Common Cryptocurrency Names and Classifications in the Crypto Space
Knowledge Sharing
1. Classification by Status
1. Mainstream Coins (Blue Chip Coins)
- Bitcoin (BTC): The 'big brother' of the crypto world, ranked first by market capitalization, with strong anti-inflation properties.
- Ethereum (ETH): The pioneer of smart contracts, the foundation for DeFi and NFTs.
- Binance Coin (BNB): The token for Binance exchange, used for fee discounts and participating in the ecosystem.
- Stablecoins (USDT/USDC): Pegged to the US dollar at a 1:1 ratio, the preferred choice for hedging.
2. Altcoins
- Imitation Coins: Such as Litecoin (LTC, a lightweight version of Bitcoin), Dogecoin (DOGE, a community culture coin).
- Functional Coins: Such as Cardano (ADA, a third-generation public chain), Solana (SOL, a high-performance chain).
- Meme Coins: Trash coins without technology, purely speculative (like some MEME coins), with high risk of extreme price volatility.
3. Tokens
- Utility Tokens: Such as Filecoin (FIL, storage services), Uniswap (UNI, governance rights).
- Security Tokens: Such as Tether (USDT, stablecoin).
- Governance Tokens: Such as Aave (AAVE, participation in protocol decisions).
2. Classification by Function
1. Payment Type
- Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC): Similar to digital gold, used for transactions and value storage.
2. Smart Contract Type
- Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL): Support developers to build decentralized applications (DApps).
3. Privacy Type
- Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC): Anonymous transactions, protecting user privacy.
4. Platform Type
- Polkadot (DOT), Polygon (MATIC): Cross-chain interoperability or expanding the Ethereum ecosystem.
3. Classification by Market Popularity
1. Meme Coins
- Dogecoin (DOGE): Rose to fame due to memes, community-driven.
- Shiba Inu Coin (SHIB): Competing with Dogecoin, extremely low price but highly volatile.
2. DeFi Coins
- Aave (AAVE): Token for decentralized lending protocol.
- Curve (CRV): Stablecoin liquidity mining token.
3. NFT-Related Coins
- MANA: Decentraland virtual land trading token.
- SAND: The Sandbox metaverse token.
4. High-Risk Coins (Proceed with Caution!)
1. Ponzi Coins: Such as Vika Coin, Kela Coin, profiting from recruiting others, ultimately running away.
2. Air Coins: No practical application, relying on hype to pump prices (like some newly listed exchange coins).
3. Fork Coins: Such as Bitcoin Cash (BCH), which is forked from the main chain and whose value relies on community consensus.



