The year 2021 was a landmark one for the cryptocurrency industry. It saw the industry gain massive institutional support and move closer to mainstream adoption. This year, the industry saw a rally and reached a peak of $3 trillion.

Today, we’re looking at the top 10 cryptocurrencies that have raked in the highest gains in 2021. These coins do not include pumps and dumps, which can often be infamous because of their staggering gains. So, in no particular order, here’s our list of the best performing cryptocurrencies in 2021.

Polygon (MATIC).

Polygon, formally known as Matic, is a project designed to scale ethereum chains and develop the blockchain’s infrastructure. Polygon is a highly-respected ETH scaling solution that has grown to be a favorite.

Year-to-date MATIC’s price has increased from $0.018 up to $2.20938, which is a more than 12250% increase.

Year-to-date Polygon price chart (MATIC). Source: Tradingview

(LUNA)

Terra’s new record-breaking high was an immeasurable success. But the cryptocurrency has been consistently outperforming the entire market since its inception. Terra’s 10,000% gain has earned it the 11th position in the market cap rankings.

The price of LUNA rose from $0.66 per Januray to $65.84 today.

Terra (Luna), year-to date price chart Source: Tradingview

(SOL)

Another Altcoin that has dazzled investors in 2021 is Solana (SOL), earning itself the title of “Ethereum-Killer” in the process. Solana’s value has increased by over 9,500% since 2021. It is now ranked 5th on the market capital rankings. SOL was valued as a stunning $177.592 in 2018, after starting the year at $1.5.

Year-to-date Solana price chart (SOL). Source: Tradingview

The Sandbox (SAND).

Meta, formerly Facebook (NASDAQ:), has made its metaverse public announcement. Metaverse platforms are now thriving. The Sandbox is one of the most popular metaverse-based blockchain platforms and has experienced tremendous growth.

The Sandbox has increased by 14,000% in 2021. The majority of the gains have been made in Q4. SAND prices have increased by 50% to $0.036 from $0.74 at the beginning of Q4. Surprisingly, the price of SAND was $0.74 in Q4.

The Sandbox’s year-to date price chart (SAND). Source: Tradingview

(AXS)

Axie Infinity was one of the first games to be created in this space. Since the start of 2021, Axie Infinity’s (AXS) price has gained by more than 16,000%.

AXS prices have risen from $0.54 up to $96.19 at the time of writing.

Axie Infinity’s year-to date price chart (AXS). Source: Tradingview

Decentraland

Decentraland is yet another metaverse project that has been a major beneficiary of Meta’s announcement in October. MANA’s price soared to $0.66 and $3.4677 in Q4.

The price of MANA has increased by 4,000% since the beginning of 2021. However, it started the year at $0.082.

Decentraland’s year-to date price chart (MANA). Source: Tradingview

Fantom, FTM

Fantom, a direct acyclicgraph (DAG), smart contract platform has seen significant adoption from decentralized financial (DeFi) protocol designers in 2021. FTM has been steadily rising in value as a native token.

Fantom’s (FTM) value increased 8,400% between 2021 and 2030. The price of Fantom rose from $0.017, to $3.48 and settled at $1.4549, as of this writing.

Fantom (FTM) price chart year to date Tradingview

Gala (GALA).

Gala seems to be the most obscure horse in the race. Gala Games’ native token, which is used in blockchain games, has seen a more than 43 800% increase in value over the past 2021. The price of GALA, its native token, has soared from $0.0013 up to $0.45667.

Year-to-date prices for Gala (GALA). Source: Tradingview

Harmony (ONE)

Harmony’s decentralized application (dApp) ecosystem saw unparalleled adoption in 2021. The native token of Harmony has seen a 4740% increase in adoption since 2021. Accordingly, the price of Harmony (11) increased from $0.0042 and $0.20534.

Year-to-date Harmony price chart (ONE). Source: Tradingview

Kadena (KDA)

Unknown Altcoins have performed exceptionally in 2021. The scalable layer 1 PoW Blockchain, Kadena, has seen a 7900% increase in its value since 2021.

Year-to-date Kadena price chart (KDA). Source: Tradingview

Why you should care

The crypto market is experiencing retracements at the moment, but 2021 was a landmark year, possibly setting the industry up to reach even higher heights in 2022.

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get the other side of crypto!

Upgrade your inbox and get our DailyCoin editors’ picks 1x a week delivered straight to your inbox.

[contact-form-7]
With just one click, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Continue reading on DailyCoin