ICO Calendar

Top Upcoming ICOs for 2025

Here are the best current and upcoming ICOs to join in 2025:

• SUBBD– Most Disruptive ICO
• BTC Bull Token – Best Meme Coin ICO
• MIND of Pepe – Top AI Agent ICO
• Solaxy – Strongest Fundamentals
• Best Wallet – Best Ecosystem Token ICO

In-Depth Reviews: Best Crypto ICOs to Watch

Want to learn more about the top crypto ICOs happening now? We’ll explore each in detail so you can decide which ones to invest in.

1. SUBBD – Most Disruptive ICO

Key Points:

• AI-powered subscription content platform for creators and fans
• $SUBBD token unlocks exclusive content, discounts, and ecosystem payments
• ICO investors earn 20% APY for staking $SUBBD tokens

SUBBD ($SUBBD) is an exciting new AI-powered content platform taking aim at the $85 billion subscription content market. The project aims to put AI content generation and assistant tools in the hands of content creators and influencers, freeing them up to create more and focus on more personalized interactions with fans. That results in a more engaged environment with more monetizable content—a win for creators, fans, and $SUBBD token holders.

In addition, SUBBD is giving fans access to AI-powered creator tools for the first time. Fans can use AI to generate and monetize their own content based on their favorite influencer, with approval. It’s an entirely new way to keep fans engaged and amplify the original content created by top influencers on SUBBD.

The $SUBBD token lies at the heart of this ecosystem. It’s used for payments between fans and creators, unlocks access to exclusive subscription content, and offers discounts and access to VIP features like live streams. SUBBD is offering 20% APY to early investors who stake their tokens during the ICO, making this one of the best crypto presales to lock in early gains.

2. BTC Bull Token – Best Meme Coin ICO

Key Points:

• Meme coin with token holder rewards based on Bitcoin price milestones
• Offers buybacks and burns of $BTCBULL and airdrops of real $BTC
• ICO investors earn up to 86% APY

BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) is an exciting new meme coin that’s all-in on a Bitcoin-led bull market. It’s the only meme coin offering investors a chance to earn real Bitcoin rewards and promises to help ratchet up demand for $BTC.

The project centers around six price milestones in Bitcoin, each of which represents an all-time high for the original cryptocurrency. At $125k, $175k, and $225k, BTC Bull Token will buyback and burn its own tokens, boosting the price for existing investors. At $150k, $200k, and $250k, the project will use its reserves to buy Bitcoin and distribute it to $BTCBULL token holders via an airdrop.

This approach is designed to keep demand for BTC Bull Token very strong, since no one wants to miss out on the next milestone and reward. As the price of Bitcoin rises, demand for $BTCBULL should spike as well and the two tokens will help push each other higher. To get the gains started early, ICO investors can stake their $BTCBULL coins and earn up to 86% APY.

3. MIND of Pepe – Top AI Agent ICO

Key Points:

• Pepe-themed meme coin with fully self-sovereign AI agent
• AI agent will gain insights into up-and-coming tokens by interacting on X
• AI will launch new meme coins, giving $MIND holders exclusive ICO access

MIND of Pepe ($MIND) is an AI agent token and meme coin that promises to completely change how traders approach the meme coin market. The project is building a fully self-sovereign AI agent that will have access to its own X account and crypto wallet funded with $MIND tokens. Using these, the agent can participate in the crypto community on X and interact on its own with Web3.

MIND of Pepe will use its capabilities to understand crypto sentiment, track new projects, and determine which tokens are about to pump higher. The AI agent will share its insights with $MIND token holders through a community-only Telegram channel, giving them a chance to buy tokens just before they explode. In addition, MIND of Pepe will design and launch meme coins based on what it thinks traders want—the first time that AI is launching new tokens on its own.

The $MIND token is critical to getting access to the AI agent’s insights and to new meme coin launches. Only community members will have a chance to join MIND of Pepe meme coin ICOs before they list on exchanges. The project is also offering massive staking APYs up to 278% for early investors, further boosting potential returns.

4. Solaxy – Strongest Fundamentals

Key Points:

• First Layer-2 scaling solution for Solana blockchain
• $SOLX token is required to pay gas fees on Solaxy network
• Offers staking rewards up to 132% APY during ICO

Solaxy ($SOLX) is building the world’s first Layer-2 scaling solution for the Solana blockchain, setting the stage for unlimited scalability and greater development. The new Solaxy network will offer faster transaction processing and lower gas fees compared to the Solana mainnet. At the same time, it will ease demand on Solana and solve the blockchain’s long-running issues with network congestion.

