Top Blockchain Projects Across 7 Major Niches in 2022 by BTC Peers

The cryptocurrency industry has come a long way since its inception in 2009, attracting both individual and institutional investors. In particular, there is a growing appeal for digital assets as an investment vehicle.

At the center of the crypto industry’s growth are several smaller niche markets, each offering a unique value proposition. For example, decentralized financial markets (DeFi) focus on offering financial instruments such as loans without relying on intermediaries such as brokerage houses, exchanges or banks. The billion-dollar NFT market, on the other hand, helps creators monetize their works and allows anyone to tokenize real-world objects on the blockchain.

The growth of these emerging sectors within the crypto industry has contributed to the overall success of the space. However, blockchain and cryptocurrency are still nascent technologies. As a result, putting a cap on their innovative potential would be limiting. As the industry continues to evolve, more compelling applications of the technology are expected to emerge.

But in the meantime, several projects are already pushing the boundaries of development within the space, setting the tone for future innovations. These projects currently lead the pack in their respective sectors. That being said, we have handpicked the best project in seven selected crypto niches – Crypto Exchange, NFT, DeFi, Decentralized Exchange (DEX), Marketing, Crypto Media and Youtube channel.

The selection criteria are based on the prominence of the projects and their impact in their respective sectors compared to their direct competitors.

Best Crypto Exchange: Binance

When Binance burst into the spotlight in 2017, not many believed that it would quickly become a household name in the crypto industry. The exchange is currently the largest and most popular digital asset exchange today thanks to its progressive policies and competitive nature. Now averaging over $24 billion in trading volume daily, Binance offers one of the most affordable and flexible trading services. It also helps that it is available globally and supports over 300 coins. Major exchange platforms vying for Binance’s position are Coinbase (NASDAQ: ) and Bittrex.

Best NFT Project: CryptoPunks

There are several projects making waves in the NFT market today. At the center of this latest crypto frenzy is CryptoPunks, who market polls show has the highest collective net worth. It is worth noting that CryptoPunk had been around long before the NFT explosion of 2021. In fact, it was the first NFT collectibles to launch on the blockchain. There are over 10,000 unique and verifiable characters in the CryptoPunks collection. And while each sold for around $50 to $100 back in 2018, the most expensive Cryptopunks character was bought for a whopping $7.56 million earlier this year. The entire Cryptopunk market is said to be worth $350 million.

Best DeFi Project: Aave

There is no doubt that the DeFi craze of 2020 helped demystify crypto’s role in the future of finance. It also showed that the concept of open finance is not just wishful thinking, but a realistic financial paradigm compelling enough to drive a new generation of solutions designed to promote an inclusive economy. At the forefront of this movement is Aave, a decentralized lending solution. Currently, Aave accounts for $13 billion of the $60 billion in digital assets locked on Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem. This highlights the dominance of the lending sub-niche in the DeFi market and also shows the growing demand and robustness of the Aave protocol. Key competitors include Maker and Compound.

Best Decentralized Exchange:

Even after facing several opponents in the last 12 months, Uniswap has been able to maintain the top position in the DEX market. This is largely due to the simplicity of the protocol and the high liquidity that it provides to traders. Note that Uniswap has recently confirmed its dominance in the DEX ecosystem. The latest series of upgrades provides more flexibility in terms of fees and significantly reduces the possibility of price slippage. After its launch, Uniswap V3 quickly emerged as the #1 DEx with an average of $800 million in trading volume recorded daily.

Due to the rise of Uniswap V3, there are even more reasons for traders and liquidity providers to choose decentralized exchanges over centralized counterparties. However, for Uniswap to hold onto the number 1 spot in the long term, it will have to contend with the likes of SushiSwap, PancakeSwap and 1inch Exchange.

Best Marketing Agency: X10 Agency

It is hard to imagine the crypto industry we have today without acknowledging the work put in by individuals and teams to market the often misrepresented crypto ecosystem to investors and users. These entities specialize in building thriving communities and increasing the market visibility of crypto projects, so investors and users are willing to overlook crypto’s youth. A platform that has excelled in this regard is the best marketing agency for Web3, crypto and NFT projects – X10 Agency. X10 Agency offers services for projects that intend to set up, market or manage crypto or fintech brands, including a department dedicated to marketing NFT products.

Best Crypto Media/News Platform: Coindesk

There are no sharp words when it comes to the importance of crypto media houses. These platforms are the gateways to the latest crypto news and have consistently served as unbiased alternatives to the one-sidedness of traditional media networks, especially when covering crypto-related topics or news. Coindesk is a leader in this critical sector. The news platform has remained the best website for anyone looking to access fast, factual and quality crypto news. Coindesk was launched in 2013 and maintains the highest journalistic standards at all times. However, like most of the platforms mentioned in this guide, Coindesk’s longstanding status as the best crypto media outlet is increasingly threatened by the rise of new generation platforms such as BTC Peers, Decrypto and Cointelegraph.

Best Crypto YouTube Channel: Coin Bureau

YouTube remains one of the crucial gateways to get mainstream users interested in crypto and blockchain. Coin Bureau spans a wide range of topics with videos that easily get 200,000 views and more. Whether one is interested in individual projects or the wider developments across the industry, Coin Bureau will get the word out in video format quickly. With over 1.38 million YouTube subscribers, it is one of the most popular crypto-related channels on the platform. They also have a Spanish and Japanese channel to reach a wider non-English native audience.

Last thought

The crypto industry is highly competitive. Therefore, the platforms highlighted in this guide must continue to evolve to have a chance to retain their first place in their respective sectors. For now, though, we can’t help but applaud their current dominance.

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