What Is the Best Crypto to Buy in 2025? – Top 10 Large Cap vs Early Stage Coins to Invest In

Alternative established options like Solana and XRP bring stability through institutional adoption and proven infrastructure, while early-stage tokens like Arbitrum and Immutable offer higher-risk, higher-reward opportunities in derivatives trading and Web3 gaming.

Our methodology is built on a multi-factor framework that evaluates growth potential, tokenomics strength and utility, go-to-market strategy, and price action and history.

Bitcoin dropped after reaching its $125,500 all-time high in October, but historically these pullbacks signal strong buying windows for both BTC and altcoins before the next rally phase, especially with institutional demand outpacing mining supply.

Best Crypto to Buy in November 2025 – Editor’s Picks

Top Crypto List to Invest in 2025

Let’s dive straight into the best crypto to buy now. We’ve categorized assets as Established (tested projects with $5B+ market caps, multi-year track records, and institutional backing) or Early Stage (emerging projects under $5B with higher growth potential but increased volatility and risk).

Other Best Early-Stage Crypto to Consider

Best Crypto to Invest In Reviewed

Want to know more about what makes these tokens the best crypto to buy now? We’ll dive into the key features, pros, and cons of each coin so you can decide which ones to add to your portfolio.

1. Bitcoin (BTC) – Market Leader Poised for Growth in 2025 and Beyond

Bitcoin is the world’s first and largest cryptocurrency, serving as digital gold for institutional portfolios and retail investors. BTC maintains its dominant position, trading at BTC $101 513 24h volatility: 0.8% Market cap: $2.03 T Vol. 24h: $68.84 B after October’s $125,559 all-time high.

Bitcoin is currently facing its historically strongest month, known as ‘Uptober’, with September historically averaging 3.77% losses since 2013, as institutional adoption accelerates through $33.6 billion in ETF holdings.

Key Points on Bitcoin:

• Why It Stands Out: Proven resilience, strong institutional adoption, and improving regulatory clarity.
• Target Audience: Long-term holders, institutional investors, and macro-focused traders.
• Risks & Considerations: Extreme volatility with a potential 8% decline to $100K if current support breaks.
• Access: BTC is available on every major exchange.

Available in Best Wallet

2. Solana (SOL) – High-Speed Blockchain Powering the Next Wave of Web3 Apps

Solana is a large-cap Layer 1 blockchain using Proof-of-History consensus to process 100,000+ transactions per second at ultra-low fees. The network trades at SOL $156.4 24h volatility: 1.3% Market cap: $86.54 B Vol. 24h: $5.34 B after reaching highs of $295 in January 2025, driven by rapid growth in the DeFi ecosystem.

Solana achieved the milestone of becoming the first major blockchain to process 100,000 TPS on mainnet. Meme coin trading accounts for 90-92% of DEX volume, raising both opportunity and sustainability concerns.

Key Points on Solana:

• Why It Stands Out: Treasuries’ adoption, $30B DeFi ecosystem, spot ETFs expected to be approved after the ongoing US government shutdown is resolved.
• Target Audience: Large-cap holders, traders, developers, and meme coin speculators.
• Risks & Considerations: Over-reliance on meme coin speculation, which could affect liquidity and usage.
• Access: On every major exchange.

Available in Best Wallet

3. XRP (XRP) – Cross-Border Payments Cryptocurrency with Banking-Grade Infrastructure

XRP is an institutional-grade cryptocurrency created for cross-border payments, processing transactions in 3-5 seconds, compared to traditional banking systems that take days.

Trading at around XRP $2.25 24h volatility: 2.4% Market cap: $135.70 B Vol. 24h: $4.69 B , XRP has surged amid ETF speculation. Eight major firms have submitted spot ETF applications, with 95% approval probability in October 2025, according to Bloomberg analysts, potentially attracting $5-8 billion in institutional inflows.

Key Points on XRP:

• Why It Stands Out: 95% ETF approval odds, 300+ banking partnerships processing $1.3T in payments, SEC legal victories.
• Target Audience: Retail intersecting with TradFi, and crypto spot ETF investors.
• Risks & Considerations: Policy reversals could impact adoption. Vulnerability to large holder sell-offs.
• Access: On all major exchanges.

