There are over 800 cryptocurrencies in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to be introduced back in January 2009. Bitcoin commands a greater share of all cryptocurrencies by Market Capitalization. Bitcoin's share is 50 percent compared to Etherium's 20 percent.
The 5 cryptocurrencies are
Ethereum (ETH) - 20%
The current market capitalization of Ethereum is $18 billion while its price is $201. Ethereum was introduced on July 30, 2015, by a 23-year-old Russian-Canadian named Vitalik Buterin. Its coins are called Ethers. 93 million Ethers are currently in supply.
Ripple (XRP) - 7%
The current market capitalization of Ripple is $6.5 billion while its price is $0.1. Ripple and NEM are the lowest priced cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. NEM is currently priced at $0.1. Ripple was introduced in 2012 by Arthur Britto, David Schwartz, and Ryan Fugger. 38 billion ripples are currently in supply.
Litecoin (LTC) - 2%
The current market capitalization of Litecoin is $2 billion while its price is $41. Litecoins were introduced on October 7, 2011, by a former Google employee named Charlie Lee. 52 million lite coins are currently in supply.
NEM (XEM) 1%
NEM has a market capitalization of $1.5 billion while its price is $0.1. NEM was introduced on March 31, 2015.
9 billion NEMs are currently in supply.
Dash (Dash) 1%
Dash was formerly known as Xcoin and Darkcoin. It was introduced on January 18, 2014, by Evan Duffield and Kyle Hagan. Its current market capitalization is $1.4 billion while its price is $192. 7.4 million Dash coins are currently in supply.
Bottom of the list
According to coinmarketcap.com, a website that tracks the recent market activity of crypto currencies.
Cryptocurrencies whose market capitalization is the lowest are CaliphCoin whose market capitalization is only $108. Others are Digital money Bits at $242, Xenixcoin at $348 and MikeThug at $410.
Cryptocurrencies that have been introduced recently according to coinmarketcap.com are Mothership, GeyserCoin, InsureX, and PeopleCoin.
The future of cryptocurrencies
The cryptocurrency market is not widely regulated; its future is thus uncertain. The U.S securities exchange commission, for example, denied Bitcoin's request to be part of the U.S. exchange-traded fund in March this year. The central bank of Estonia once called cryptocurrencies a pyramid scheme while Warren Buffet warned investors against engaging in the currencies.
