Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, right behind Bitcoin. It has seen an exponential rise in value over the past few months, with prices soaring from around $10 in mid-January to more than $500 in early April before crashing down to levels as low as $200 in May. This volatility has led many investors to question if this is the future of digital currencies or just a passing fad. The answer to that will largely depend on how you invest your money in Ethereum. If you’re new to the world of cryptocurrencies and want to learn more about investing and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) before reading further, check out these beginner’s resources first: ENDNOTEEND NOTE The basics of investing aren’t easy but they become a lot easier once you understand them. Thankfully, we wrote a comprehensive guide on what investing is and The 9 Things You Need To Know About Investing Before You Start
What is Ethereum?
Like Bitcoin, Ethereum is a decentralized cryptocurrency and payment network. Unlike Bitcoin, though, it’s designed for decentralized applications, also known as dApps. And that’s what makes it so special. One of the first applications built on Ethereum was The World Computer, a Turing complete public blockchain designed to facilitate the execution of arbitrary code. As time went on, the Ethereum community began to realize that its potential lay beyond the world of computer science. Then, in 2015, a young developer by the name of Vitalik Buterin published a white paper titled “The Ethereum Yellow Paper.” In this paper, he described his vision for the technology. He explained that he wanted to create a decentralized world computer that could run arbitrary code, thereby allowing developers to create decentralized applications. He also wanted to do this in a trustless manner, meaning that applications would run without any intermediaries and therefore be more secure and efficient than centralized systems. These are just a few of the reasons why Ethereum has grown to become one of the most popular cryptocurrencies in the world.
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How to Buy Ethereum
If you want to buy Ethereum, there are two ways to do it. The first one is to use an exchange. The second one is to mine Ethereum. Using an exchange – Buying Ethereum on an exchange is probably the easiest way to do it. However, this method has a couple of drawbacks: First, it’s difficult to buy smaller amounts of Ethereum on most exchanges. Since Ethereum is relatively new, most exchanges only allow you to buy small amounts of Ethereum. Second, most exchanges aren’t available in your country. If that’s the case, you’ll need to use a VPN to access an exchange in a country that has access to the exchange. Buying Ethereum on an exchange is super easy and can be done in just a few steps. First, you’ll need to buy Bitcoin (BTC) or Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Next, you’ll need to transfer that BTC/BCH to your exchange account. Once you have BTC/BCH in your account, you can exchange it for Ethereum. Exchanges like Coinbase and Gemini allow you to easily buy Ethereum. These exchanges are popular because they allow you to buy and sell digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum without signing up for an account.
Ethereum Wallet
Like Bitcoin, Ethereum is an ERC20 token, which means it runs on the Ethereum network and can be stored in an Ethereum wallet. As with any cryptocurrency, though, you’ll want to keep your Ethereum safely stored in a secure wallet. If you want to store your Ethereum safely, you’ll need to use a wallet that supports ERC20 tokens. There are many Ethereum wallets available, including the Ledger Nano S and the Trezor. However, you need to make sure the wallet you use supports ERC20 tokens: You can use a hardware wallet like the Ledger Nano S to store your Ethereum safely. To keep your ERC20 tokens safe, you’ll also need to use a strong password and make sure your computer is securely locked.
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Ethereum ICO Returns and Ongoing Issues
One of the most exciting things about Ethereum is that it’s an open source project that anyone can contribute to. This means that anyone can add new features, fix bugs, and build new applications on top of the Ethereum network. Think about it: Who would have thought that buying your morning coffee with a token would turn out to be a huge trend? But, as with any decentralized network, there are security issues that need to be addressed. That’s true of the Ethereum network, which has seen its fair share of hacks and security issues over the years. Last year, some notable issues included a $50 million hack against the The DAO, a $40 million hack against Parity, and a security bug that allowed hackers to steal $83 million worth of funds from a company called Parity. To address these issues, the Ethereum network underwent a hard fork in February 2018. The result is that people storing ERC20 tokens on exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken now need to move their tokens to the new network. So far, the Ethereum network has seen significant growth with over $1 billion worth of ETH tokens transferred to the new network.
Final Words: Should You Invest in Ethereum?
Ethereum is undoubtedly one of the most exciting cryptocurrencies in the world today. It’s a new type of network that can support a wide range of applications. And one of the most popular ones is the world computer, which is a decentralized version of Google Chrome that’s built on the Ethereum network. While Ethereum has been hyped in the media, it’s not a sure thing. It’s possible that the cryptocurrency will crash back down to the $200-300 range or that the technology behind Ethereum will be improved enough so that blockchain technology is no longer necessary. However, if the Ethereum community can address these issues, it’s likely that the technology will be around for a long time to come. Ethereum is still relatively new, so there’s a good chance that you’ll see major returns on your investment in the coming months and years.
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Should You Invest in an Ethereum ICO?
Like with most cryptocurrencies, the best way to get involved in Ethereum is to invest in an ICO. ICOs are where cryptocurrency projects sell their tokens in exchange for Bitcoin or Ether. The projects usually sell the tokens at a discount in exchange for Bitcoin or Ether, which is Ethereum’s token. When you buy into an ICO project, you’ll get a discount coupon for the amount of tokens you purchase. That way, you can either sell the tokens at a profit or hold onto them and wait until the project launches and they’re worth more than the price you paid for them. There are hundreds of ICO projects launching every year. The best way to find good ones is to follow Reddit communities like r/ETHInvestor and r/Ethereumico. You can also use search terms like “ICO funding” and “Ethereum ICO” to find promising Ethereum ICO projects.
Final Words: Should You Invest in an Ethereum ICO?
While you can invest in an Ethereum ICO for profit, you should also consider investing in an ICO for a more altruistic reason. That’s because the Ethereum network has the potential to solve a lot of the world’s biggest problems. And that includes problems that governments and large corporations have been unable to solve: For example, ICObank wants to make it easier for people to get loans and pay their bills. Unfortunately, that’s been impossible due to the high interest rate plaguing many bank accounts. However, that’s been a problem that can be easily solved on the Ethereum network: At the moment, ICObank’s mainnet is live on the Ethereum network, allowing users to easily get fiat currency loans and pay their bills.