Available in Best Wallet

4. Chainlink (LINK) – Decentralized Oracle Network Powering Cross-Chain Interoperability

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that connects smart contracts with real-world data, APIs, and traditional financial systems, serving as critical infrastructure for DeFi and enterprise blockchain applications. Trading at LINK $15.27 24h volatility: 2.0% Market cap: $10.65 B Vol. 24h: $1.04 B , LINK has a circulating supply of 696 million tokens (Snapshot from CoinGecko, November 6, 2025).

Chainlink expanded its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and Data Streams to TON, connecting TON to over 60 blockchains. CCIP has processed $7.77 billion in total transfers and collected $1.43 million in fees, with volume growing 1,972% over the past year, states The LinkMarine.

Key Points on Chainlink:

• Why It Stands Out: Oracle network connecting 60+ blockchains, and enabled $20+ trillion in transaction value across the blockchain economy.
• Target Audience: DeFi protocols, enterprise blockchain projects, institutional finance, and cross-chain application developers.
• Risks & Considerations: Price declined 8% in late October despite positive fundamentals, competition from other Oracle solutions, and integration timeline uncertainties.
• Access: Available on all major exchanges, including Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Available in Best Wallet

5. Ondo Finance (ONDO) – Leading Real-World Asset Tokenization Platform Bridging TradFi and DeFi

Ondo Finance is a decentralized platform specializing in tokenizing real-world assets, particularly U.S. Treasuries and institutional-grade financial products. Trading at ONDO $0.65 24h volatility: 3.1% Market cap: $2.05 B Vol. 24h: $125.04 M , ONDO manages over $1.8 billion in tokenized assets.

In October 2025, Ondo Finance completed its acquisition of Oasis Pro, gaining SEC-registered broker-dealer, Alternative Trading System, and Transfer Agent licenses. This move enables the platform to operate compliant tokenized securities markets within the United States.

Key Points on Ondo Finance:

• Why It Stands Out: Partnerships with BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Franklin Templeton, SEC-compliant infrastructure, and $1.74 billion in Total Value Locked.
• Target Audience: Institutional investors, DeFi users seeking yield-bearing assets, and investors interested in tokenized real-world assets.
• Risks & Considerations: Token price has declined significantly from the all-time high of $2.14, regulatory risks in tokenized securities, and competition from emerging RWA platforms.
• Access: Available on major exchanges including Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Available in Best Wallet

6. TRON (TRX) – High-Throughput Blockchain Dominating Global Stablecoin Transfers

TRON is a decentralized blockchain platform created for high-speed transactions and decentralized applications, using a Delegated Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism. Trading at TRX $0.29 24h volatility: 1.6% Market cap: $27.52 B Vol. 24h: $724.43 M , TRX has a market cap of approximately $28 billion and a circulating supply of 94.6 billion tokens (Snapshot from CoinGecko, November 6, 2025).

In October 2025, TRON achieved record metrics with DEX volume surging 174% to $3.04 billion, 87.72 million active addresses, and 304 million transactions.

Key Points on TRON:

• Why It Stands Out: Dominates stablecoin infrastructure with $78.58 billion USDT supply, processes 2,000 transactions per second.
• Target Audience: Stablecoin users, international remittance senders, DeFi participants, and investors seeking low-cost blockchain infrastructure.
• Risks & Considerations: Recent 20% price decline from yearly highs, formation of a death cross pattern, and heavy reliance on USDT transactions.
• Access: Available on all major exchanges, including Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Available in Best Wallet

7. Hyperliquid (HYPE) – High-Performance Layer 1 DEX with Institutional-Grade Trading Infrastructure

Hyperliquid is a large-cap, custom Layer 1 blockchain and ecosystem designed for decentralized perpetual trading, featuring sub-second finality via HyperBFT consensus. Trading at HYPE $40.14 24h volatility: 0.8% Market cap: $10.87 B Vol. 24h: $561.95 M with a $12.7 billion market cap, HYPE gained massive attention following its November 2024 airdrop, distributing $1.6 billion to 94,000 users without VC allocation.

The platform offers derivatives DEX trading with $10.9 billion monthly volume according to DefiLlama (Snapshot taken on November 7, 2025), while offering on-chain perpetual futures and spot markets with no gas fees and up to 40x leverage.

