The Monero Market Potential Explained
In a landscape
that is populated by several projects with similar objectives and use cases,
Monero clearly is a departure from the norm in the cryptocurrency space.
Luckily, in our world today, the need for anonymity cannot be completely
avoided in many facets of life.
Having a crypto
that meets the yearnings of a class of users with a specific expectation is a
marked move that is proving worthwhile for the inventors of XMR. Although there
are challenges that Monero faces in certain parts of the world, there exists
enough market to serve investment enthusiasts.
Why Was Monero Invented?
Monero was made
and designed for cryptocurrency users who are all out for anonymity. While many
people do not bother about the public status of their transactions, there are
others who really care about what shows up in the public space.
It is to meet
the need of people who do not want their transactions open to public scrutiny
that Monero was launched. Interestingly, Monero was not designed out of the
blues as it is the consummation of algorithms that were already in use by the
secret services. Today, the improvement of Monero’s confidentiality derives
from research papers and their outcomes from around the world.
Is Monero Technology Unique?
Monero uses the
blockchain as a base for its operations and governance. In that sense, it shares
some basic similarities with the Bitcoin blockchain. However, in terms of anonymity
and privacy, it is way apart from Bitcoin. While the processes of transaction
approval are based on the proof of work algorithm, other layers of procedures
and presentation have been built-in to give Monero its anonymity aura.
The level of
stealth and intrackability built into Monero blockchain makes it impossible for
anyone to know the transactions within a wallet, its contents or status. While the
same person can fund a Monero wallet multiple times, there is no way to tell
the source of these funds unless the sender confirms to the recipient that such
transactions have taken place.
The CryptoNote
Protocol is fully at work in the Monero Network, and it describes the range of cryptography
that obfuscates the identity of a transaction initiator. By using ring
signatures, transactions are authorized on behalf of the user groups, and only
the recipient can access the wallet based on a transaction-specific private key
and the image of the associated public key, that is not re-usable.
The Real Worth of Monero
Monero is real
money when viewed in terms of having a valid transaction power. It can be used
to settle accounts, pay bills, and transfer value. When you send Monero to
anyone, the recipient can decide to change same to fiat, other crypto, or simply
hold it in store.
The power of
real money is tied to its acceptability and not necessarily that it is
tangible. Where it not so, mobile payments and other digital payment forms
would be invalid. Monero has an intrinsic value that is quoted by crypto exchanges
around the world, and at each time, its market price or value is known. This
also explains the reason why there are several Monero trading pairs across the
world.
At the time of
writing, XMR traded for $52.99, and is worth 0.00731353 BTC. When converted to
Ether, 1 XMR is equivalent to 0.354857 ETH
The Cost of Monero Transactions
Like most
crypto, blockchain charges arise whenever there is an XMR transaction, with
average fees at about $0.021. Traditionally, proof of work-based
cryptocurrencies attracts higher fees except they are upgraded with other
efficient processors.
For Monero, the block size per transaction is
flexible, and this impacts on the resources required for processing This is
where it differs from Bitcoin blockchain, which requires data duplication and
accumulation each time a transaction needs to be approved. With a fixed block size,
Bitcoin blockchain attracts higher transaction fees.
The much-reported
bulletproof upgrades to Monero in Q3 2018, led to increased privacy, and random
authorizations, which invalidated purpose-built mining gadgets and ASICs. With
lower block approval fees, industrial-grade mining of Monero is less attractive.
Can XMR Be Used Anonymously?
Monero is the
leading anonymous cryptocurrency and all transactions on the platform are
anonymous and not even optional as presented by Zcash blockchain.
First, transactions
that are initiated do not get to the destination in a straight loop. Rather,
the transaction details are further encrypted in such a way that even the
recipient cannot tell its source except the sender provides such information.
Anonymity and
privacy are the two hallmarks of the Monero network that effectively locks up
the identities of participants and their wallets. So, it is impossible for a
transaction to be traced to its source and the contents of a wallet cannot be known
by other parties in the blockchain.
How Safe is XMR?
The safety of
the Monero blockchain boils down to its proof of work algorithm that
effectively makes the authorization of transactions a team effort. While there
are concerns of late that the POW mechanism can be manipulated by ASICs as a
result of higher production capacity, this fear is already invalidated by
Monero’s system upgrade.
ASICs are no
longer able to access Monero blockchain and as such, the consensus procedures
will persist and naturally, must be adhered to. This basic requirement makes
the blockchain safe, and intruders or hackers will be unable to gain control of
a majority of the participating nodes. Failure to be in the majority in the blockchain
means that no hack will succeed or be able to muster the 51% vote needed for
authorization.
XMR Mining
Monero is a POW
ecosystem, and this means that it is a cryptocurrency that can be mined. Mining
is the process recognized for new XMR tokens to be introduced in the ecosystem.
At present, traditional mining using GPU cards and the CPU of computers is the
norm. With the subsisting POW algorithm and improvements or upgrades so far,
Monero transactions have become less costly and less profitable to miners.
In essence, small
holder mining will continue to be order of the day, and miners with better energy
efficiency will continue to make profits. This is beneficial to the fortunes of
XMR, as the moderated mining lessens supply pressure, thereby keeping the tokens
mined within expected projections. Afterall, it is basic economics at play when low
supply gives rise to better pricing or higher market value.
Monero Wallets
Apart from the native
Monero wallet GUI, which is installed on computer desktops, there are several
other hardware and online alternatives. Generally, wallets are deemed safer
when they are offline, as it is a lot more difficult for them to be hacked
without internet connectivity.
However, online
wallets have their attraction by reason of ease of access, which explains their
popularity. However, the recommended practice is to avoid storing tokens in
your exchange wallet except they are actively traded. For
users of hardware wallets like Nano and Exodus, it is important to always use
the devices that are Monero-compatible in order to avoid losses.
While paper
wallets are used in some places, these have become largely obsolete as the risk
of loss due to destruction or misplacement can be rather high.
Last Words
An investment is only as good as the
market that exists for it. In the case of Monero, while it might not be
everyone’s favorite, it surely packs the punch in its niche. By consistently
maintaining its place on the Top 20 crypto by market capitalization list, there
seems to be hope for its future.
Despite the reports of doubts over
its legality in certain countries, a lot many nations on earth have no qualms
with the existence of Monero. As it stands, with the increasing popularity of XMR,
anyone with access to a crypto platform will be free to trade Monero with ease.
This development could be a middle ground that will allow investors see XMR
like any of the leading tokens, whose highs and lows provide windows of
opportunity to beat the market and reap the gains.
Comments
Post a Comment