Top 10 best cryptocurrencies of 2026

2026 has been an interesting year for the crypto market so far. Bitcoin reached new records, institutional players are increasingly entering via ETFs and European MiCA regulation is bringing more clarity for investors. More and more people are looking for alternatives to their savings account and quickly come across stocks, cryptocurrency or index funds.

In this article we share our top 10 cryptos for 2026. We have deliberately chosen diversification across different categories, so you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Please note: this is our opinion and certainly not financial advice. Always do thorough research before investing in crypto and never invest more than you can afford to lose. Past results are no guarantee for the future.

Why diversification is important

Just like with stocks, it is wise to diversify across different categories when investing in crypto. Each category has its own risk profile and growth potential. These are the main categories in the crypto market:

• Layer-1 (L1): the base blockchains on which applications are built, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. These are the “foundations” of the crypto market
• Layer-2 (L2): networks that run on top of a Layer-1 to make transactions faster and cheaper, such as Polygon
• Proof of Stake (PoS): blockchains where you can stake your crypto for passive returns, similar to dividends with stocks. Examples: Ethereum, Solana, Polygon
• AI (Artificial Intelligence): projects combining blockchain and AI, such as Bittensor. A fast-growing sector
• DeFi / DEX: decentralised financial services and exchanges that enable trading without intermediaries, such as Hyperliquid
• Oracle / Infrastructure: projects that connect external data to blockchains, essential for smart contracts. Chainlink is the market leader here
• Memecoins: coins that owe their popularity to community and internet culture, such as Dogecoin. High risk, high potential return
• Exchange tokens: tokens from major exchanges that let you benefit from the platform’s success, such as BNB

Our top 10 is composed so that you have exposure to all these categories. This makes you less dependent on the success of a single sector.

Summary top 10 cryptos of 2026:

1. Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency in the world. Virtually the entire market follows the price of Bitcoin. When the price goes down, altcoins often follow. Bitcoin is always a base currency on exchanges and that will remain the case for the foreseeable future. Crypto cannot exist without Bitcoin at the moment, which is why it is number 1 in our top 10 for 2026.

What makes Bitcoin extra interesting in 2026 is the growing adoption by institutional players. Since the approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US in 2024, billions in institutional capital have been flowing into the market. Major asset managers like BlackRock and Fidelity now offer Bitcoin products to their clients. This gives Bitcoin more legitimacy than ever.

Bitcoin has a maximum supply of 21 million coins, of which more than 19 million have already been mined. The April 2024 halving cut the reward for miners in half, reducing the new supply entering the market. Historically, a positive price development often follows a halving, although past results are no guarantee.

You pay a considerable amount for a whole Bitcoin, but you can also buy a fraction of a Bitcoin. This means you can invest in Bitcoin from as little as €5 at Bitvavo.

• Category: Layer-1, Store of Value | Staking: No
• See where you can buy Bitcoin.

2. Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum holds a firm second position based on market capitalisation and is the foundation on which thousands of projects have been built. Virtually all major sectors in crypto, from DeFi and NFTs to tokenized assets (RWA), run on the Ethereum network or are derived from it.

A major advantage of Ethereum is the ability to stake. Since the switch from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake (The Merge, 2022), you can stake Ethereum and earn passive returns of approximately 3-4% per year. This is comparable to dividends with stocks. At exchanges like Bitvavo and Bybit EU you can easily stake without technical knowledge.

Ethereum continues to develop. After the Dencun upgrade (2024) which made Layer-2 transactions cheaper, the team is working on further scalability improvements. The ecosystem is the largest in crypto with thousands of active developers. Ethereum spot ETFs have been approved in the US, opening the door for more institutional capital.

• Category: Layer-1, PoS, DeFi | Staking: Yes (approx. 3-4% per year)
• See where you can buy Ether.

3. XRP

XRP is the native token of the XRP Ledger, developed by Ripple. The project focuses on fast, cheap international payments and works with banks and financial institutions worldwide. While Bitcoin transactions can take minutes to hours, XRP transactions are completed in 3-5 seconds for a fraction of a cent.