Key Points on Hyperliquid:

• Why It Stands Out: $750M+ TVL, no gas fees, Layer 1 blockchain with high volume, strong public presence.
• Target Audience: Derivatives traders, DeFi users seeking institutional-grade infrastructure.
• Risks & Considerations: Critics argue the platform lacks transparency and public validators.
• Access: On exchanges like Bitget, Bybit, and KuCoin.

Available in Best Wallet

8. Immutable (IMX) – Layer 2 NFT and Web3 Gaming Platform on Ethereum

Immutable is a Layer 2 scaling solution for NFTs and blockchain gaming, built on Ethereum, that utilizes zero-knowledge rollup technology to enable gas-free transactions and instant trades. Trading at IMX $0.42 24h volatility: 1.5% Market cap: $830.08 M Vol. 24h: $81.27 M , it has a circulating supply of nearly 2 billion tokens. (Snapshot from CoinGecko, November 6, 2025).

Immutable partnered with major studios, like Ubisoft and Netmarble, becoming a key infrastructure provider for AAA game developers entering Web3. The platform has onboarded 660+ games and continues to expand its zkEVM capabilities.

Key Points on Immutable:

• Why It Stands Out: First major gaming token with full circulating supply, zero gas fees for NFT minting and trading, and partnerships with major AAA studios.
• Target Audience: Web3 game developers, NFT creators and traders, blockchain gaming investors.
• Risks & Considerations: Token price declined over 32% in late 2024, and is facing competition from other Layer 2 solutions.
• Access: Available on all major exchanges.

Available in Best Wallet

9. NEAR Protocol (NEAR) – Scalable Layer 1 Blockchain with Sharding Technology and Cross-Chain Capabilities

NEAR Protocol is a Layer 1 blockchain that uses Nightshade sharding technology to enable high transaction throughput and low fees for decentralized applications. Trading at NEAR $2.81 24h volatility: 11.1% Market cap: $3.61 B Vol. 24h: $1.93 B , it has a circulating supply of 1.25 billion tokens. (Snapshot from CoinGecko, November 6, 2025)

On October 31, 2025, NEAR completed its first-ever mainnet halving, reducing annual token inflation from 5% to 2.5%. This upgrade reduces new token emissions by approximately 60 million tokens annually, improving tokenomics sustainability.

Key Points on NEAR Protocol:

• Why It Stands Out: First major Layer 1 to complete inflation halving, processes over 8 million daily transactions with 80 TPS average.
• Target Audience: dApp developers seeking scalability, DeFi users, cross-chain traders, and investors interested in AI and Web3 infrastructure.
• Risks & Considerations: Governance controversy over halving implementation, reduced staking rewards may affect validator participation, and price volatility.
• Access: On every major exchange.

Available in Best Wallet

10. Arbitrum (ARB) – Leading Ethereum Layer 2 Token with Growing Development

Arbitrum has established itself as a leading Ethereum Layer 2 solution with around $2.9 billion in total value locked (TVL) (Snapshot from DefiLlama, November 7, 2025). According to L2beat, it is the largest Ethereum rollup by total value secured.

The protocol has 3.8 million monthly active users (MAU), after BASE, which has 9.7 million MAU, and opBNB with 20.5 million MAU, according to Token Terminal (Snapshot taken on November 7, 2025). Its optimistic rollup technology has proven reliable for both users and developers across over 950 deployed applications.

Key Points on Arbitrum:

• Why It Stands Out: Low fees, fast speeds, proven reliability, high MAU.
• Target Audience: DeFi users seeking low fees and investors interested in staking utility.
• Risks & Considerations: Arbitrum could become obsolete if BASE and other blockchains continue to grow.
• Access: Available on major exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, and Uniswap.

Available in Best Wallet

11. Zcash (ZEC) – Privacy-Focused Cryptocurrency Experiencing Massive Institutional-Driven Rally

Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that uses zero-knowledge proof technology (zk-SNARKs) to enable fully shielded transactions. ZEC has become one of October 2025’s top performers, trading at ZEC $520.8 24h volatility: 25.7% Market cap: $8.59 B Vol. 24h: $3.63 B after surging 560% from September lows and reaching a four-year high of $374.

Zcash broke its multi-year downtrend in October 2025, driven by Grayscale’s launch of the Zcash Trust for institutional investors and the successful deployment of the Zashi CrossPay platform. With over 4.91 million ZEC tokens now shielded (30% of supply), the network shows genuine privacy adoption.

