building decentralized finance (DeFi) apps and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Visa, Shopify, and other companies have also integrated Solana Pay (its peer-to-peer payment protocol for accepting stablecoins, Solana, and other Solana-based tokens) into their own digital ecosystems. Solana is an inflationary token with no maximum supply, so it can't be valued by its scarcity like Bitcoin. But the growth of its ecosystem could gradually boost its value. Artemis Analytics estimates that Solana only serves about 1.5 million daily active users (DAUs) today, but VanEck thinks it could eventually rise to more than 100 million DAUs in the next five years in a bull case scenario. We should take that rosy outlook with a grain of salt, but Solana could still have plenty of room to grow. Cardano Cardano, which was created by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, is another PoS blockchain that supports the development of decentralized apps. Like Solana, Cardano is faster than Ethereum with a daily average speed of about 250 TPS. By deploying its new "hydra heads," which process some of its transactions off-chain to alleviate the congestion on its main blockchain, it aims to achieve average speeds more than 1,000 TPS. The deployment of those heads could make Cardano a more popular platform for the development of DeFi, gaming, and enterprise apps. Its new Mithril protocol, which aggregates all of the data across its blockchain into a single compressed index -- should further improve its accessibility for users and developers. It also recently enabled the transfer of Bitcoin assets on its own blockchain, and that upgrade could draw more Bitcoin-backed stablecoins to its ecosystem and support the growth of its DeFi apps. Cardano is an inflationary token, but its speed and recent upgrades could make it a more attractive platform for developers. Assuming that happens, its price might stabilize and rise over the next few decades as it catches up to blue-chip cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum. XRP XRP is a cryptocurrency created by the founders of the fintech company Ripple Labs. Its entire supply of 100 billion tokens was mined before its launch in 2012, and Ripple sold those tokens to fund its own expansion. Those sales caught the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which sued Ripple for allegedly selling unregistered securities. Those lawsuits dragged on until last year, when a court slapped Ripple with a lighter-than-expected fine and ruled that XRP wasn't an unlicensed security when sold to individual investors. That mostly favorable ruling drew back a stampede of bulls. XRP was relisted on the major crypto exchanges, Grayscale relaunched its XRP Trust as a closed-end fund (CEF), and several crypto firms submitted their applications for XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But looking beyond that near-term boost, XRP still has other irons in the fire. Ripple is promoting the usage of XRP as a bridge currency to speed up foreign currency transactions (by temporarily converting both currencies into XRP) at lower fees. It also launched pilot programs with several central banks to use XRP to bridge the liquidity between their national central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and it recently applied for a U.S. banking license, which would enable it to integrate XRP into more cross-border transfers. To make it more relevant with developers, it's been adding support for lightweight smart contracts (mainly used for payments instead of apps) to its blockchain. The rapid expansion of that ecosystem could drive XRP's price higher during the next few decades. Should you buy stock in Solana right now? Before you buy stock in Solana, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Solana wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025 Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, Shopify, Solana, Visa, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Got $500? 3 Riskier Cryptocurrencies to Buy and Hold for Decades was originally published by The Motley Fool
Business Insider
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
EMURGO Opens Registration for the New Cardano Card – A Smarter Way to Spend Crypto
EMURGO is now accepting registrations for the upcoming Cardano Card — a next-gen crypto card built to make digital assets more useful in everyday life. Users can think of it as their all-in-one key to the future of on-chain finance: Spend their crypto, earn rewards, and unlock new Cardano-native features — all from one sleek card. What is the Cardano Card? At launch, it's a custodial, multi-chain card that lets you spend ADA, BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, and USDT, and many more. Soon after, self-custody and yield-bearing options are in the works — because crypto shouldn't force users to choose between control, convenience, or earning. Whether someone is a Cardano power user or just curious, the Cardano Card gives: Seamless global spending with top crypto assets On-chain rewards (yes, including ADA-back) Staking access directly through the card Airdrop eligibility for active users Optional borrowing using ADA