Only 40 of the top 100 cryptocurrencies have working products that offer " real value " to the public , a study by Invest in Blockchain has shown . Researchers defined a working product as being " active and available to the public " . From 15p €0.18 Well - known digital currencies such as bitcoin , bitcoin cash and litecoin met the criteria , alongside smart contract platforms such as ethereum and lesser - known currencies such as zencash and zcash . Typically , this includes services such as messaging or performing secure financial transactions . The prices of bitcoin , cash and other cryptocurrencies have fallen steeply in value since the start of the 2000s .
Only 40 of the top 100 cryptocurrencies have working products that offer " real value " to the public , a study by Invest in Blockchain has shown . Researchers defined a working product as being " active and available to the public " . Well - known digital currencies such as bitcoin , bitcoin cash and litecoin met the criteria , alongside smart contract platforms such as ethereum and lesser - known currencies such as zencash and zcash . Typically , this includes services such as messaging or performing secure financial transactions . The prices of bitcoin , cash and other cryptocurrencies have fallen steeply in value since the start of the 2000s .