There are a lot of reasons for crypto investors to be worried, as they are entering 2026. Most of the main cryptocurrencies have lost between 10% and 50% of their value this year.
With that in mind, there is a list of three cryptocurrencies that should do the best in 2026. In the best situation, these cryptocurrencies could go up a lot in value next year because of excellent fundamentals.
1. Bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC0.25%) is still the best choice for me, and it is still the market leader. The remainder of the crypto market follows Bitcoin. That’s because Bitcoin is still worth a huge 60% of the whole crypto market.
There are many good things about Bitcoin as we move towards 2026. For one thing, more and more institutions are starting to use Bitcoin. It’s not just major institutional investors that are putting some of their money into Bitcoin. Bitcoin is now being added to the balance sheets of firms, with Bitcoin treasury companies leading the way by buying up the world’s top cryptocurrency as quickly as they can.
The U.S. government has also accepted Bitcoin, which is even better. In 2025, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was set up, and things could go even faster in 2026. The Trump administration has said many times that it is keeping a close eye on the price of Bitcoin since it is now a “strategic asset”.
If the price of Bitcoin starts to drop next year, I’m sure the Treasury Department will find a method to buy more Bitcoin without using taxpayer money. If other countries follow suit, the price of Bitcoin might go up a lot.
2. Ethereum
Ethereum (ETH 0.44%) is a good investment option for 2026 since its blockchain ecosystem is quite diverse. Ethereum is considered a kind of cryptoconglomerate that is involved in every key part of the blockchain and crypto ecosystem.
Decentralised finance (DeFi) is probably the most important of these niches. Ethereum is still a force in this sector, and it is the most popular blockchain on Wall Street, far ahead of other Layer-1 blockchain networks.
If Wall Street banks are going to use blockchain technology in 2026, they will probably also use Ethereum. That said, two big trends in fintech should benefit Ethereum a lot next year.
One of these is the wonderful rise of stablecoins. These are digital currencies that are worth the same amount as the U.S. dollar. So, in a way, they are just “digital dollars” that may be used on other blockchains and DeFi protocols.
The tokenisation of real-world assets (RWA) is another big trend. This means turning real-world things like stocks and bonds into digital objects that exist on the blockchain. This might be a market opportunity worth trillions of dollars, and Ethereum is the only blockchain where these digital assets will be actively maintained and exchanged.
3. Bittensor
Bittensor (TAO0.82%) is my last choice. It became the AI currency with the biggest market cap in 2025. Simply put, putting money into Bittensor is betting on the meeting of blockchain technology and AI.
This is the word “bet” that I’ve used. That’s what it is. Bittensor is down 50% in 2025, and it’s not a sure thing that it will still be the best AI coin in 2026.
However, one aspect of Bittensor that particularly appeals is its maximum lifetime supply of 21 million coins. Long-time crypto investors will know right away what that number means: The total number of coins that will be made for life is the same as Bitcoin’s.