as collateral Full transparency and control over your funds And here's a twist Cardano users will love: A portion of the profits from the Cardano Card is intended for donation to the Cardano Treasury — meaning the more a user swipes, the more they support the network's future. The card rollout begins with a limited early interest cohort — so for anyone that wants in, sign up is now available at and follow @thecardanocard on X to get the latest drops. A smarter, faster, and more Cardano-native way to spend crypto is coming. About EMURGO EMURGO is a co-founding entity of the Cardano Blockchain that drives the commercial adoption of blockchain technology and asset tokenization. Through strategic investments, partnerships, and infrastructure development, EMURGO connects traditional finance and Web3, enabling trust, scalability, and the tokenization of real-world assets. To connect and learn more, visit Disclaimer Users should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by EMURGO to invest. Contact VP of Marketing nathaniel@
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Better Cryptocurrency to Buy Right Now: Cardano vs. Solana
Key Points Solana is gaining traction in multiple cryptocurrency segments at the same time. Cardano is struggling to bootstrap its decentralized finance ecosystem. Emerging growth segments could make an opening that disrupts the dynamics here. 10 stocks we like better than Solana › Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) both promise high performance, but only one is already zipping along the fast lane while the other still hugs the shoulder. If you are looking for an investment in crypto today, you need to know which is which, so let's dive in and take a look. Solana is already taking off When it comes to good user experience (UX) in crypto, the best that most investors and users can hope for are blockchains that are lightning-quick and so cheap to use that they're nearly free. Transactions on Solana cost roughly $0.0008 at recent prices, and most transactions close in less than a second. Cardano's average fee, in contrast, climbed to $0.29 in first-quarter 2025 as on‑chain activity fell, and its settlement times can be between 15 seconds and a full minute, which is enough to cause a bit of friction for users. Solana's better tech leads to more adoption, more decentralized application (dApp) usage, and more capital hosted on its chain. Solana generated $271 million in network revenue in the second quarter, its third quarter in a row leading all chains. It also matched every other Layer-1 (L1) and Layer-2 (L2) chain combined in monthly active wallet addresses during June. As if that weren't enough, Solana's decentralized finance (DeFi) total value locked (TVL) sits near $9.3 billion, second only to Ethereum. Underpinning that DeFi ecosystem are the chain's stablecoins. Stablecoin float on Solana jumped 5.5% month-over-month to reach $10.4 billion as of July 16. Cardano's recent report shows essentially the opposite trends. Its average daily transactions dropped 28% to 51,500 in Q1, DeFi total value slid 29% to $319 million, and fee revenue fell 32% to just $1.3 million. For investors, those metrics translate directly into token demand, or a lack thereof. More users paying fees and more capital parked on‑chain mean stronger secular tailwinds for Solana. Cardano, meanwhile, is contending with shrinking throughput and a bloated fee structure. Growth engines vs. good intentions Solana is attracting projects across virtually every growth segment in crypto. Non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces, AI‑centric data networks, real‑world‑asset (RWA) tokenizers, a booming meme coin scene, and integrated payment with the traditional financial sector are all present and flourishing, among other areas. The chain's snappy development cycle is part of the reason projects are comfortable with initiating their work on the chain because there's a reasonable expectation for the chain's capabilities to continue to evolve to support their needs. In contrast, Cardano's development culture is famously methodical. In theory, that pays off with rock‑solid security, but in practice it slows everything to a crawl. Its scaling solution, Hydra, which was touted since 2020 as a high-throughput Layer‑2 chain running on top of Cardano, remains largely academic and underutilized despite some impressive results on high-throughput tests in mid-2025. To make matters worse, Cardano's stablecoin market cap is a minuscule $32 million, a rounding error next to Solana's. Without a feature‑rich scaling layer and sufficient volumes of key financial infrastructure like stablecoins, institutional interest in Cardano is thus muted, choking off inflows of capital, and encouraging developers to gravitate elsewhere. The verdict Could Cardano catch up to Solana in the future? Possibly, but investors need to weigh the opportunity cost here. Solana is already executing across consumer and institutional channels, and its fee economics give it room to absorb new demand without breaking user wallets. Cardano must first reignite user growth, get users to take advantage of Hydra's scaling capabilities, and finally convince major financial players to onboard -- or outperform in an emerging growth segment that the other major players haven't already sunk their teeth into. Therefore, if you want a live network with proven product‑market fit, increasing revenue, and a pipeline of institutional catalysts, Solana is the obvious pick for being the better buy. Should you buy stock in Solana right now? Before you buy stock in Solana, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Solana wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025 Alex Carchidi has positions in Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Better Cryptocurrency to Buy Right Now: Cardano vs. Solana was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Techday NZ
