Cryptocurrencies are trending worldwide. Check out the 10 cryptocurrencies that are expected to escalate in the crypto market in 2022.

In the last few years, cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and decentralized finance (Defi) have gained incredible momentum. Early in 2021, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, and Dogecoin garnered a much greater share of headlines and became immensely popular. This article lists 10 cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano that are expected to explode in 2022.

Solana (SOL)

Solana is a highly functional open-source project that banks on blockchain technology's permissionless nature to provide decentralized finance (Defi) solutions. Solana is known in the cryptocurrency space because of the incredibly short processing times the blockchain offers. Solana's hybrid protocol allows for significantly decreased validation times for both transaction and smart contract execution. With lightning-fast processing times, Solana has attracted a lot of institutional interest as well.

Avalanche (AVAX)

Avalanche is a layer one blockchain that functions as a platform for decentralized applications and custom blockchain networks. It is one of Ethereum's rivals, aiming to unseat Ethereum as the most popular blockchain for smart contracts. It aims to do so by having a higher transaction output of up to 6,500 transactions per second while not compromising scalability.

Algorand(ALGO)

Algorand is a self-sustaining, decentralized, blockchain-based network that supports a wide range of applications. These systems are secure, scalable, and efficient, all critical properties for effective applications in the real world. Algorand will support computations that require reliable performance guarantees to create new forms of trust.

Algorand was invented to speed up transactions and improve efficiency, in response to the slow transaction times of Bitcoin and other blockchains.

Polygon (MATIC)

Polygon (previously Matic Network) is the first well-structured, easy-to-use platform for Ethereum scaling and infrastructure development. Its core component is Polygon SDK, a modular, flexible framework that supports building multiple types of applications. Using Polygon, one can create optimistic rollup chains, ZK rollup chains, stand-alone chains, or any other kind of infra required by the developer.

Aave(AAVE)

Aave is a decentralized finance protocol that allows people to lend and borrow crypto. Lenders earn interest by depositing digital assets into specially created liquidity pools. Borrowers can then use their crypto as collateral to take out a flash loan using this liquidity. Aave (which means "ghost" in Finnish) was originally known as ETHLend when it launched in November 2017, but the rebranding to Aave happened in September 2018. AAVE provides holders with discounted fees on the platform, and it also serves as a governance token giving owners a say in the future development of the protocol.

Shiba Inu(SHIB)

The Shiba Inu coin was created anonymously in August 2020 under the pseudonym "Ryoshi." The meme coin quickly gained speed and value as a community of investors was drawn in by the cute charm of the coin paired with headlines and Tweets from personalities like Elon Musk and Vitalik Buterin. On Sept. 17, 2021, Coinbase, the largest US-based crypto exchange, listed Shiba Inu on its platform. This news caused Shiba Inu's price to rise by over 40% in the following two days, bringing the meme dog token into the spotlight again.

Terra (LUNA)

Terra is a blockchain protocol that uses fiat-pegged stablecoins to power price-stable global payments systems. According to its white paper, Terra combines the price stability and wide adoption of fiat currencies with the censorship-resistance of Bitcoin (BTC) and offers fast and affordable settlements. Development on Terra began in January 2018, and its mainnet officially launched in April 2019.

Uniswap(UNI)

Uniswap is a popular decentralized trading protocol, known for its role in facilitating automated trading of decentralized finance (Defi) tokens. Uniswap was launched in November 2018 but has gained considerable popularity this year thanks to the Defi phenomenon and associated surge in token trading. Uniswap aims to keep token trading automated and completely open to anyone who holds tokens while improving the efficiency of trading versus that on traditional exchanges.

Chainlink(LINK)

Founded in 2017, Chainlink is a blockchain abstraction layer that enables universally connected smart contracts. Through a decentralized oracle network, Chainlink allows blockchains to securely interact with external data feeds, events, and payment methods, providing the critical off-chain information needed by complex smart contracts to become the dominant form of digital agreement.

Polkadot(DOT)

Polkadot is an open-source sharding multichain protocol that facilitates the cross-chain transfer of any data or asset types, not just tokens, thereby making a wide range of blockchains interoperable with each other. This interoperability seeks to establish a fully decentralized and private web, controlled by its users, and simplify the creation of new applications, institutions, and services.