Altcoin is short for "Alternative Coin" and is used to refer to any digital currency alternative to Bitcoin.
Examples of the most popular alternative coins (Altcoins):
Ethereum (Ethereum - ETH): The second largest currency after Bitcoin and supports smart contracts and decentralized applications.
Ripple (Ripple - XRP): Used for fast financial transfers between banks.
Litecoin (Litecoin - LTC): Similar to Bitcoin but faster in transactions.
Cardano (Cardano - ADA) and Solana (Solana - SOL): Platforms for blockchain applications and smart contracts.
Types of Altcoins:
1. Mining-based coins: such as Litecoin and Monero.
2. Stablecoins: such as USDT and USDC, backed by the dollar or other assets.
3. Utility tokens: used within certain platforms (such as BNB on the Binance platform.