Some projects still can bring 100x returns or even more!

Itprobably makes more sense to the answer by breaking it down into the 5 dominant areas of cryptos currently available. So I’ll go through each one.

#1 The Cryptocurrencies (Legacy)

This was the original idea behind cryptocurrencies, and it’s primarily broken down into two sorts of ideas:

coins that hope to be like currencies but have enormous swings in volatility (Bitcoin),
and stable coins (USDC, USDT, BUSD).

Stablecoins, if they work, will be worth $1 by the end of 2021. However, they aren’t supposed to gain in value, so I’ll just set them aside (you make money on them by providing them for lending platforms like Anchor, which gives about 19.5% APR for letting your money sit in a bank).

Of the cryptocurrencies, the most popular will be:

Bitcoin (BTC) — obviously
Dogecoin (DOGE) — because it has staying power as a meme coin
Ripple (XRP) — if it manages to beat the SEC claims and it probably will
Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — because PayPal has endorsed only four coins right now — BTC, ETH, LTC, and BCH

ETH is also tradable on PayPal, but it’s a platform coin, not a currency.

This is the area where I would expect the most nominal growth. I will be floored if any of these coins do 3x or better by the end of 2021.

Max. target: 3x

#2 The Platform Tokens

These are tokens that follow Ethereum’s idea. Rather than use blockchain tech to power the currency, use the currency to power the blockchain.

Whenever you run a program on Ethereum, you burn a little bit of ETH — making it more deflationary (right now) than Bitcoin even.

But the main going for Ethereum is that it can host lots of other applications on it. Notably, these are of three sorts:

Decentralized Finance (Defi) — with projects like the Anchor platform that obliterate banking returns, Mirror, which allow you to trade stocks on the blockchain; Uniswap, which will enable you to exchange coins anonymously; Insurance, which gives you insurance on hacks to a protocol, and Indexcoop, which will allow you to buy full indexes of coins and get leverage without the risk of liquidation.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are art, utility tokens, and (confusingly) web 3.0 applications.
Web 3.0 applications — which are applications that run the web, like browsers and Twitter-like apps, but on the blockchain with better rewards and, of course, porn sites.

Ethereum is like an operating system, while Bitcoin is like a calculator app that runs on your laptop’s operating system. That’s why this space has far more potential.

The main competitors here by market cap (size) are:

Ethereum (ETH)
Binance Smart Chain (BNB)
Cardano (ADA)
Polkadot (DOT)
Solana (SOL)
Terra (LUNA) — And Cosmos supports (ATOM)
Polygon (MATIC)
Internet Computer (ICP)
Avalanche (AVAX)
Algorand (ALGO)

And I’m not even done. Technically, MATIC is a layer two solution running on Ethereum. Binance Smart Chain is a development of Ethereum.

SOL and LUNA are more narrowly focused on decentralized finance, though both know NFT and web 3.0 platforms. They are the only two platforms that are both fast and cheap presently.

Ethereum is the oldest platform with the most applications and is the slowest and most expensive to use.

Example of how high ETH Gas fees can be for a transaction

Possible 2021–2022 gains: 3x — 20x.

#3 Decentralized Finance

These are the financial applications that run on the above platforms.

I also have to use the ones on the Ethereum blockchain, as everyone does right now. Occasionally, I use the Binance Smart Chain — mostly to buy poo-coins on PancakeSwap.

Here are some of my favorite projects:

Uniswap (UNI) — the world’s #1 decentralized exchange.
Aave (AAVE) — the world’s #1 automated market maker.
Yearn Finance (YFI) — the world’s #1 yield farming aggregator.
Bancor (BNT) — the only platform to have solved the impermanent loss problem.
Anchor (ANC) — the world’s best crypto lending platform (measured by APY on depositing stable coins).
Mirror (MIR) — the world’s best synthetic asset protocol.
PancakeSwap (CAKE) — The top Binance Smart Change decentralized exchange.
Raydium (RAY) — The top Solana decentralized exchange.
Index Cooperative (INDEX) — the world’s most uncomplicated exchange-traded funds and leveraged funds for defi

Honestly, it might be worth your while to buy the DPI offered by Indexcoop. Of course, they only provide exposure to the Ethereum blockchain, but it’ll save you a lot in transaction fees just buying this one token rather than all those separately.

I think the LUNA blockchain apps (MIR and ANC) have a lot of potentials. Who knows who will win the platform wars above?

Potential 2021–2022 gain: 3x — 50x

#4 Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

Now we’re getting into the fast-moving stuff, and I will be brief.

The main breakdown here concerns platforms for hosting NFTs, like RARI, game NFTs (like AXS and BMON), and the NFTs themselves, like the crypto punks or the Almace.

But I’m most excited about the game called Thetan Arena (THG). Thetan Arena is currently the first NFT game to be approved and is expected to be available for download on IOS on November 30. Thetan Arena’s gameplay is designed to revolve around the combination of your skills and teamwork. Challenge yourself with various game modes: MOBA & Battle Royale, coming with monthly updates and attractive rewards.

Has the current leading Play-to-earn project (Axie) been approved for the apple app store? NO

Possible return 2021–2022: 3x — 1000x

#5 Web 3.0

These are projects that replicate and alter existing web technologies. For example, the BraveBrowser uses BAT tokens to replace immoral data aggregation and rewards what you read and interact with on the internet.

The BraveBrowser is just like Chrome, but fast too.

Here are some exciting projects:

Chainlink (LINK) — allows blockchains to access data on the web. This is an API program for blockchains and is necessary to run anything.
The Graph (GRT) — allows data queries on blockchain usage using graphing technology, which runs ads on the current internet.
THETA (THETA) — YouTube on the blockchain.
Audius (AUDIO) — Spotify on the blockchain.
Pylon (MINE) — Patreon on the blockchain.

All of these are a little different from their web versions, and they need to attract users. MINE, for example, allows you to deposit tokens for the person you want to support. That person earns the yield from those tokens. Then, when you are done, you withdraw your tokens and get everything back.