The mega bull run of Layer-1 blockchain token Aptos continues, charting an all-time high of $19.86 on January 26, 2023. It has recorded a 130.7% upturn in the last seven days and a 415.8% leap in the last thirty days. APT is the hottest cryptocurrency of the ongoing rally that investors and traders seemingly can’t get enough of.
It remains to be seen if Aptos retains its value in the coming months. But investors are more curious about something else – which crypto will record the next triple-digit jump this year? In this article, we review the top four contenders based on the ingredients that went into the success of Aptos.
Aptos is Back with a Bang
Aptos is the native cryptocurrency of a Layer-1 Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain of the same name. Like all blockchains, it puts forward the grandiose vision of bringing mainstream adoption to Web3 and empowering an ecosystem of DApps to solve real-world user problems. What’s so unique about that? The answer is nothing. Most blockchains have the same vision etched into their whitepapers.
The market is in no dearth of blockchains, but Aptos found its ground using a new smart contract programming language called Move. It is a Rust-based programming language independently developed by Meta’s Diem blockchain engineers. Move allows Aptos to attain a theoretical transaction throughput of over 150,000 transactions per second (TPS) through parallel execution. The concept was widely received.
Aptos secured $200M in a seed round led by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) in March 2022. And in July 2022, it collected $150 million in a Series A round led by Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Ventures. As you can tell, the backing from FTX backfired later that year, as FTX collapsed and took down the whole market with it, tarnishing the reputation of all related projects. Luckily, FTX was not the only prominent crypto company that invested in the project. Binance Labs made a strategic investment of an undisclosed amount in Aptos in September 2022, bringing its valuation to $4B.
If we brought the Aptos NFT meetup to ETH Denver, would you come hang?
Drop a 🙋♀️🙋♂️🙋 in the comments if you'd be there.
We're trying to see something… 👀
— Aptos (@Aptos) January 26, 2023
The progress of the project development also strengthens the credibility of the project. Aptos launched its Mainnet in October 2022, after running a Testnet campaign called “Aptos Incentivized Testnet (AIT)”. Although the FTX debacle fainted the allure of the Aptos ecosystem, it is now back on its feet with full vigor. The support from Binance, diverse integrations across the industry, and lively marketing events have brought the project to the limelight again.
Aptos 1-month price chart, 27 Jan 2023, CoinMarketCap
Does that justify the current rally?
Aptos has a market ranking of #26 at the time of this writing, with a $2,927,820,488 market cap and a $1,824,262,538 24-hour trading volume. The hype around the project across social media communities and the team’s active marketing campaigns have catered to the furor. It is highly unlikely that the project will maintain the upward momentum in the coming days. That said, Aptos is a good long-term investment this year once the token settles down to a more sustainable price.
Top 4 Cryptocurrencies with the Highest Growth Potential in 2023
The key factors that are driving the value of Aptos are market relevance, technical innovation, community strength, partnerships, and integrations. There are more projects that excel in these aspects. Let’s take a look at them and how they’re positioned to bring returns to users this year.
1. Optimism (OP) – Established crypto to buy in 2023 for reliable returns
Optimism is a low-cost Ethereum L2 blockchain that promises fast, stable, and scalable transactions. The economical model builds upon the existing Ethereum software as a minimal extension so that the EVM-equivalent architecture can scale Ethereum applications without surprises. To put it in simple words, Optimism piggybacks off of the security of Ethereum, the parent blockchain.
That essentially means that if an application works on Ethereum, it can work at a fraction of the cost of Optimism. The goal is to bring everything that’s great about Ethereum and then give it more power and speed.
The key highlights of Optimism are as listed below:
- It requires a few lines of code from Ethereum’s battle-tested infrastructure.
- Optimism is not just equivalent to the Ethereum Virtual Machine, but also compatible. So all Ethereum apps and tooling work in the network.
- Optimism claims to be more than a blockchain. The team sees the project as an experiment in sustainable ecosystem funding fueled by protocol revenue.
- Users can send arbitrary messages between smart contracts on Optimism and Ethereum, making it easier to transfer assets, including ERC20 tokens, between the two networks.
- It uses this functionality in the Standard bridge to allow asset deposits and withdrawals (ERC20s and ETH) between Ethereum to Optimism.
- Optimism’s design philosophy stands on four pillars: simplicity, pragmatism, sustainability, and optimism.
- Optimism consists of a minimum number of moving parts required for a secure, scalable, and flexible L2 system. As a result, developers and users experience significant advantages over other complex L2 constructions.
Optimism has gone on to become one of the most trending cryptocurrencies this season, having recorded 129.0% growth in the last thirty days. The coin has more room for growth before the rally slows down since the market cap ($503,693,189) is significantly lower when compared to peers. The ongoing developments in the ecosystem and the growing number of integrations fuel the buying demand.
