Cryptocurrencies Trends to Be Aware of in 2024

 2023 has been another fascinating year in the cryptocurrency world, but many people are already looking forward to 2024 and wondering what changes the new year will bring. What are some of the early indicators of emerging crypto trends we need to be aware of as this year comes to a close? 

Crypto Gaming Set to Continue Growing

 The gaming possibilities offered by the blockchain have made this an area that a huge number of eyes are keenly focused on. We’ve seen the quality of blockchain games increase in recent times and this should continue, with more games of a higher quality firmly establishing this sector as a viable alternative for gamers.

The role of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in games should continue evolving too. These tokens were initially used for objects like characters or weapons, in games like the wildly popular Axie Infinity, while they also got used to represent land in the likes of Decentraland. This has caused a revolution in the gaming world but there’s more to come, as NFTs can unlock online identities, let us access exclusive features, and even let us enter different games in the same ecosystem. 

We’ve also seen the way in which crypto gambling games are growing rapidly in popularity, as a fast, secure, and convenient way of playing with real cash.  The selection of Bitcoin pokies at Joe Fortune gives us a taste of this market, as we can see games such as Dragon’s Scroll and 8 Lucky Charms included in a large group of varied titles on different themes. In fact, BTC is just one of the tokens accepted, with ETH, USDT, and BSV among the other options. 

New Tokens That Might Make a Big Impact

One of the big questions we all want to know the answer to is which new tokens are going to cause a splash and help some smart investors make a fortune if they get in early enough while the price is low. The new Bitcoin Spark (BTCS) token is one that’s causing a lot of people to raise their eyebrows and wonder where it’s going to shake up the whole scene. This coin is going to have some important elements to bear in mind, such as the fact it’s designed to be easy for anyone to mine using virtually any device.

What about the new meme coins that will be following in the footsteps of Dogecoin and Shiba Inu? ApeMax is one name that’s captured the imagination of a lot of investors. Still in the pre-sale phase and with a price that increases every 24 hours, this token is being called the first Boost-to-Earn crypto as it brings in a new way of staking where investors can choose their favorite projects. Staking coins is said to be completely safe and could even add some fun to the process.

Shiba Memu comes with the intriguing description of being a self-marketing AI token. While this might sound strange at first, a deeper look at the mechanism reveals that the idea is that the token works constantly to find new marketing strategies and outlets to try and help it grow. With over $US 4 million raised to date in the pre-sale phase, it’s one to keep an eye on and could give us an indication of how this market continues to diversify in unexpected ways, while the $Garbage coin is another example of the changing market.

Proof-of-Stake to Become More Important?

The battle between proof-of-stake (PoS) and proof-of-work looks set to continue into 2024 and beyond but where is it going to lead us? This explanation of the two different methods on the Blockchain Council website lets us see the key differences such as energy consumption and security.  

Which of these approaches is going to lead the way in the next year? Will one of them disappear or will they continue to live together side-by-side in harmony? Ethereum made the move to PoS in 2022, with the idea that it would be far less energy-intensive and also help the network deal with scaling issues. This is why a lot of eyes are on their progress and whether moving to PoS turns out to be the ideal solution.

The new projects in this industry are split between both these approaches, so at the moment there’s no clear view on which one is going to win. However, some analysts believe the inherent benefits of the PoS model should help it become more popular. Validators are chosen for the network on a random basis, from the group of token-holders who meet the minimum requirement. While PoS is more energy-efficient there are still some question marks over the security it offers and whether it gives too much influence on people with large holdings.

All of these are areas to keep a close eye on in 2024 if you’re interested in seeing how the crypto market is going to evolve further.