Which cryptocurrency to buy? Five criteria that matter before the coin

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.22,260 cryptocurrencies are on sale across 1,504 trading venues, and most guides start with the name. We reverse the order and set out the five criteria, from market capitalisation to the holding period, that come before the coin.Anyone who wants to buy a cryptocurrency usually looks for a name first. That is the most expensive order of operations this asset class offers. On October 15, 2026, CoinGecko lists exactly 22,260 active cryptocurrencies, traded on 1,504 venues and worth 2.76 trillion dollars, or 2.47 trillion euros, in total. A name tells you nothing about any of them. Five criteria do, and you can work through them in a quarter of an hour, before the first euro reaches an exchange account. The five criteria are market capitalisation, supply, use, custody and tax. None of them is a price forecast, and that is where their value lies: a forecast ages overnight, while these five questions work in October 2026 exactly as they will in two years. What changes are the answers...