Crypto remains a high-risk, high-reward playground. But after surviving regulatory storms, meme coin madness and the epic highs and lows of 2021 through 2023, the crypto market is finally showing signs of maturity.
New players are emerging with real-world utility while some old names stage impressive comebacks. Meanwhile investors are, as always, trying to find which ones will boom — and trying to avoid the ones that could bust.
Whether you’re a long-term HODLer or someone with itchy trading fingers, here are the coins you need to keep your eyes trained on.
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
Surprise, surprise: Bitcoin remains the north star of the crypto economy in 2025. Following the bitcoin halving of April 2024, and bolstered by the launch of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S., BTC broke through the $120,000 mark — though it has since come back down from its all-time high of $122,838.
Reuters recently reported that the crypto sector breached a $4 trillion market cap in July, which was driven largely by bitcoin’s momentum and rising macroeconomic uncertainty. And many analysts predict that bitcoin could hit $200,000 by year-end thanks to a convergence of scarcity, regulation and institutional interest in cryptocurrency.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
No surprise here. Ethereum continues to dominate smart contract infrastructure and DeFi. With the successful rollout of EIP-4844 (“Proto-Danksharding” — yes, it sounds made up), gas fees are lower and transaction speeds are faster. The Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7, 2025, also introduced features that make it easier to build Layer-2 apps.
But the real reason ETH could boom in 2025? Institutional adoption is finally real. BlackRock and other big investment firms are eyeing ethereum’s infrastructure for tokenizing traditional assets. This coincides with renewed interest in ethereum ETFs and stablecoins (for which ethereum is the largest blockchain).
3. Solana (SOL)
Solana went from “Ethereum killer” to “just killed” to “surprisingly alive and kicking.” Among the fastest-growing blockchains of 2025, the crypto network’s blazing speed and low transaction fees have made it the digital ecosystem of choice for consumer-facing dApps, including NFT marketplaces and DePIN protocols.
Solana has been named one of 2025’s fastest-growing cryptos by several investment firms, which have highlighted its introduction of Firedancer, a new high-performance validator client that dramatically boosts network reliability. Solana Pay is also gaining traction, and the recent integration with Shopify signals real-world retail use cases.
4. XRP (Ripple)
After spending years in regulatory limbo, XRP is now emerging as one of the year’s top performers, seeing a year-to-date gain of more than 380% as of July.
While XRP may not inspire crypto Twitter like solana or ethereum, its institutional traction could make it a slow-but-steady gainer. A Ripple ETF is under consideration, with RippleNet expanding partnerships with global banks and the XRP Ledger focused on fast, low-cost, cross-border payments, XRP is carving out a distinct use case.
5. Chainlink (LINK)
Chainlink is the unsung hero of crypto infrastructure. Its oracle network is crucial for bringing data onto blockchains, powering everything from DeFi price feeds to real-world asset tokenization (RWA). 2025 might be the year people realize how foundational it is.
Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) is driving adoption across both DeFi and traditional finance. And as Business2Community reported, the crypto’s role in RWA tokenization and automated settlement is making it a critical infrastructure layer for Web3.
6. Hedera (HBAR)
Unlike other entries on this list, Hedera isn’t a blockchain. Rather, it’s a hashgraph — a faster, more energy-efficient alternative that’s gaining traction in serious enterprise circles.
With governance council members like Google, IBM and Boeing, Hedera is quietly building out a real-world use case empire, from carbon credits to supply chain management. Its growing reputation as the “enterprise DLT” could make 2025 HBAR’s break-out year.
7. Sui (SUI)
Built by ex-Meta engineers, sui is a relative newcomer that is quickly becoming known for its speed, scalability and developer ease-of-use. The crypto network’s parallel execution models faster transactions and is attracting attention for its strong tooling in the NFT and gaming spaces.
Developers across the board have openly stated how easy and enjoyable it is to work on sui’s network, which is usually a strong sign of future growth. Plus, gaming studios are starting to pay attention. If crypto gaming finds its footing this year, sui could be the engine that powers it.
8. Ethena (ENA)
Ethena burst onto the DeFi scene by offering what it calls the “internet bond,” a synthetic dollar stablecoin-backed staking yield that is entirely on-chain and censorship-resistant. Called USDe, it’s not a traditional stablecoin and not exactly a yield farm — it’s something new, and DeFi loves new.
With billions in total value locked shortly after launch and major backing from crypto-native venture capital firms, ethena is riding high on the synthetic dollar narrative and could define the next phase of decentralized finance.
What to look for in a booming crypto
Successful projects typically solve real problems — whether in finance, infrastructure or data — and maintain active developer communities that drive progress. These are hallmarks of high-potential cryptocurrencies. Projects gaining traction from both users and institutions also tend to have the staying power needed for long-term growth.
Speaking of institutions, compliance has now taken a front seat. Cryptocurrencies that adhere to regulatory standards are being prioritized by banks, asset managers and even governments. Some of the fastest-growing cryptocurrencies are riding the wave of larger narratives, such as AI in blockchain and the emergence of decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN).
While the list above includes crypto available on centralized exchanges like Coinbase, you can find them — and others not yet listed on major exchanges — through platforms like Best Wallet in hopes of finding the next big coin or token that could surge in price. Best Wallet also acts as a crypto signal provider, which can help crypto traders better identify opportunities.
Ultimately, while booms are rarely random, some really do come out of nowhere. Investors should stay informed, assess their risk tolerance and avoid overexposure to any single asset. And as always, do your own research.
More from Money:
According to a recent report from The Money.com, the crypto market is finally showing signs of maturity after surviving regulatory storms, meme coin madness, and the epic highs and lows of 2021 through 2023. New players with real-world utility are emerging, while old names are making impressive comebacks. As always, investors are trying to find the next big thing while avoiding potential busts.
Whether you’re a long-term HODLer or a trader, here are the top coins to keep an eye on in 2025.
1. Bitcoin (BTC)
It’s no surprise that Bitcoin remains the north star of the crypto economy in 2025. After the bitcoin halving in April 2024 and the launch of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S., BTC broke through the $120,000 mark and reached an all-time high of $122,838. With the crypto sector reaching a $4 trillion market cap in July, driven by bitcoin’s momentum and rising macroeconomic uncertainty, many analysts predict that BTC could hit $200,000 by the end of the year.
2. Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum continues to dominate smart contract infrastructure and DeFi. With the successful rollout of EIP-4844 and the Pectra upgrade, which introduced features to make it easier to build Layer-2 apps, ETH is poised for success. But the real reason for its potential boom in 2025? Institutional adoption is finally happening, with big investment firms eyeing ethereum’s infrastructure for tokenizing traditional assets.
3. Solana (SOL)
Solana has been one of the fastest-growing blockchains of 2025, thanks to its blazing speed and low transaction fees. It has become the digital ecosystem of choice for consumer-facing dApps, including NFT marketplaces and DePIN protocols. With the recent introduction of Firedancer and the integration with Shopify, Solana is gaining traction and showing real-world retail use cases.
4. XRP (Ripple)
After years of regulatory uncertainty, XRP is now emerging as one of the top performers of the year, with a year-to-date gain of over 380% as of July. While it may not be as popular as other cryptocurrencies, its institutional traction could make it a slow-but-steady gainer. A Ripple ETF is under consideration, and RippleNet is expanding partnerships with financial institutions.
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