With talk of the flippening - ether supplanting bitcoin as the leading cryptocurrency - being commonplace in the cryptosphere, it's worth considering what the discrepancies between ether and bitcoin might mean for the possible growth of blockchain and crypto applications.
Bitcoin has long been the industry leader, discussion starter, and dominant power by every measure, ever since blockchain and crypto became part of the financial markets conversation. With a market capitalization of over $1 trillion, large transactions by household names like Tesla TSLA -1.9 percent, and major payment providers allowing crypto payments, it is reasonable to believe that the cryptocurrency market will continue to grow.+
However, in terms of crypto valuation and other technologies built on the Ethereum blockchain, ether and the Ethereum blockchain also quickly advanced. Taking a step back and ignoring the price tracking that enthralls market observers and participants every day, ether and Ethereum have become the most important stories in the second half of 2020 and 2021.
Transactions vs. applications One of the more contentious controversies in recent years has been whether or not cryptocurrency should be used for transactions rather than only being kept as a speculative fund. For the time being, at least in the United States, it seems that all crypto will be taxed as property; this has far-reaching implications.