Optimism 1-month price chart, 27 Jan 2023, CoinMarketCap
2. Audius (AUDIO) – Fast-emerging crypto with high market relevance in the music industry
The next cryptocurrency that has the potential to reward investors lucratively this year is AUDIO. It is the cryptocurrency of Audius, a decentralized, community-owned, and artist-controlled music-sharing protocol. The Web3 alternative to streaming platforms allows artists to publish and monetize their work and distribute it directly to fans. As one of the pioneering projects of its kind, Audios has marked its territory in the blockchain industry. Audius’ goal is to give everyone the freedom to share, monetize, and listen to any audio.
The market relevance of Audius is underscored by the fact that the music industry has long been biased towards predators – whether it’s studios, agencies, distributors, or pirates. They come in the way of artists and listeners, stealing money from both. To give you more perspective, the music industry generates $43 billion in revenue, out of which only 12% goes to content artists. The centralization of the music industry leads to quality deterioration and saturation.
Audius wants to make a difference. How?
- Crypto incentivization as a means to nurture engagement using the Audius platform token ($AUDIO), third-party stablecoins, and artist tokens.
- A decentralized storage solution for sharing audio and metadata without middlemen interference.
- A unique track encryption scheme paired with a programmable mechanism. Using the system, user-specific proxy re-encryption keys can be generated.
- A discovery protocol for users to efficiently query metadata.
- A decentralized governance protocol that gives artists, node operators, and fans a say in protocol changes and upgrades.
Currently, the Audius protocol serves nearly 500,000 users – including artists, fans, and node operators – every month. Audius tokens have been trending over the last few weeks, with a 130.7% jump on the monthly charts.
The token serves three primary functions on the platform: security, feature access, and governance. For example, you can stake them as collateral for value-added services in exchange for benefits like ongoing issuance, governance weight, and access to exclusive features. Node operators stake AUDIO tokens to unlock exclusive features and services. In addition, they will serve as collateral for artist-based tooling.
Audius 1-month price chart, 27 Jan 2023, CoinMarketCap
3. Meta Masters Guild (MEMAG) – Early-stage P&E crypto with a large room for growth
The above two examples are established cryptocurrencies with sizable market caps. They have been here long enough to prove their worth, join forces with industry leaders, and amass a large community. As a result, the rally of both OP and AUDIO will pause in a few weeks. They will go on multiple bull runs later this year, but by then the returns would have most likely diminished to one digit.
If your goal is multifold returns, you need to look for cryptocurrencies with low entry barriers and large growth potential. That is emerging cryptocurrencies. But not all early-stage cryptos are worth the money. Some take a nosedive to oblivion within a few days of launch. They should be promising, competitive, and genuine too.
A good example is Meta Masters Guild (MMG), the world’s first mobile-based gaming guild dedicated to building high-end mobile games with play-and-earn integrations. Although it enters a packed niche, it marks itself off by gripping gameplay and a research-backed business model.
For starters, MMG is a play-and-earn project rather than a play-to-earn project. The project’s first principle is to never lose sight of the fun. We have seen how many crypto-gaming projects have failed to take off in the last few years due to a lack of focus on gameplay. They focus on tokenomics and incentivization more than gaming mechanics. But that’s not enough to acquire or retain gamers. Sub-par crypto games won’t survive the volatility of the market.
MMG introduces three titles that feature solid gameplay, judging by the first look.
- Meta Kart Racers – a mobile-first PVP racing game where you must compete against other players in the Meta Kart Championship.
- Raid NFT – a turn-based fantasy fighting game where you should choose between several warrior classes
- Meta Masters World – a metaverse where members can explore games and experiences, collect resources, and enter competitions.
Another feature that gives an edge to MMG is its mobile-first approach. While gaming is more fun on large devices, a significantly large share of users access games from mobile devices. It offers more convenience and flexibility in an age where gaming is not limited to children and teens. MMG will release its games with a focus on the mobile experience, thus targeting a large user base.
🚀 #MEMAGFAM, we're on the way to greatness! 🚀
We have raised over $1.5M in 3 weeks of our presale! 🤯
😎 Be a part of the #MEMAGFAM, buy $MEMAG now ⬇️ https://t.co/SBqVjX5mWn #presale #crypto #p2e #tokens pic.twitter.com/wP1VemE6lA
— Meta Masters Guild Games (@MEMAGgames) January 27, 2023
MMG rewards are distributed in Gems, which can be converted to $MEMAG tokens. The platform supports the staking of the asset. But you can also reinvest it in the ecosystem through upgrades. Or, you can convert it into crypto or fiat currencies from open marketplaces.