Key Points on Zcash:

• Why It Stands Out: 560% monthly rally, institutional backing via Grayscale Trust, and upcoming November 2025 halving event.
• Target Audience: Privacy-conscious investors, institutional buyers seeking regulated exposure, and long-term holders betting on privacy tech.
• Risks & Considerations: EU MiCA regulations threaten to ban anonymous transactions by 2027, potentially reducing liquidity by 40%.
• Access: Available on major exchanges including Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.

Available in Best Wallet

Best Crypto to Buy by Market Segment

Not every crypto investor has the same goals. Some prioritize long-term stability, while others chase outsized returns from early-stage projects.

One strategy is to allocate a portion of capital towards early-stage projects and a portion to larger-cap projects. Other investment strategies may focus entirely on larger projects (a lower risk/reward strategy, but still comes with inherent considerations) or solely on early-stage opportunities (a very high risk/reward strategy).

Below is a comparison of the differences and implications of buying large-cap cryptocurrencies vs early-stage projects in November 2025, depending on your investment strategy and risk appetite.

Regardless of your investment style, it’s essential to consider all the risks. Always avoid investing more than you can afford to lose, and keep in mind these important principles.

Best Crypto to Buy in November 2025 – Market Snapshot

According to TradingView (Snapshot from November 7, 2025), Bitcoin dominance dropped from 64.5% earlier in the year to 60.5% in October, making November 2025 a critical inflection point. Combined with the performance of the top 100 altcoins vs BTC, over 30, 60, and 90-day periods, the data points toward the start of the altcoin season. CMC’s altcoin index confirms this, recording September as the peak of altcoin sentiment in 2025.

The crypto market experienced $638 million in liquidations in mid-October, impacting 212,000 traders, with long positions taking the biggest hit at $446.85 million. Bitcoin slipped below $112,000 due to tariff tensions between the US and China, while weekend liquidations wiped out $19 billion, leaving the market with thin liquidity.

Institutional Flows into Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana continue to dominate institutional flows, thanks to the spot and staking crypto ETFs. They remain good long-term choices for large-cap currencies, as institutional treasuries continue to accumulate BTC, ETH, and SOL. As CoinShares explains, Bitcoin’s 4-year cycle has broken, as the ETF demand outstrips mining output. This suggests continued bullishness for crypto into 2026. Solana is capturing a large share of meme coin trading, totalling a $10.6B Solana meme market cap.

Presale Tokens and Early-Stage Opportunities

Meanwhile, early-stage projects and presale tokens, such as Bitcoin Hyper, target investors seeking altcoin gains and 10x+ potential returns. Bitcoin Hyper offers 46% APY and is up by +15.09% since the beginning of the presale. PEPENODE offers high-yield Ethereum staking with 629% APY. Rewards may be substantial, but risks include the potential for total loss.

Macroeconomic Factors Driving Crypto Prices

From a macroeconomic perspective, analysts such as Bank of America economist Aditya Bhave note that weak jobs data signals Fed rate cuts in December, which could push crypto prices higher. The US government shutdown could be one of the reasons for BTC’s October new all-time high of $125,500.

According to Forbes, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the 19 members of the Federal Open Market Committee remain divided on additional interest rate cuts in 2025, with 10 participants projecting two or more cuts for the remainder of the year, and nine projecting fewer. The Fed previously cut rates by 0.25% in September 2025. Lower rates typically benefit risk assets like crypto by increasing market liquidity.

Portfolio Strategies and Entry Points

Potential strategies for the best crypto to buy include allocating 70% to Bitcoin/Solana for stability, 20% to established altcoins like XRP (95% ETF approval odds), and 10% to vetted presales or early-stage projects.

Our analysis suggests that buying Bitcoin when it dips below $112,000 and accumulating Solana when it dips below $200 could be a viable strategy.

However, investors must be aware that all cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and both established and newer projects are subject to dramatic drawdowns and even total loss.

Why Aim for a Balanced Cryptocurrency Portfolio?

A key question many new investors in the crypto world have is, “Why should I buy large-cap cryptocurrencies when they have less growth potential than other coins?” Or, what is the advantage of a portfolio balanced between early-stage opportunities? The answer lies in managing risk and stability and optimising for overall wealth growth, regardless of market conditions or specific project occurrences.

