https://steemitimages.com/DQmbDWHpWSLh95zPvJv5M7ALGp9z64rqtrSxfUc8UbaRbww/crypto.png The crypto market has seen some considerable dips in the past few week, so it inspired me to write about what I would consider being the "safer" crypto projects to hold in 2018... I'm not gonna say that they're correction proof but these are coins I feel have a very good chance of continuing to rise throughout 2018 and are really good options to build a solid portfolio around.

ONE

https://steemitimages.com/DQmaMVpyjpdhCEeGQGDdxUdSxDSohSb5kCYkbKunWA3uS5H/bitcoin-225080_960_720.png Okay so at number five I have the king, Bitcoin. So why is Bitcoin not number one on this list? Well for starters its market dominance has been at its lowest since its inception and it's only going lower. The slow transaction times and high fees make it cumbersome to use, this may all change once the off chain scaling solutions like lightning Network come into play but that could be a while off yet... With that being said Bitcoin is popular not just because new investors think of it as a store of value but because institutional investors, Whales and day traders all use BTC as a standard denomination for cryptocurrency trading. For another currency coin to replace BTC it would first have to be used by exchanges exclusively while offering more trading pairs than BTC. Despite there being many good currency coins in the space such as Nano or Litecoin, it will be some time before we see a currency coin overtake the king. Bitcoin has been around for nine years now and in that time it's survived one of the most catastrophic mismanagement of funds since Charles Ponzi in the form of Mt gox, it survived hard forks, FUD attempts, market manipulation, regulation and if you believe the media Bitcoin dies about twice a week. It's also the only cryptocurrency that most regular people outside of crypto know about and first mover advantage means new money will always be pouring into Bitcoin as long as cryptocurrency is seen as a viable investment. Bitcoin might not double in value like it did in November 2017 but expect stable organic growth in 2018.

TWO

https://steemitimages.com/DQmVnu4tA25GULnJ6PGmSovaX2WyKEzaQscMnwfnmoRz37f/1200px-OmiseGO_Logo.svg.png Next up is OmiseGo, the OMG platform is just getting started and it still has a long way to go but right now it's one of the most exciting cryptocurrencies in the space. They don't just have a great business model, they've also got an incredible vision for the future of payments and I love the fact that they're targeting Southeast Asia's financial system which is practically screaming out for a better solution. When you factor in the McDonald's partnership, their four years of proven experience in the payment industry, a solid development team and top marketing skills, it makes OMG a top crypto to hold for 2018. With that being said OMG is a sleeping giant in some respects so it may be some time before it truly takes off, it will most likely see some slow organic growth over 2018 but that's not a bad thing at all.

THREE

https://steemitimages.com/DQmT9KMzJigivxvuFZhDBvXudYrgjUyNx4CwKZizG4KvkQw/WALTON.png Next up is Walton chain, my personal biggest hold. Walton chain recently won the 2018 outstanding blockchain company award at the first summit forum of blockchain in Southeast Asia, they've also just gone through a complete rebranding and lined up multiple strategic partnerships. Walton chains focus in 2018 is building up partnerships and refining their RFID tech, so in many respects I expect it to be a slow growth year with a couple of breakouts here and there. But based on their roadmap, 2019 should be an explosive year for Walton as they start to roll out their RFID solutions. Their partnership with China Mobile puts Walton chain right in the middle of a network of world-leading IOT corporations, this gives them endless opportunities for adoption globally in countless different industries. They are positioning themselves to be the single connector of the entire Internet of Things initiative put forward by the china mobile IOT alliance, so for multiple reasons, Walton chain is one of my favorite projects to be hodling in 2018.

FOUR

https://steemitimages.com/DQmYfKLwcW54219Yi9mDJN51cFjvS7EDhpnTxcxF8g3BvML/NEO.png Next up is NEO, the Chinese Ethereum is one of the most undervalued projects in the market right now. Right from its inception as Antshares, Neo has been hailed as the next big DApp and smart contracts platform. Its tech is already being used and NEO is gaining weight as a major industry player, the fact that they will have Chinese government partnerships as well as major business partnerships is what will keep it growing in 2018. With exchanges like Kucoin listing neo as a major trading pair and the upcoming launch of the NEX exchange, I fully expect the volume, price, and use of the NEO token to make a steady rise in 2018.

FIVE

https://steemitimages.com/DQmYgHejTUsCzcapPdodPoXpaHjUboHodYShXGSjuDoMqHH/ETHEREUM.png Now to my number 1 pick, Ethereum. One might make the argument that Ethereum has changed cryptocurrency more in three years than bitcoin has done in nine. If Bitcoin Falls from its number-one spot this year there is a very good chance that it will be Ethereum that replaces it. Holding Ethereum is like holding the ultimate blue-chip stock, it's a big project run by extremely talented developers who have delivered a product that is already changing the world. Most new projects that are coming out today are powered by ERC-20 tokens running off the Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum network currently processes more than 1 million transactions per day which is larger than every other cryptocurrency combined. Yes there is network congestion and fees have been slowly rising as a result, but the length and breadth of the applications for this blockchain are immense. From crypto kitties to decentralized exchanges to insurance contracts, Ethereum enables it all. Ethereum will really start to pay off when staking is implemented, this is purported to be sometime in early 2018. Coins like Bitcoin and ripple have a limited use case when compared to Ethereum which is poised to become the backbone of every smart contract transaction in the world. Once that happens Ethereum will be unning the cryptocurrency game for the foreseeable future. That's my pick for "safer" cryptocurrencies to hold this year, what do you think? Did I miss any? Let me know below. If you found this post to be informative, please give it an upvote and a resteem.