Ready to Make Some Serious Crypto Gains? Check Out the Battle between Optimism, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Immutable X

Token Trekker Crypto & Travel
5 min readFeb 24, 2023

In recent years, the cryptocurrency market has been marked by significant fluctuations in prices, with many coins experiencing significant highs and lows. Optimism (OP) is one such coin that has seen impressive gains, with year-to-date increases of 218%, far surpassing the market leader Bitcoin’s 45% gains. The recent surge in the coin’s value has resulted in it reaching a local high of $3.095, the highest it has been in the last 15 days. However, this has been followed by a period of profit-taking, leading to a relatively long top wick on the daily candle.

Despite this temporary setback, there are reasons to remain optimistic about the future of OP. On February 23, Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, announced the launch of Base, an Ethereum layer-2 network that aims to offer a low-cost, secure, and developer-friendly environment for building decentralized apps on the blockchain. Base is built on the “OP Stack,” which is modular, open-source, highly scalable, and interoperable. Coinbase has stated that it has no plans to issue a new network token, which mean that OP stands to gain from the transaction fees generated on Base.

Furthermore, Coinbase’s plan for Base extends beyond being just another layer-2 solution. The company intends for Base to be a bridge to other L1 ecosystems like Solana, as well as providing access to Coinbase’s products, users, and tools. The company’s commitment to making Base a public good available to everyone is evidenced by its decision to join the OP Stack core dev team, a move that will contribute to the network’s decentralization over time.

Investors looking for opportunities in the cryptocurrency market may find OP to be an attractive option, given its recent price increases and the potential for further gains in the future. The launch of Base offers a significant opportunity for OP to expand its reach and user base, given that it is built on a highly scalable and interoperable infrastructure. Furthermore, Coinbase’s commitment to making Base a public good signals that the network will be around for the long haul, offering stability and predictability to potential investors.

Polygon (previously known as Matic Network) is another notable layer-2 network that has seen tremendous growth and adoption in recent months. Polygon is a Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that aims to provide faster and cheaper transactions compared to the Ethereum mainnet. Polygon also offers developers the ability to create their own chains with their own rules while still being able to interact with Ethereum.

Polygon has already seen significant adoption, with over 450 decentralized applications (dApps) built on its network, including popular DeFi protocols like Aave and SushiSwap. Additionally, Polygon has formed partnerships with major players in the industry, such as Google Cloud, to improve its infrastructure and user experience.

Another layer-2 solution worth mentioning is Arbitrum, which is built on top of Ethereum and aims to offer high-speed and low-cost transactions. Arbitrum uses optimistic rollups to enable faster and cheaper transactions while still retaining the security and decentralization of the Ethereum network. The project has already received significant backing from major investors like Sequoia and Paradigm.

Investors looking to capitalize on the growth of layer-2 networks for Ethereum may want to consider investing in Optimism, Polygon, and Arbitrum. While Optimism has the backing of major players in the industry, such as Coinbase, Polygon’s impressive growth and adoption make it a strong contender in the layer-2 space. Arbitrum also offers a promising alternative, with its focus on high-speed, low-cost transactions.

Furthermore, layer-2 networks as a whole offer a promising opportunity for investors as they address key issues with the Ethereum network, such as high gas fees and slow transaction times. As more developers and users flock to these networks, the demand for tokens associated with layer-2 solutions is likely to increase, potentially leading to further price increases for coins like OP, Polygon, and Arbitrum.

Immutable X is another layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that specifically targets the NFT and gaming industries. The network offers fast and cheap transactions for NFTs while maintaining Ethereum-level security. Immutable X has already gained significant adoption in the NFT space, with popular marketplaces like OpenSea and SuperRare already integrated with the network.

In addition to NFTs, Immutable X has also caught the attention of the gaming industry. Gaming giant Ubisoft recently announced its partnership with Immutable X to explore the use of blockchain technology in gaming. This partnership has the potential to bring more mainstream attention to Immutable X and its capabilities.

As with any investment in cryptocurrencies, investors should keep in mind the potential risks associated with investing in a new and emerging technology. However, for those who believe in the long-term potential of the NFT and gaming industries, Immutable X may be a worthwhile investment to consider.

As the cryptocurrency market continues to evolve and expand, investors have a growing number of layer-2 solutions to consider. In addition to well-known options such as Polygon, Optimism, and Arbitrum, Immutable X offers a unique focus on NFTs and gaming, making it a compelling investment opportunity for those interested in these industries.

Overall, the growth and adoption of layer-2 solutions offer exciting possibilities for the future of the cryptocurrency market. By addressing key issues with the Ethereum network and providing faster and cheaper transactions, these networks are helping to unlock the potential of decentralized applications and pave the way for broader adoption of cryptocurrencies. As more developers and users flock to these networks, the demand for tokens such as Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, and Immutable X is likely to continue to increase, offering investors the opportunity to potentially benefit from this growth.

Although I consider the crypto projects mentioned in this article to be fairly low risk compared to the rest of the cryptosphere, I am not a financial advisor and cannot provide investment advice. Cryptocurrencies and investing in general involve risk, and individuals should conduct their own research and consider their personal financial situation before making any investment decisions.

I hope this article was helpful to you and please let me know of other layer 2 solutions you feel are notable in the comments section.

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