The Foundation – Large-Cap Anchors

Large-cap assets are the stable core of a diversified portfolio. They tend to have less volatility and a proven track record.

Stability and Proven Performance

Bitcoin, for example, is the only cryptocurrency that has always reached new all-time highs in every bull run. Large caps have deep liquidity, which adds to price stability, and often have large teams of developers, ecosystem grants, and foundations to ensure continued technical success and marketing partnerships.

Many analysts, such as @Innerdevcrypto on X, Marion Laboure, from Deutsche Bank Research, and Kraken’s Dan Held, believe that within the next 10 years, BTC will reach at least a 10x from here, giving it a market cap roughly equal to or even significantly above physical gold.

Institutional Adoption

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana all have ETFs, which enable mainstream adoption and investment from TradFi institutions like hedge fund managers, banks, and company treasuries. These ETFs have been a dominating force in the growth of large caps like BTC, ETH, and SOL.

More ETFs are (likely) on the way for well-established large caps such as XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, Litecoin, and Hedera. Although not guaranteed, Bloomberg analysts predict an SEC approval rating of over 90% in 2025 for these coins and more.

Positioning in a Portfolio

Ultimately, the percentage of large caps to early-stage cryptos is dependent on every investor’s strategy and risk appetite. However, a balanced approach could include 60%–80% of an investment portfolio allocated to large caps.

The Opportunity – Early-Stage Plays

Early-stage plays include new or relatively undiscovered cryptocurrencies and presales / ICOs.

Huge Growth Potential

New currencies tend to have a low market capitalization, from micro caps to small caps. This means that a relatively small amount of capital can move the price significantly, leading to potential gains of 10x – 1000x and more.

For example, from 2017 to 2025, Bitcoin (which at that time was worth $998) has grown by 114,000%. This is an exceptional case, as the first-ever crypto. But a recent example of an early-stage coin that launched from Binance Alpha as an ICO is MYX Finance. The token is up by 36,685% since May 2025, with most of the growth occurring in September 2025.

There are very few stocks that have delivered such gains over such a short period.

Community and Innovation

Cryptocurrencies are the gateway to web3, the decentralized internet. They provide investment returns as well as access to new ways of interacting with people and technology around the world.

For example, decentralized utilities provided by a token can spur new ways of thinking or financial and social relationships that were previously impossible. These interactions can create value for individual investors but can also be worthwhile regardless of their profit-making potential.

Investors may enter the cryptocurrency market in search of gains, but many remain invested even during downturns because of the utilities their tokens provide.

Balanced Portfolio Allocation for Growth

How to allocate early-stage and presale cryptos into a portfolio depends on risk appetite. Investors must take into account that early-stage coins are best suited as speculative positions.

For most investors who want to know the best crypto to buy for a balanced portfolio, early-stage coins should amount to a smaller percentage of the overall holdings. This allows investors to seek asymmetric returns, without exposing their entire portfolio to significant risk.

While famous investor Warren Buffett was not a fan of cryptocurrencies, his approach to risk and growth involved buying undervalued businesses with long-term potential, investing in an S&P 500 index fund for the long term, and allocating 10% to short-term bonds to reduce portfolio volatility.

Where to Find the Top Crypto to Buy

Another important part of investing in both established and early-stage cryptocurrencies is developing new ideas for the best crypto to invest in now. This guide serves as an important starting point, but investors can expand their portfolios to include more than just the cryptocurrencies we have covered.

So, where can investors find ideas? We’ll cover four broad categories of sources to explore.

Social Media

Social media channels like X and Reddit are frequented by crypto investors, traders, and analysts. These platforms can be excellent for monitoring crypto news, gaining insights into market movements, or discovering the latest new and early-stage cryptocurrencies.

Investors can directly communicate with one another on social media about cryptos to buy. In addition, almost all major crypto projects – and most new projects – have a presence on social media. So, checking social media can be a good way to evaluate established and new tokens, find out what they’re all about, and assess how much community support they have.

Crypto Analysts and Influencers

Crypto analysts and influencers can be very good sources of information about the best crypto coins to buy in any market condition. They spend their days searching for exciting new tokens and analyzing factors that could be bullish or bearish surrounding existing coins.

In many cases, analysts and influencers are public with their analysis. They share price predictions and technical analysis on social media, on YouTube, or through their channels. Finding analysts who have an investment style that matches your own and following their latest insights can be a great way to generate ideas for cryptocurrencies to invest in.