After years of legal uncertainty, Ripple won a significant part of the lawsuit with the SEC in 2023, opening the door for renewed growth. In 2024-2025, XRP rose significantly and the project has increasingly focused on RWA (Real World Assets): tokenizing real assets such as property, bonds and other financial instruments on the blockchain. This is a sector that analysts believe could grow enormously.

XRP is available at virtually all major exchanges, including Bitvavo, Bybit EU and OKX. Note: XRP does not offer staking, so you do not earn passive returns on this coin.

• Category: Payments, RWA (Real World Assets) | Staking: No
• See where you can buy XRP.

4. BNB (Binance Coin)

BNB is the native currency of crypto exchange Binance and the BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain). Binance is the largest crypto exchange in the world by trading volume and BNB benefits directly from that success.

BNB has multiple use cases: you get a discount on trading fees at Binance, it is the gas token for the BNB Chain (a popular ecosystem for DeFi and gaming), and Binance carries out a quarterly auto-burn where BNB tokens are permanently destroyed. The goal is to reduce the total supply from 200 million to 100 million, of which more than half has already been achieved. This scarcity principle could be positive for the price in the long term.

You can also stake BNB via Earn products at exchanges like Bybit EU for additional returns. BNB is also available at Bitvavo and OKX.

• Category: Exchange token, Layer-1 | Staking/Earn: Yes
• See where you can buy BNB.

5. Solana (SOL)

Solana is one of the fastest blockchains on the market with transaction times under one second and costs of less than a cent. Where Ethereum sometimes suffers from high gas fees and slowness, Solana offers a fast and cheap alternative. The network can theoretically process more than 65,000 transactions per second.

In 2024-2025, Solana made an enormous comeback. The ecosystem has grown with hundreds of DeFi applications, NFT marketplaces and the popular memecoin market. Firedancer, a new validator client developed by Jump Crypto, further improves the reliability and speed of the network.

A major plus of Solana is the staking return of approximately 6-8% per year, one of the highest among major Layer-1 blockchains. You can stake SOL at Bitvavo, Bybit EU and OKX. This passive return makes Solana extra attractive as a long-term investment.

• Category: Layer-1, PoS | Staking: Yes (approx. 6-8% per year)

6. Chainlink (LINK)

Chainlink is the undisputed market leader when it comes to oracle solutions. Oracles are essential for the crypto market: they connect external data (such as prices, weather data and financial information) to smart contracts on the blockchain. Without oracles, DeFi platforms, insurance and many other crypto applications simply would not work.

What makes Chainlink extra interesting in 2026 is CCIP (Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol). This allows blockchains to communicate and exchange data with each other. Major financial institutions like Swift and various banks are experimenting with CCIP for moving tokenized assets (RWA) between blockchains. This makes Chainlink a crucial part of the growing RWA sector.

Since the launch of Chainlink Staking, LINK holders can stake their tokens for additional returns. This was a long-missing feature and now makes LINK more attractive to hold. Chainlink collaborates with hundreds of projects and integrates with virtually all major blockchains.

• Category: Oracle, Infrastructure | Staking: Yes
• See Chainlink exchanges where you can buy LINK.

7. Bittensor (TAO)

Bittensor is a decentralised AI network that combines blockchain and machine learning. The idea is simple but powerful: instead of one company (like Google or OpenAI) controlling all AI development, Bittensor creates an open marketplace where AI models compete and collaborate. Participants are rewarded in TAO tokens for the value their AI models add to the network.

The network consists of subnets: specialised markets for different AI tasks such as text, images and data analysis. There are currently more than 128 active subnets, with plans to double this to 256 in 2026. The first halving took place in December 2025, reducing the number of new TAO tokens entering the market (similar to Bitcoin).

Key developments in 2026: Grayscale has filed an application for a spot TAO ETF, listing on major exchanges like Upbit increases accessibility, and institutional players are starting to add TAO to their treasury. With a maximum supply of 21 million tokens (equal to Bitcoin), the scarcity model is attractive.

Note: Bittensor is a high-risk investment. The project is younger than most coins in this top 10, the AI crypto sector is very volatile and there is a lot of competition. Only invest here with money you are willing to lose. TAO is available at Bitvavo and OKX, among others.