4 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
David Taylor joins ASI Alliance as Chief Marketing Officer
David Taylor has been appointed as Chief Marketing Officer for the Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) Alliance and SingularityNET. Taylor takes on the newly created role at a time when the global conversation around artificial intelligence and decentralisation is intensifying. The ASI Alliance, an open-source initiative seeking to advance decentralised artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial superintelligence (ASI), stated that Taylor would oversee global marketing efforts in close coordination with product, communications, and ecosystem teams. His responsibilities include delivering initiatives designed to expand the Alliance's mission and increase adoption in emerging markets and developer communities. The Alliance marks its first anniversary by entering "an ambitious new phase of growth and innovation", according to statements released alongside the appointment. Taylor's background spans the cryptocurrency sector, artificial intelligence, and Web3 technology. He has previously led large-scale marketing campaigns and contributed to teams focused on both strategy and execution, as well as developing approaches tailored to education and responsible innovation in technological spaces. Leadership experience Taylor's most recent position was as Chief Marketing Officer at the Cardano Foundation, where he managed brand, marketing, public relations, and communications strategies for the Cardano Foundation and the Cardano blockchain. At Cardano, he played an active role within the global ecosystem and was credited with strengthening the organisation's communications across its multiple audiences. In a statement, Dr Ben Goertzel, Chief Executive Officer of the ASI Alliance and Chief Scientist at SingularityNET, commented on the appointment. "We are thrilled to welcome David and his global marketing experience to the ASI Alliance. His leadership in navigating the evolving crypto, AI and Web3 ecosystems will be invaluable as we execute the next phases of our roadmap toward beneficial decentralized AGI and ASI." The Alliance was created when SingularityNET, Ocean Protocol, and CUDOS – four projects in decentralised AI and Web3 – joined forces. Through a shared token economy and open governance, the group says it aims to support AGI development that remains democratic and transparent, avoiding centralised control. Broader context Taylor's appointment comes as global governments and private sector institutions increase focus on artificial intelligence research and application. Recent policy announcements, such as Donald Trump's USD $70 billion investment plan in AI and energy, are part of a wider trend towards both innovation and competition in the sector. Goertzel outlined Taylor's role in the Alliance's ongoing activities, stating: "As we move forward to roll out one after another decentralized AI product and build our user base as we move toward our ambitious AGI goals, David will play a critical role in helping us tell our story clearly, credibly and globally." The coalition of AI-focused organisations within the Alliance claims its structure and coordination are designed to foster open development. The groups involved share the aim of establishing technologies that could underpin the development of generalised machine intelligence in ways that are accountable to communities rather than single corporations. Marketing vision Taylor addressed his new position and the role of marketing within the broader aims of the ASI Alliance. He stated: "With the work the ASI is doing, we're not just researching and building technology; we're shaping the future of intelligence itself. That demands marketing with meaning. I'm excited to help elevate the ASI Alliance's mission by connecting with developers, communities and institutions worldwide through strategy, storytelling and trust. In a world flooded with noise, relevance and purpose will continue to set us apart." The marketing initiatives to be led by Taylor are expected to enhance the reach and profile of decentralised AGI projects, supporting collaboration and engagement across multiple sectors and stakeholder groups. Follow us on: Share on:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This Ethereum Co-Founder Just Exposed How Financial Oligarchs Control Your Money—His Blockchain Solution Could Change Everything