However, discernment is needed to identify genuine experts from less experienced or less authoritative sources.

Crypto News Platforms

Following crypto market news is another key way investors can stay informed about the market and identify tokens to buy. Market news may highlight tokens that are pulling back or new crypto projects, for example, creating buying opportunities. Or outlets might cover new developments that make an existing large cap project more valuable.

Investors should check multiple news platforms to ensure they never miss a big story. It’s also possible to set up news alerts for specific tokens, which can be great for investors looking for an entry point into one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in.

Exchange and Presale Aggregators

Investors can also monitor token prices, news, new launches, and more on crypto exchanges and presale aggregators like DEXTools. These exchanges and aggregators serve as hubs for the crypto market, and they typically display information about trending tokens to help investors see what’s hot.

Investors can also use these sites to conduct basic analysis, such as comparing tokens to other cryptos in the same market sector or performing basic technical analysis. While exchanges and aggregators don’t replace dedicated research tools, they can be a starting point for finding the best cryptocurrencies to buy.

Potential Risks of Investing in Crypto

Although investing in crypto has the potential to yield strong returns, this market also involves risks that investors need to be aware of.

Risks of Investing in Large-Cap Cryptocurrencies

Large market capitalization cryptocurrencies have a different set of risks than early-stage investments.

​​Macro Risks

All of crypto, particularly large caps, are affected by macroeconomic conditions, such as black swan events (the 2008 financial crisis) or stronger-than-expected economic data from the Fed, which leads to interest rate hikes. Even large-cap crypto like Bitcoin are considered risky assets, so institutional investors may reduce their positions in times of uncertainty.

Regulatory Concerns

Positive US regulations have played a significant role in the current bull run and price appreciation of large-cap cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Solana. This is because of the ease of investment from TradFi and clarity from the SEC around what is legal.

However, if the US government were to dramatically change its stance on crypto regulations, this could result in a sharp drawdown of large caps as traditional finance investors liquidate their positions.

Network Outages

As crypto becomes more mainstream, it will be held to a higher standard of scrutiny. Network outages. like those experienced by Solana in its early stages, could be catastrophic for the price of the underlying asset, as investors lose trust in the technology.

Risks of Investing in Early-Stage Cryptocurrencies

Small caps and early-stage cryptocurrencies are also affected by macro and regulatory changes, but can still perform exceptionally well in times of broader financial uncertainty. However, they face a unique set of challenges.

Scams and Security Threats

While there are thousands of legitimate tokens and web3 services in the crypto market, this environment is also rife with scams seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting investors.

It’s very important to do your own research about new projects, make sure you only click on trusted links, and always do your research before making a transaction. Even well-intentioned new projects may encounter hacks and rug pulls, often without the resources or will to refund investors.

Without a proven track record or battle-tested smart contracts, the risks of scams and security threats are higher for early-stage projects.

High Volatility

Early-stage cryptocurrencies are notoriously volatile, meaning they can undergo large price swings in very short periods. This volatility can be great for investors when the net direction of a price movement is up. However, high volatility can also work against investors, as token prices can fall rapidly.

Low liquidity and a small number of holders mean that in the worst-case scenario, investors may not be able to cash out of their positions at all, or do so at an enormous loss.

Execution Risk

Many early-stage projects and presales involve the execution of a good idea. Just as 20% of regular US businesses fail within the first year of business, new blockchain projects also have a high rate of failure due to poor execution or unexpected hurdles and challenges.

Presales and early-stage businesses may promise more than they can realistically deliver, or may fail to receive adequate funding to continue past the early stages.

Risk Management for Both Established and New Projects

There is no way to eliminate the potential risk of losses. However, investors can use a balanced portfolio, due diligence, careful monitoring of volatile investments, and stop-loss orders to limit the amount of money they lose on any single position.

It’s also important for investors to be mindful of the risk and only invest with money they are willing to lose.

Things to Consider Before Buying Crypto

Before buying crypto, investors should ensure they’re fully prepared and set up for success. Here are a few things to consider.

Set a Budget

Setting a budget for how much you plan to invest is a good way to manage your risk. Only invest money you can afford to lose – never invest money you need to pay for essential expenses.

