coinmarketcap

[vader18]

Why are some coins called "currencies" while others are called "assets"?

[European Central Bank]

because that's what they claim to be. some are designed to be currencies, others are tokens representing something else. effectively they're treated as exactly the same by traders as they're bought and sold in the same ways.

[tyz]

Why are some coins called "currencies" while others are called "assets"?

Assets are actually colored coins secured by the corresponding blockchain. To get more information about colored coins I recommend to read the Bitcoin wiki post about the topic.

[FiiNALiZE]

They have assets listed like Counterparty, NXT, etc. Sort of like stock shares.

Regular cryptocurrencies like Litecoin, Bitcoin, etc aren't assets, they are just coins.

[pawel7777]

They have assets listed like Counterparty, NXT, etc. Sort of like stock shares.

NXT, ETH, Counterparty are actually not listed as assets, but there are bunch of assets based on those platforms.

[hajimasan]

Why are some coins called "currencies" while others are called "assets"?

it is very simple understanding . we buy and sell btc and other altcoin with fiat currency . usually you will hear words currency for USD , EURO etc .
some we called internet coin as digital currency .

[vader18]

It sounds like Bitcoin, bitshares and ethereum are "currencies", and the coins created on their platforms like Auger and First Blood  are called "assets".
It seems as if some of these "asset" coins share similarities with Securities. Some payout dividends to investors, some give voting rights ect.

[Das]

So I suppose ICN tokens will be regarded as assets and not coins since it is based on the ethereum blockchain.