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano and ex-co-founder of Ethereum, has been making waves with his bold vision for blockchain technology that goes far beyond typical cryptocurrency speculation. While Bitcoin could hit $250,000 as early as this year, according to Hoskinson's recent predictions, his deeper message focuses on something potentially more revolutionary: blockchain as the foundation for a new kind of global financial democracy. The Digital Constitution Theory Hoskinson's core thesis revolves around blockchain functioning as a 'digital constitution'—an unchangeable set of rules that governs financial systems worldwide. Unlike traditional banking where your zip code, nationality, or net worth determines your access to services, blockchain promises universal equality. In this framework, a subsistence farmer in rural Africa receives the same treatment as a Fortune 500 CEO. Don't Miss: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different strategies. Grow your IRA or 401(k) with Crypto – . This isn't just philosophical idealism; it's a practical response to real-world financial inequality. Traditional banking systems create hierarchies where premium clients enjoy expedited services, lower fees, and exclusive products, while billions remain unbanked or underbanked. Blockchain technology offers an alternative where mathematical algorithms, not human bias, determine access and treatment. Breaking the Oligarchy The current financial system operates through what Hoskinson describes as a 'federated unchanging oligarchy'—a small group of powerful institutions that control global money flows. Central banks, major commercial banks, and payment processors essentially decide who can participate in the modern economy and under what terms. Decentralized blockchain systems challenge this model by removing central gatekeepers. No single entity can freeze accounts, deny transactions, or impose arbitrary fees. This creates what Hoskinson calls 'censorship-resistant' finance, where even controversial or unpopular participants cannot be excluded from the system. Trending: New to crypto? on Coinbase. The Economics of Objective Reality Perhaps most intriguingly, Hoskinson positions blockchain as a solution to our increasingly fragmented global economy. In a world divided by trade wars, sanctions, and competing monetary policies, blockchain offers 'objective reality'—a shared foundation that all parties can trust regardless of their political differences. This has profound implications for international commerce. Currently, cross-border transactions require multiple intermediaries, each adding fees and delays while performing compliance checks. A truly decentralized system could reduce these frictions dramatically, potentially saving trillions in transaction costs annually. The Trust Infrastructure Question The fundamental choice, according to Hoskinson, is whether society will build its financial future on centralized trust or decentralized trust. Traditional finance depends on faith in institutions—banks, governments, and regulatory bodies. Blockchain finance depends on faith in cryptographic algorithms and network consensus. This shift has already begun manifesting in real markets. By 2025, Cardano had solidified its place among the top blockchain networks, boasting millions of users and a thriving ecosystem of developers, while institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies continues accelerating across traditional Implications for Investors For investors, Hoskinson's vision suggests several potential developments worth monitoring. First, the continued institutionalization of cryptocurrency could drive significant price appreciation—hence his aggressive Bitcoin price target. Second, blockchain-based financial services could disrupt traditional banking models, creating new investment opportunities while threatening established players. However, this transformation won't happen overnight or without resistance. Regulatory uncertainty remains a significant risk, as governments worldwide grapple with how to oversee decentralized systems that by design resist traditional oversight mechanisms. The Bottom Line Whether you view Hoskinson as a visionary or idealist, his blueprint for blockchain-based finance addresses real problems in the current system. The question isn't whether blockchain will impact global finance—it already has. The question is how quickly and completely it will reshape the financial landscape. For investors, this represents both opportunity and risk. Those who successfully navigate the transition could benefit from being early adopters of transformative technology. Those who ignore it might find themselves left behind as the financial world increasingly operates on new rails. The blockchain revolution isn't just about making money—it's about reimagining how money itself works in a digital age. Read Next: Named a TIME Best Invention and Backed by 5,000+ Users, Kara's Air-to-Water Pod Cuts Plastic and Costs — Image: Shutterstock This article This Ethereum Co-Founder Just Exposed How Financial Oligarchs Control Your Money—His Blockchain Solution Could Change Everything originally appeared on Sign in to access your portfolio
