As the year begins it’s already time to look into the future and try and pick out the coins that will be the most influential in 2018. While currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum will always be major players, the following coins will also make serious moves over the next 12 months.

Substratum (SUB)

Substratum is an open-source network that allows anyone to allocate their spare computing resources in order to participate in a decentralized web. The Substratum network is a worldwide collection of nodes that uses cryptography to provide secure internet access and content without the need for Tor or a VPN. With the recent reverse of net neutrality legislation in the USA, Substratum has increased in importance with a significant number of crypto enthusiasts looking to invest in the project for the long term. After raising approximately $13m during its token sale, SUB has performed well and began trading at around $0.04 in September. Since then, it has been a consistent performer in the market and looks set to grow in 2018. An increase in government intervention regarding the internet looks set to push Substratum into the spotlight, and the SUB team have a busy roadmap ahead that if achieved will make SUB one of the standout coins of the next 12 months.

OmiseGO (OMG)

OmiseGO is a token-based digital currency backed by the Plasma decentralized exchange and a digital wallet provided by Omise. The technology behind OmiseGO revolves around providing super-fast payments and linking e-wallets for different types of fiat and digital currencies. It’s designed to facilitate payments for goods and services on the web to and to enable the cross-border transfer of assets. Backed up by the Ethereum Foundation, the project’s extremely successful ICO held in June sold out before it had even gone live to the public. OMG has been one of the year’s best performers and launched with an ICO price of just $0.024. It has already repaid its early investors very handsomely and looks set to go from strength to strength in 2018. The OMG token is one that stands to benefit from the issues on the Bitcoin blockchain as people around the world look for a cheap way to make remittance payments. The OMG team are also building for the future and have solidified their presence in Asia by making a number of astute contract signings. In 2018, OMG looks set to break away from the chasing pack and establish itself as a real-world problem solver.

Aion (AION)

Aion is billed as being a third-generation blockchain network that enables different blockchains to be linked together and allows for a future where many blockchains exist to solve unique issues and power the modern world. Just days ago, Aion announced that it will partner with ICO and Wanchain to form the “Blockchain Interoperability Alliance”. This Alliance will collaborate on research, and aim to establish an interoperability standard that leads to the broader adoption of blockchain technology across a number of industries. The Aion team recently secured a US Defence contract and can only further establish themselves over the next year. The ability to connect networks, institutions, businesses, and organizations is only going to grow in importance and Aion is already at the forefront of the interoperability movement.

Icon (ICX)

ICON was one of the years most highly anticipated ICOs and looks set to be a major player in the sector. The project is backed by a highly skilled team that provide unique blockchain solutions to banks, hospitals, and universities. The ICON platform represents the next generation of blockchain technology and ICON’s decentralized applications (DAPPs), including Blockchain ID and Payment & Exchange can be used swiftly and securely by a variety of institutions and communities. As a member of an alliance that includes AION and Wanchain, ICON is a project that many analysts expect to go far and ICX traded at a price of well over $2.00 once it hit the market, giving its ICO participants significant returns on their investment. As one of South Korea’s leading projects ICX looks set to have a standout year in 2018.

Dragonchain (DRGN)

Dragonchain is a blockchain based enterprise solution project that seeks to simplify the process of incorporating blockchain technology for new and existing businesses. After starting out as a Disney side project, the Dragonchain team set out to create a business that specialized in blockchain solutions and the team now make it easy for developers to release blockchain-based apps using languages such as Java or Python. After its ICO earlier this year, the DRGN token hit the market at around $0.07, this rose all the way to $1.20 on Ether Delta and showcased the ability the token has to generate revenue. Despite holding an auction type of token sale, many investors looked to purchase the coin after the sale had ended. This project looks set to grow in value as more businesses look to leverage blockchain technology and Dragonchain plays host to some of 2018’s best projects via its own incubator platform.