Cryptocurrencies are becoming a more and more important part of our daily lives, and this will surely continue in the future. We often talk about them as a profitable (as well as a risky) future investment, or as a great subject of trading for gaining short-term benefits.
Anyway, today we are talking about the process of mining cryptocurrencies and whether it will be worth it in 2022. Let’s see.
What is cryptocurrency mining?
Simply said, cryptocurrency mining is the process of creating new coins. Actually, it involves validating crypto transactions to a blockchain network and adding them to a distributed ledger. Furthermore, crypto mining prevents the double spending of digital currencies on a distributed network.
One of the main challenges ahead of cryptocurrencies is that they can be easily manipulated. That is why Bitcoin’s distributed ledger only allows verified miners to update transactions. Therefore, miners are more responsible for securing the network, and new coins are generated to reward them for that.
How to mine cryptocurrencies
If we have a look at Bitcoin, when it was created, the computer power required for its mining was enough for the computer processing unit of a laptop.
However, with time, the problems became more complex, and today it is only possible to mine Bitcoin with machines, created specifically for this.
Anyway, if you are planning on Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency mining) you should consider the equipment and electricity cost, as well as the time it will take to recoup them. Furthermore, Bitcoin price fluctuations can impact the profitability, so you should think about that too.
What was the mining profitability in the past?
Since the peak of the mining profitability a year ago (April 2021), the profits dropped by over 40%. Anyway, in 2021 the profits were abnormally high. And even with that drop, the profits are still higher than they were in 2018 and 2020.
Cryptocurrency mining in 2019
In 2019, a miner would earn around 0,0005 BTC a day, which would be $4. With the current price of Bitcoin, it would be around $20.
Cryptocurrency mining in 2020
In 2020, a miner could earn over 0,0008 BTC a day or $7.5, with the price of Bitcoin back then.
Cryptocurrency mining in 2021
As for last year, a miner could earn around 0,006 BTC per day, which was approximately $30 per day.
Cryptocurrencies mining in 2022
Well, in 2022 a miner would earn 0,0004 BTC a day or $16, based on the current price of the cryptocurrency.
As we know, mining Bitcoin gets harder with time, as the problems become more complicated. Anyway, there are cryptocurrencies, other than BTC, which you can consider mining in 2022. Let’s have a look.
Ethereum
At the moment, this is the main cryptocurrency for mining. Actually, almost 80% of the video cards mine Ethereum. Again, before you start mining, you should consider all the costs for the equipment, electricity, etc.
What causes the high profitability of mining Ethereum in 2022 is its high rate. But the price of electricity is increasing, as well as the payback period for video cards. That made profit decrease by almost 2 times compared to January 2021.
Monero
One of the advantages of mining Monero is that you can start with a simple central processing unit or graphics processing unit, and this way you save on equipment and increase your net profit.
Litecoin
Litecoin can be mined with a personal computer without the need of costly hardware. Of course, it helps to have specialized hardware if you want to get better results. Miners receive 12,7 LTC per block, which is a great factor in attracting new ones.
As we can see, cryptocurrency mining is still valuable today. Of course, no one says it is an easy process and there are still risks, as the crypto prices are extremely volatile and so are the prices of the equipment needed for mining. So, before you jump into mining, consider all the risks and the possibilities ahead of you.