A good rule of thumb is to start out investing a small percentage of your portfolio in crypto. Once you’re comfortable investing 1% or 5% of your total portfolio, you can consider whether a larger investment makes sense for your goals.

Identify Your Risk Tolerance – Large Caps vs Early Stage Projects

Cryptocurrency is a high-risk investment compared to stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments. Token prices are highly volatile, and there are risks related to wallet security that don’t exist for other investments.

That said, there’s also a wide range of risk profiles for different cryptocurrency tokens. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to invest in high-risk, high-reward tokens like presale coins or whether a more conservative mega-cap crypto makes more sense for your portfolio. To make this decision, think about how much you plan to invest and how you would feel if your entire investment were lost.

Define Your Crypto Investing Goals

Your cryptocurrency investing goals should align with your risk tolerance and broader investment objectives. For example, is your aim to generate long-term profits from holding large-cap tokens or short-term profits from investing in early-stage projects? Are you trying to generate passive income from staking?

Defining your goals can help you identify what types of cryptos to invest in and how to diversify your portfolio across different coins.

Crypto Trends Driving the Top Coins to Invest in 2025

Here are several trends to watch in 2025 that could have a big impact on token prices and even which coin is the top cryptocurrency to buy.

Loosening Crypto Rules

The Trump administration has launched “Project Crypto”, a commission-wide initiative to modernize securities rules and regulations to enable America’s financial markets to move on-chain. SEC Chair Paul Atkins has made developing a “rational regulatory framework” for crypto asset markets his key priority, establishing clear rules for issuance, custody, and trading.

This is a massive shift from the previous administration’s enforcement-heavy approach, with the SEC rescinding restrictive rules like Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 and issuing guidance that most meme coins aren’t securities. In addition, Trump himself is involved in several crypto projects, which could mean a greater role for the White House in advertising crypto as an emerging industry.

The GENIUS Act, signed by Trump in July 2025, establishes the first federal stablecoin framework, requiring 100% reserve backing with U.S. dollars or Treasuries. It limits issuance to licensed banks and Fed-approved entities, mandates monthly reserve disclosures, and prioritizes stablecoin holders in bankruptcy, while also strengthening the dollar’s global dominance.

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

In March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve capitalized with Bitcoin held by the Department of the Treasury from criminal and civil asset forfeiture proceedings. The reserve includes five cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Cardano, marking the first time a major nation has created a multi-asset crypto reserve.

However, the order doesn’t include plans for active government Bitcoin purchases, which disappointed some investors expecting more aggressive accumulation.

Meme Coin Supercycle

The meme coin supercycle is a long-term trend characterized by rising meme coin prices and increasing trading volume. Crypto analyst Murad Mahmudov originally proposed the idea at the TOKEN2049 conference, and has since become very popular within the crypto community.

According to the supercycle theory, meme coin communities are highly valuable, and the growth of meme coin users will drive exponentially higher value in this sector.

Decentralized AI

The AI crypto sector has surpassed $30 billion in market cap, making it one of the fastest-growing sub-markets in crypto. Projects like Virtuals Protocol have launched over 21,000 agent tokens with daily launches exceeding 1,000, creating autonomous AI agents that earn revenue through inference calls on social platforms, gaming, and finance.

Leading projects like the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (merging Fetch.ai, SingularityNET, and Ocean Protocol) are advancing decentralized AI development, while new tokens like ai16z have reached billions in market cap.

Bitcoin Cycle Evolution

Bitcoin’s traditional four-year price cycle is showing signs of breaking due to institutional adoption through ETFs, which brought in long-term holders with deep pockets. Bitcoin ETFs accumulated 51,500 BTC in December 2024 alone, almost three times the 13,850 BTC mined that month, creating a 272% demand-supply gap.

This institutional demand, combined with more supportive macroeconomic conditions and regulatory clarity, is replacing the volatile boom-bust patterns with more stable, macro-correlated behavior.

How to Buy Crypto

Ready to start building your crypto portfolio? We’ll walk you through the steps to buy the most promising crypto on the market today.

Step 1: Create a Wallet or Exchange Account

To get started, you’ll need either a crypto wallet like Best Wallet or an account at a crypto exchange like Binance or Coinbase. We recommend using Best Wallet because it gives you full control over your crypto tokens and offers access to a wider range of coins than many exchanges. You can also sign up for Best Wallet with just an email address, whereas exchanges require you to go through Know Your Customer checks.

