U.S. President Donald Trump has announced five cryptocurrencies he wants included in a new strategic reserve, which would be crypto holdings owned by the U.S. government. In a post on Truth Social, Trump revealed that his January executive order on digital assets would create a stockpile of XRP, SOL, and ADA currencies, surprising traders by choosing three lesser-known tokens and sending their prices soaring. Later, Trump added that bitcoin and ether, the two biggest cryptocurrencies, would also be included in the reserve.

1. XRP

   • Created by U.S. crypto company Ripple, XRP is the world’s third-biggest cryptocurrency, with $140 billion in circulation. Each token is worth around $2.40. Ripple promotes XRP for faster and cheaper global fund transfers compared to other cryptocurrencies. The company has been involved in significant crypto lobbying, donating $45 million to a lobbying group that influenced U.S. elections in favor of the crypto industry. Ripple was also involved in a legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over whether its sales of XRP in 2012 counted as an unregistered securities offering.

2. SOL

   • SOL is the token that runs on the Solana blockchain, often used to launch meme coins, including Trump’s own cryptocurrency. With around $73 billion worth of tokens in circulation, SOL is the sixth-biggest cryptocurrency. Its price has been volatile, particularly affected by its association with former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Solana saw its token price soar in 2021 due to its rivalry with ether and its use in the booming non-fungible token (NFT) market.

3. ADA

   • ADA runs on the Cardano blockchain, founded in 2015 by Charles Hoskinson, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain project. There is $31.4 billion worth of ADA tokens in circulation, making it the eighth-biggest cryptocurrency. The token’s price saw the biggest gain after Trump’s announcement, briefly soaring more than 70% above its level on Friday. Cardano is managed by several entities, including a Switzerland-based non-profit, the Cardano Foundation, and a for-profit arm, Emurgo.

4. Bitcoin

   • The first and biggest cryptocurrency, bitcoin started circulating in 2009, created by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. With around $1.7 trillion worth of tokens in circulation, bitcoin accounts for more than half of the $3 trillion nominal value of all digital currencies. Bitcoin surged last year, helped by the U.S. SEC allowing it to be included in exchange-traded funds and by Trump’s election, which raised expectations for pro-crypto regulation.

5. Ether

   • Ether is the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain, which aims to be a major player in decentralized finance (DeFi). Founded in 2013-2014 by Vitalik Buterin and others, ether trades at a fraction of bitcoin’s price but is still the second-biggest cryptocurrency. World Liberty Financial, a crypto company Trump and his sons announced last year, has issued digital tokens on the Ethereum blockchain that it has sold for over $500 million.