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From Starbucks to Lamborghinis, consumers are using cryptocurrency to pay for a variety of goods and retailers are taking notice.

Nearly 75% of retailers plan to accept either cryptocurrency or stablecoin payments within the next two years, according to a June survey conducted by Deloitte titled "Merchants getting ready for crypto."

Deloitte polled a sample of 2,000 senior executives from the retail industry who represent a range of subsectors including cosmetics, electronics, fashion, transportation, food and beverage.

While digital currencies like Bitcoin are typically only as valuable as users believe them to be, a stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that derives its value from an underlying asset. Stablecoins are often pegged to currencies such as the U.S. dollar or a commodity such as gold.

Although paying with cryptocurrency is fairly novel now, 83% of retailers expect consumer interest in digital currencies to increase over the next year and a little over half of them have invested over $1 million into enabling digital payments, according to the survey.

For consumers, that means you could soon buy clothes, drinks, beauty products and more with crypto.

Although retailers are planning to accept digital currency as payments, that doesn't mean they're necessarily planning to hold on to the virtual assets.

Just over 50% of respondents plan to have third-party payment processors convert digital currency into fiat, which is money that is established as legal tender by a government, like the U.S. dollar, the British pound and the euro. This means the retailers aren't planning to actually own the cryptocurrency that's used for payment.

Given the unpredictability of the crypto market, using this strategy is considered to be less risky for retailers than holding the crypto themselves. This approach also makes it faster and easier for retailers to enable payments with digital currencies, Deloitte reports.

Crypto-curious retailers recognize that there are a number of challenges to overcome in order to enable payments with digital currencies. Nearly 90% cited the complexity of making their existing financial infrastructure compatible with various digital currencies as their greatest challenge.

Additionally, security of the payment platforms topped the list of barriers to adoption, the survey revealed, followed by concerns about the changing regulatory landscape and the instability of the digital currency market.

More than half of retailers agreed that certain regulations regarding cryptocurrency need to be enacted, including national guidance around holding digital assets, clarity about the tax implications of using digital currencies and the ability to hold digital currencies in a bank account.

Despite their worries, retailers remain optimistic about the benefits of enabling payments with cryptocurrencies. Nearly half of retailers believe this move will improve customer experience and increase their customer base.

"We anticipate that further partnerships with regulated and established institutions in the industry will help deliver the benefits of digital currencies (e.g., convenience and support) and will continue to build the necessary foundation of trust," the report concludes.

While the ability to pay with crypto may be good news for some crypto users, it's still important to remember that these assets can be highly volatile, and experts typically recommend only investing as much money as you are prepared to lose.

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Nearly 75% of retailers plan to accept cryptocurrency payments within the next 2 years - CNBC

Market capitalization as a term has also entered conversations about crypto investing over time. Its definition and applications in crypto arent quite the same as in the traditional stock market. Cryptocurrency market cap is broadly defined as a metric that measures a particular cryptocurrencys total value in the current market.

The market cap of a cryptocurrency is determined by dividing the total coins ever mined by the price of a single coin at any particular moment. Market capitalization can be used as a valid measure of how stable an asset is likely to be.

This feature provides a brief introduction to the cryptocurrency market cap, why its important to understand it, and what it means for investors.

Since the inception of Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, more and more cryptocurrency projects have steadily entered the scene, each promising different perks or uses to investors. Some altcoins boast unparalleled transaction speeds, while others claim to offer the lowest fees.

Other coins, like the privacy-focused altcoin Monero (XMR), offer airtight security and total privacy. XMR transactions made through a specially encrypted Monero wallet are allegedly completely anonymous and untraceable, making Monero an ideal coin for users with outstanding cybersecurity concerns.

At present, there are thousands of active cryptocurrency projects available for traders to invest in. Naturally, every single one of these coins will be valued differently in the market, and this value is what market capitalization in crypto aims to measure.

A particular coins market cap is meant to give investors a sense of how big the project currently is and how well its performing.

A cryptocurrencys market cap is calculated by multiplying the coins current market price by the total circulating supply. For example, if a certain coin is being traded at $5 per unit and around 10,000,000 coins are in circulation, its market cap would be $50,000,000.

Many crypto experts regard the market cap as the most important factor for determining a cryptocurrencys viability as an asset. There are now a number of websites and online indexes that calculate and track market capitalization for different cryptocurrencies, as well as other important financial metrics. These sites enable crypto investors to monitor the dominance and popularity of their chosen coins.

Also Read: 10 Tips to Survive Crypto Bear Market

A crypto projects market cap can provide valuable insight on that projects relevancy, particularly for investors that aim to assess a specific coins popularity in the long term.

Most crypto experts will agree, for instance, that coins with large caps of over $10 billion are relatively safe investments. Investing primarily in such coins is usually considered a conservative strategy, as these cryptocurrencies are likely to be less unpredictable investments than other coins.

Its worth noting, however, that even the most supposedly stable cryptos out there will still be more volatile in terms of their value than traditional investing products like stocks or bonds.

Mid-cap cryptocurrencies are those with market caps between $1 billion and $10 billion. In contrast to large-cap cryptos, these cryptos are usually much more volatile, but they may have more potential to grow. Meanwhile, small-cap cryptocurrencies are those with market caps under $1 billion. Theyre often subject to extreme price volatility, often rising or falling in value significantly in a matter of just a few hours.

Small-cap cryptos are thus, considered the highest-risk investments its possible to make in crypto, even if their growth potential is projected to be good in the short term.

One viable way investors can apply their knowledge of the market cap is by pursuing a weighted market cap investing strategy. Following this strategy, the amounts that traders invest in their chosen cryptocurrencies are proportional to those coins current market cap.

To illustrate, this means that an investor aiming to put down $100 in total crypto investments should allocate the greatest portion of this amount to the coin with the largest market cap and smaller portions to other less popular cryptos.

Its important for novice crypto investors to bear in mind, however, that the market is prone to dramatic price fluctuations even for large-cap coins. Hence, market capitalization is constantly changing even for the largest and most popular coins out there. Because cryptocurrency is a relatively new asset in comparison to traditional assets like stocks, there are currently few ways to predict how a particular coins value or growth trajectory is likely to change over time.

Cryptocurrencys unpredictability is the primary reason financial experts encourage new traders to invest cautiously even in large crypto projects. Its always a good idea for the novice investors to do thorough research before committing to any investments and only put down as much money as they can afford to lose.

Also Read: A Guide to do your own Research (DYOR) for Crypto Trading

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Cryptocurrency Market Cap And Its Importance - Crypto Times

The collapse in cryptocurrencies is easing supply of the most sought after watches on the second-hand market, depressing prices for hard-to-get Patek Philippe and Rolex models.

The supply of trophy watches such as the Rolex Daytona or Patek Nautilus 5711A is now much larger, online-watch trading platform Chrono24 said in an emailed statement.

The recent swoon in cryptocurrency valuations has directly impacted pricing of luxury watches from brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe, said the company, which is based in Karlsruhe, Germany, and has more than half a million watches listed for sale on its website.

The price decline for the most sought after models is the latest indication that the once soaring second-hand luxury watch market is starting to lose pace.

Surging valuations for crypto currencies had minted a new class of luxury buyers, leading to an unprecedented price increase for models particularly from brands like Rolex, and Audemars Piguet.

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Cryptocurrency slump has flooded the market with Rolex and Patek - Business Standard