Meta Masters Guild
Key highlights of MMG
- MMG titles are developed using the latest technologies to match the quality and thematic experience of traditional games.
- The MMG metaverse has lower entry barriers when compared to competitors. The underlying guild system facilitates the smooth flow of assets between investors and gamers, thus supporting the sustainable growth of the games and the MEMAG token.
- MEMAG is now in the third stage of its early fundraising, selling at 0.013 USDT per token. After the completion of the seven stages of the presale with a gradual price hike, the token will be listed on public exchanges at $0.023. Due to the market relevance and robust foundation of the project, it is likely to go on multiple bull runs after the launch. The key milestones that lay ahead in 2023 will also add fuel to the growth.
4. Fight Out (FGHT) – The overall best crypto to invest in 2023 for high returns
One of the hottest crypto sectors to come to the limelight in 2022 was move-to-earn. Projects like STEPN put forward some attractive value propositions that have relevance in the real world for the masses. Fast-forward to 2023, move-to-earn is still hot, as revealed by the pleasantly surprising success of the Fight Out presale. It shows that we need crypto projects with real world utilities to take the technology to every household.
Fight Out Mobile Companion App
Fight Out is a blockchain fitness app and a high-end gym chain, powered by the $FGHT tokens. The large ecosystem is spread across the physical and virtual worlds, anchored by advanced move-to-earn mechanisms. Although new to the market, it has already built a sizable community of both crypto and fitness enthusiasts.
Both traditional fitness applications and gyms have failed to retain customers, since we need more than just a gym membership and dozens of notifications to get out of the couch and sweat it out. That explains the market relevance of a metaverse product like Fight Out. Let’s see how the ecosystem makes a difference.
Fight Out’s flagship product is the Fight Out Companion App, which helps you become fit in the real-world and the metaverse. Like traditional fitness apps, it gives you workouts curated to your goals and ability. But they follow a holistic approach, with soft-cap goals that you need to cross in order to earn your rewards. The rewards are paid in REPS, the in-game token.
The app also meticulously tracks your progress and achievements. They are then integrated into your Fight Out soul-bound digital avatar, which represents your unique identity in the Fight Out metaverse. If you haven’t already guessed, Fight Out soul-bound digital avatars can’t be transferred or resold. They’re not cash grabs or hollow digital collectibles. They’re bound to your soul.
Can FGHT outperform STEPN?
If the development of Fight Out progresses as laid out in the whitepaper and roadmap, it can overtake move-to-earn projects like STEPN in a few months. In fact, it is predicted to be one of the first cryptos to enter the $1B club this year.
Here is why:
- Fight Out is a large ecosystem that consists of a fitness app and the world’s first major Web3-integrated gyms that maximize move-to-earn earnings opportunities and nurture deeper community bonds. Fight Out gyms will have health bars that serve nutritious meals, smoothies, coffee, and snacks. You can also meet fellow metaverse-fitness enthusiasts, share coworking spaces, and attend community events at the gyms. According to the latest roadmap, they are likely to open to the public in the fourth quarter that follows the end of the presale.
- You can convert REPS to buy gym passes, merch, private sessions, and NFT cosmetics for your avatar. FGHT, the metaverse token of the ecosystem, is used to compete in leagues, tournaments, or special game modes. You need FGHT to buy REPS. Rather than launching multiple cryptocurrencies and hollow NFT collectibles, Fight Out channels demand for FGHT with relevant utility integrations.
- Fight Out emphasizes peer recognition as a strong fitness motive. The ecosystem is designed to help you share your newly acquired cosmetics, badges, challenge completions, and physical achievements with your friends and family. In addition, the local and custom Fight Out leaderboard challenges in the ecosystem build a sense of friendly competition.
- Move-to-earn rewards collected from the platform as REPS can be used to buy training equipment, supplements, and fitness apparel. You can also redeem REPS for in-person benefits like access to Fight Out gyms, products at the on-site health bar, and access to co-working space.
Things are heating up #FightOutCrew 🔥
We have just raised over $3.5M in our presale! 👀
Make sure to get in early! The longer you wait, the higher the price of $FGHT will be!
Join the presale now and get up to a 50% bonus 👊⚡️https://t.co/8y8iT0sse1 pic.twitter.com/mDs89mcknZ
— Fight Out (@FightOut_) January 27, 2023
By the looks of it, the reception of the Fight Out presale is well-founded. The token can grab anywhere from 20X-30X returns for early investors by the third quarter of 2023, if it succeeds in bringing the ambitious vision alive. The presale is moving toward an early sell-out due to the large traffic, although it is scheduled to end on March 31, 2023. The CEX listings will begin on April 5, 2023, at 0.0333 USDT. Early investors get up to a 50% bonus on their FGHT purchase.