• Category: AI (Artificial Intelligence) | Staking: Yes
• You can buy TAO at Bitvavo.

8. Hyperliquid (HYPE)

Hyperliquid is the largest decentralised exchange (DEX) in the world for perpetual futures trading. The platform runs on its own Layer-1 blockchain specifically built for fast, cheap trading. All transactions are on-chain and transparent, but the user experience feels like a centralised exchange.

What makes Hyperliquid special:

• No gas fees for traders
• More than 188 trading pairs with up to 40x leverage
• More than $600 million in cumulative revenue since launch
• 97% of trading fees are used to buy back and burn HYPE tokens, reducing the supply
• No venture capital: the project is fully community-owned
• 300,000+ active users

In 2024, Hyperliquid carried out one of the largest airdrops ever, distributing 31% of all tokens to the community. Approximately 39% is still reserved for future rewards, fuelling speculation about a “Season 2” airdrop.

Risk factors: Hyperliquid is relatively young (launched 2024), has only 16 validators (less decentralised than Ethereum), and there was an incident in 2024 where concerns about a possible hack led to significant outflows (although the platform was not actually hacked). Competition from other DEXs is increasing. This is a high-risk investment. HYPE is available at Bitvavo, among others.

• Category: DEX, DeFi, Layer-1 | Staking: Yes (approx. 1-2% per year)

9. Polygon (POL)

Polygon is the most important Layer-2 scaling network for Ethereum. Where Ethereum transactions can sometimes be expensive and slow, Polygon makes the same transactions faster and cheaper. The network processes millions of transactions daily and is used by major companies like Nike, Starbucks, Adidas and Reddit.

In 2024, Polygon completed the transition from MATIC to POL. POL is the new native token with expanded functionality. The token is used for staking, governance and as a gas token on the network. The staking return is around 4-5% per year.

An important development is Polygon 2.0 and the AggLayer: a system that connects different blockchains and creates shared liquidity. Polygon is also investing in zkEVM technology (zero-knowledge proofs), which verifies transactions securely and efficiently. Major DeFi protocols, gaming platforms and enterprise applications already run on Polygon.

Risk profile: Polygon is dependent on the success of Ethereum. If Ethereum itself scales sufficiently (making Layer-2 less necessary), this could be negative for Polygon. On the other hand, the demand for cheap transactions is only growing. POL is available at Bitvavo, Bybit EU and OKX.

• Category: Layer-2, PoS | Staking: Yes (approx. 4-5% per year)

10. Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin is the oldest and most well-known memecoin and deliberately sits at the last spot in our top 10. It is a coin you should only consider as a supplement to a well-diversified portfolio and never as a core investment.

What makes Dogecoin interesting is its enormous community, recognisability (the Shiba Inu dog) and support from well-known figures. The network is active, transactions are fast and cheap, and Dogecoin is increasingly accepted as a payment method. Tesla and other companies accept DOGE for certain products.

Why so high risk? Dogecoin has no maximum supply (more than 5 billion new DOGE are added each year), there are no smart contracts or DeFi applications on the network, and the price is largely driven by hype and social media rather than fundamental value. The price can rise enormously in a short time but also drop significantly.

If you still want to invest in a memecoin, Dogecoin is the “safest” option due to its market capitalisation, liquidity and long history. But be aware of the risk: only invest a small percentage of your portfolio here and money you are willing to lose completely. DOGE is available at Bitvavo, Bybit EU and OKX.

• Category: Memecoin | Staking: No | Risk: Very high
• Check the Dogecoin price.

Diversification of this top 10 by category

Where can you buy these cryptos?

All coins in this top 10 are available at regulated exchanges. We recommend always trading at a reputable exchange so your funds are well protected:

• Bitvavo: all 10 coins available, MiCA licence, up to €100,000 protection, €10 free with an investment of €10
• Bybit EU: most coins available, MiCA licence from Austria, up to $5,000 welcome bonus, 10% discount on trading fees
• OKX: most coins available, MiCA licence from Malta, Web3 wallet with access to 200,000+ tokens

Once again: this article is not financial advice. The crypto market is volatile and you can (partially) lose your investment. Always do your own research (DYOR), diversify your investments and never invest more than you can afford to lose.