10 biggest cryptocurrencies

While everyone has heard of bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, a subset of alternative, digital currencies, are gaining in popularity and number.

With the advent of bitcoin in 2009, hundreds of similar currencies have hit the market, albeit with less of a following. Coinmarketcap.com logs a total of 567 digital currencies, with a total market capitalization of $5,619,219,706. While many of these digital currencies have no quantifiable market cap, the top 10 are all above the $10 million mark, and there is evidence of growing institutional interest in the space.

The installment of the first bitcoin ATM in Oct. 2013 (dubbed "Robocoin") cements the presence these currencies are holding in everyday society, as well as the increasing interest in this market. If governments begin recognizing digital currencies, it could have a major effect on their success and development in the future.

Continue reading to see the list of top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization!

All information courtesy of coinmarketcap.com.

10. Darkcoin (DRK)

Market Cap: $11,508,029

Price: $2.36

Available Supply: 4,869,145

Volume (24hr): $187,611

Introduced: Jan. 18, 2014

Darkcoin was originally released under the name "XCoin," and was designed to be an anonymous form of bitcoin.

9. MaidSafeCoin (MAID)

Market Cap: $11,911,587

Price: $0.03

Available Supply: 452,552,412*

Volume (24hr): $4,077

Introduced: Not yet officially released, development began 2006

In 2006, over $5 million was raised to fund the development of MaidSafe/"Safecoin."

* Not Mineable

8. Peercoin (PPC)

Market Cap: $16,247,919

Price: $0.74

Available Supply: 21,879,644

Volume (24hr): $107,187

Introduced: Aug. 12, 2012

Unlike other cryptocurrencies, there is a charge to trade Peercoin. It is also the official digital currency at Trek Con, a Star Trek convention.^Source

7. Nxt (NXT)

Market Cap: $17,992,448

Price: $0.02

Available Supply: 999,997,096*

Volume (24hr): $39,696

Introduced: Nov. 24, 2013

Nxt is designed as a new payment system, not just an individual currency.

6. Counterparty (XCP)

Market Cap: $19,532,444

Price: $7.38

Available Supply: 2,647,023*

Volume (24hr): $34,487

Introduced: Unknown

Counterparty is actually a finanacial platform represented by its currency, XCP.

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5. Dogecoin (DOGE)

Market Cap: $21,092,596

Price: $0.0002

Available Supply: 95,706,226,277

Volume (24hr): $306,424

Introduced: Dec. 8, 2013

The Dogecoin community focuses on charitable events, working to fund the 2014 Winter Olympic Jamaican bobsled team's trip to Sochi, as well as contributing to foundations that help special needs children get paired with service dogs.

4. BitShares (BTSX)

Market Cap: $30,605,017

Price: $0.02

Available Supply: 1,999,883,512*

Volume (24hr): $334,589

Introduced: Unknown

BitShares was originally an experiment to test the economic theory behind a new kind of prediction market. This experiment creates a decentralized bank and exchange that uses a decentralized transaction ledger secured by DPOS to create fungible digital assets that are market-pegged to the value of anything from dollars, to gold, to gallons of gasoline.^Source

3. Litecoin (LTC)