The crypto market seems to have stabilized after a terrible spring. The volatility of early 2022 kept many prospective crypto investors at bay, and the more robust pricing environment of the summer might inspire you to treat cryptocurrencies as a serious investment idea again.
There are many interesting crypto names, and most of them have fallen back from the potentially inflated prices of 2021. In my eyes, one cryptocurrency stands head and shoulders above the rest right now. Sure, Bitcoin (BTC -4.67%) remains the tried-and-true bedrock of the entire crypto community, and Ethereum (ETH -4.61%) looks thrilling on the threshold of a crucial technology upgrade -- but I would much rather buy Polkadot (DOT -6.61%) tokens right now.
Here's why I'm so excited about Polkadot's place in the crypto universe. You just might agree, too.
What's so exciting about Polkadot?
The most inspiring quality of the Polkadot blockchain network and its Dot token is quite simple. You see, Polkadot's central idea is to build bridges between other blockchains and cryptocurrencies, building an interconnected system out of many separate parts. Then, app developers can rely on Polkadot's simple cross-chain programming tools to pull the best functions from each blockchain while dodging many of their individual downsides.
For example, a developer of decentralized finance apps might want to manage smart contracts and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum network while pulling financial information through the Chainlink (LINK -5.00%) system, but the main value storage in that app would rely on a Bitcoin wallet. Each piece of the puzzle gets to do what it does best. This might be doable with a bucketload of separate programming tools, but Polkadot offers a single platform that ties all of these functions together. Making life easy for app developers should result in less troubleshooting and more innovation, making Polkadot a crucial development system for the blockchain-based Web3 era.
And that's exactly the point. The Web3 Foundation founded Polkadot to serve as the foundation of a blockchain-based online future, and the same foundation continues to manage Polkadot today. Therefore, buying Dot tokens is a direct investment in the vision of a decentralized web, where ultra-secure blockchains replace the functions of today's social networks and corporate content hubs.
Why is Polkadot a buy right now?
You've seen Ethereum and Bitcoin take a beating in the market this year. Market makers have backed away from high-risk investments, and the crypto market took a heavier hit than the stock market. However, even the giants of crypto look stable next to Polkadot's nine-month chart:
Polkadot doesn't have the massive scale and widespread recognition of Bitcoin or Ethereum. Hence, the token tends to move farther and faster than its larger and more famous peers. Many investors simply don't know what this blockchain network can do, so it's more exposed to market whims.
That creates a buying opportunity after a few months of negative market trends. I'm not saying that we stand at (or even near) the absolute bottom of the current crypto winter right now, but the dip is deep enough that Polkadot should be primed for a market-stomping rebound when the tide truly turns upward again.
Of course, my bullish Polkadot analysis is based in the idea that blockchain ledgers are here to stay, and that they will change how people do business in the long run. Polkadot is probably not for you if that vision sounds silly. But blockchains strike me as powerful tools for financial transactions, data management, and more. So far, we have only seen the first fumbling attempts at building business models around them. And I expect Polkadot to play a central part as the market develops, lifting its market value from $10 billion today to trillions of dollars in the distant future.
I don't mind waiting for that game-changing payoff as the crypto market evolves. The early investor gets the golden worm in the end.
