Key Statistics 11/3/2017
Current Price: $3.14, Market Cap: $128.4 Million, Volume (24h): $27.2 Million, Circulating Supply: 40.8 Million VTC, Maximum Supply: 84 Million VTC, Top Markets: Bittrex, Poloniex
Summary
Vertcoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency similar to Bitcoin but with a few key differences. Deemed “The People’s Coin” by its developers, Vertcoin aims to limit mining centralization through the use of the Lyra2RE(v2) algorithm. Vertcoin’s mining algorithm is ASIC-resistant, meaning it is designed to combat the development of custom mining hardware built specifically for mining Vertcoin. The result? Vertcoin can be mined by ordinary users who may only have access to consumer-grade PC’s. Increased decentralization leads to increased network security and a wider distribution of freshly mined coins. Vertcoin has seen a recent surge in popularity due to its simplicity and the introduction of one-click mining.
History
Vertcoin was released on GitHub in January 2014. At launch, Vertcoin was fairly distributed without a premine, ICO, or airdrop. The blockchain has forked twice to address mining centralization vulnerabilities. The Vertcoin network saw heavy usage following it’s launch, and has seen a recent resurgence which started in mid-2017.
Key Distinguishing Features
Vertcoin has an active developer community that is continuously pushing out user-friendly products. The Vertcoin wallet is easy to install, and syncs with the blockchain in a couple of hours. The wallet’s clean interface is similar to Bitcoin Core and is simple to use. The killer app for Vertcoin, however, is the new One-Click Miner (Beta).
Vertcoin One-Click Miner
The one-click miner can be configured by an average user in just a couple of minutes. Simply enter your Vertcoin address, select the brand of GPU in your PC, and enter your Vertcoin pool. A single Nvidia GTX 1070 can get 30 MH/s, good for half a VTC per day or $1.50 at current rates.
Vertcoin implemented Segregated Witness (SegWit) in May 2017, about 3 months ahead of Bitcoin. SegWit effectively increases Vertcoin’s blocksize limit and allows for implementation of second-layer systems. Vertcoin is actively working to implement Lightning Network, which will greatly increase network capacity by moving some transactions off of the blockchain. Finally, Vertcoin Stealth Addresses are in development to increase transaction privacy.
Price Catalysts
Vertcoin recently rallied on high volume, pushing its price from a low of $1.09 to a high of $5.77, before settling in at around $3. The rally can be partially attributed to the upcoming block reward halving in December. The price movement may also be attributed to increased interest in the one-click miner, which was first introduced in October. Finally, Binance, a Chinese exchange, is considering adding Vertcoin this month. This would greatly increase Vertcoin’s Asian exposure which is currently very limited.
Vertcoin Price Chart (1 month)
Vertcoin Potential
Many cryptocurrency users are upset with how Bitcoin mining has become so centralized. Bitcoin ASICs make it impossible to profitably mine Bitcoin on consumer devices. Ethereum mining has been a popular alternative, but even the simplest Ether miners can be difficult to configure. In addition, Ethereum will be transitioning to proof-of-stake, forcing many miners to decide where to direct their GPU hashing power. Vertcoin offers a profitable mining alternative along with a decentralized approach to network validation with easy-to-use nodes.
Vertcoin is a Bitcoin alternative, and lacks some of the world-changing promise of some recent ICO’s. Unlike most ERC-20 tokens, however, Vertcoin is much more than a white paper. Vertcoin has been around since 2014, surviving two major altcoin cycles. Vertcoin community involvement has increased as of late, with reddit subscriber growth recently skyrocketing.
Vertcoin offers a secure network at a smaller scale than Bitcoin. Vertcoin’s size allows it to implement major changes (SegWit, Lightning Network) in a shorter period of time. If Vertcoin is able to implement Lightning Network and Cross-Chain Swaps ahead of Bitcoin, it could become a popular platform for third party innovation. It is difficult to predict how many Bitcoin competitors will be allowed in this space, but with a market cap of only $128 Million and a maximum supply of 84 Million VTC, Vertcoin has serious potential to grow.
Conclusion
With a solid track record, active community, and user-friendly software, Vertcoin is poised to gain market share as some of the larger cryptoassets become inaccessible to everyday users. Vertcoin has a strong development team, and a clear focus on mining decentralization. The initial VTC distribution and continuous focus on the end users is a throwback to the early days of cryptocurrency. Vertcoin is sure to attract more users and expand its reputation as a Bitcoin alternative.