Step 2: Choose Your Payment Method

On Best Wallet, you’ll choose your payment method and make a payment instantly as part of the crypto buying process. You can pay with a credit or debit card, PayPal, bank transfer, Neteller, or Skrill.

At an exchange, you’ll need to deposit funds before purchasing. Payment methods vary, but most exchanges accept bank transfers, and some accept e-wallets.

Step 3: Choose Your Cryptocurrency

Select the cryptocurrency you wish to buy and enter the amount to purchase. With Best Wallet, you can convert directly from dollars to thousands of cryptocurrencies. On many exchanges, you have to first buy Tether (USDT) and then swap that for the cryptocurrency you want.

Step 4: Confirm Your Order

Once your order is ready, click or tap Buy to complete the transaction. Your purchased tokens will appear in your crypto wallet or exchange account immediately.

When to Sell Crypto

Once you buy one of the top cryptocurrencies, you can hold it for any amount of time and then sell it whenever you want. You can sell your crypto through the same wallet app or exchange you used to buy crypto in the previous steps.

It’s important to think about your investment time frame when selling. Some investors look to hold tokens for years and don’t worry about day-to-day pullbacks. Others take a more active approach, buying and selling the same token repeatedly to try to maximize profits.

To turn a profit, you need to sell tokens at a higher price than you bought them for – and the price difference needs to be enough to offset any transaction fees you paid along the way. If you sell tokens at a price lower than you bought them for, you’ll lose money on your investment.

That said, it doesn’t always make sense to hold tokens until they turn a profit. Some never will. It’s better to sell cryptocurrencies that aren’t living up to your expectations and put the money into a different token than to ride a coin down and lose your entire investment.

Is Cryptocurrency Investment Legal in 2025?

Before investing, understand your local laws and regulations, as legal status affects your ability to buy, hold, trade, and use crypto assets.

United States

Cryptocurrency investment is legal in the U.S. Bitcoin is regulated by the CFTC as a commodity, while other cryptocurrencies may be regulated by the SEC as securities. In 2025, President Trump signed the GENIUS Act, establishing federal standards for stablecoins.

United Kingdom

Cryptocurrency investment is legal under a new 2025 regulatory framework. Firms must be FCA-authorized, and retail access to crypto exchange-traded notes was expanded in August 2025.

Europe

The MiCA regulation is fully in effect as of 2025, making cryptocurrency investment legal but highly regulated. CASPs must obtain licenses to operate across EU member states.

Asia

Asia has mixed regulations, with dramatic differences between countries.

• China has imposed a complete ban on cryptocurrency trading, mining, and all crypto-related activities since 2021.
• Japan recognizes cryptocurrency as a type of money and legal property. Transactions are managed by the Financial Services Agency.
• Taiwan announced dedicated VASP legislation in March 2025, focusing on minimum capital thresholds and enhanced consumer protection.

Cryptocurrency Tax Regulations in 2025

Tax laws vary across regions and jurisdictions. Below, we discuss the tax regulations in major markets worldwide.

United States

The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property. Short-term gains (held ≤1 year) are taxed as ordinary income at 10-37%, while long-term gains (held >1 year) qualify for capital gains rates of 0-20%. Starting January 2025, brokers must report digital asset sales via Form 1099-DA.

Europe

Most EU countries impose capital gains tax on crypto sales through the DAC8 directive:

• France imposes 30% on gains
• Germany has tax-free if held for more than 1 year
• Malta has long-term gains exempt from capital gains tax

Asia

Asia has big differences in crypto tax policies across various countries:

• Japan has progressive rates up to 55% on gains
• Singapore has no capital gains tax for individuals
• China has a complete ban on cryptocurrency use
• India applies a flat 30% tax rate with 1% TDS on all transactions

Conclusion

Cryptocurrencies are a popular investment class because they offer more growth potential than stocks and other traditional asset classes. Building a strong crypto portfolio with both large-cap cryptocurrencies and new projects can be a way to achieve financial success. However, cryptocurrencies are also risky, so it’s important to have a strong grasp of how this market works and what tokens to buy.

According to our analysis, the best tokens to buy today include Bitcoin, Solana, Maxi Dogecoin, Bitcoin Hyper, and Arbitrum. Check out the rest of our crypto coverage to get the latest updates on these coins and start building your crypto portfolio today.

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