Solaxy is likely to be popular for all types of development in the Solana ecosystem, but it’s especially important for meme coin launches and trading. By reducing transaction fees and speeding up executions, Solaxy could quickly become the network of choice for meme coin traders and developers. Solana is home to thousands of new meme coin launches daily, and the revenue from this development could soon flow to the Solaxy treasury.

The $SOLX token is required to pay for transactions on the Solaxy network, so demand for the Layer-2 is closely linked to the token’s price. In addition, $SOLX investors can earn generous staking rewards—including up to 132% during the ICO. The project has raised more than $30 million already, making it one of the biggest ICOs of 2025.

5. Best Wallet – Best Ecosystem Token ICO

Key Points: 

• Fast-growing Web3 wallet with crypto launchpad, DEX, and upcoming crypto debit card
• $BEST offers fee discounts, enhanced staking rewards, and early ICO access
• ICO investors can earn up to 128% APY for staking $BEST

Best Wallet ($BEST) is an up-and-coming crypto wallet platform that’s revolutionizing the space with tons of cutting-edge features. It supports more than 60 blockchains, offers airtight security, and bakes in Web3 essentials like the ability to buy crypto anonymously, staking, trading, and community governance. Best Wallet also offers its own crypto launchpad, making it one of the best places to find hot new ICOs.

Best Wallet is enhancing its ecosystem with the $BEST token, which offers numerous perks for wallet users. $BEST holders receive discounted fees on trades at the Best DEX decentralized exchange, enhanced staking APYs on their favorite tokens, and early access to new ICOs hosted on Best Wallet’s launchpad. The project also plans to incorporate $BEST into upcoming features like its crypto debit card, where $BEST holders will receive cashback and discounts on transaction fees.

Best Wallet has more than 250,000 monthly active users, giving it a massive built-in community for the $BEST token launch. The ICO has already raised more than $11 million and is offering up to 128% APY for $BEST token staking, giving early investors a chance to load up their wallets.

What is an ICO?

An ICO, or initial coin offering, is a type of token sale in which a crypto project offers its new coin directly to public investors. It’s also known as a crypto presale. ICOs are one of the most common ways that new projects distribute their tokens to investors.

In an ICO, anyone with a crypto wallet can purchase a project’s new token. All they have to do is connect to the ICO and swap an established token for the project token. Typically, this reserves their coins, and investors receive them after a token generation event (TGE), which is the actual process by which the new token is created on the blockchain.

ICOs are significant in the crypto market because they put new cryptocurrencies into the hands of investors. This is important for decentralization—for any tokens that are used to validate transactions or govern a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), more investors holding a token means validation and voting power is more decentralized.

ICOs are also important because they represent a way for new projects to raise investment. Investors in an ICO offer cash or established cryptocurrencies (often Ethereum, Bitcoin, Tether, or another major token) in order to receive the project token. The project can use the tokens it receives to pay for development, marketing, and other startup costs.

Many crypto exchanges also monitor ICOs to determine which tokens to list. Projects that raise a significant amount of money during their ICOs or attract a large number of investors are more likely to be listed on major centralized exchanges.

Historical Context

ICOs have been popular for many years, dating all the way back to the launch of Ethereum in 2014. When the Ethereum ICO began, investors could trade 1 BTC for 2,000 ETH. The ICO sold more than 60 million ETH at an average price of $0.31 and raised more than 31,500 BTC (worth around $18.3 million at the time).

This success foreshadowed the ICO boom that came in 2017, as new tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain began to launch in droves. More than 800 crypto projects held ICOs and raised more than $10 billion. Some of the best cryptos to buy today started as ICO tokens in 2017.

In the wake of the ICO boom, new token offerings have continued at a rapid pace. The number of crypto ICOs and their value raised has increased with each successive crypto bull market, although ICOs have also declined in number and value during bear markets.

ICOs vs. IEOs, IDOs, and STOs

ICOs are just one of several ways that new crypto projects can release their tokens. Other options include IEOs, IDOs, and STOs:

• Initial Exchange Offering (IEO): In an IEO, a project distributes tokens directly to a centralized crypto exchange. The exchange pays the project a fixed price for the tokens, raising money for the project. The exchange then makes money by offering the tokens to its customers at a slightly higher initial price.

• Initial DEX Offering (IDO): An IDO works the same way as an IEO, except the exchange involved is a decentralized exchange (DEX) instead of a centralized exchange.

• Security Token Offering (STO): An STO offers investors a blockchain-based token that represents real ownership in a digital or real-world asset. It is very similar to an ICO, except that the token involved is considered a security and is subject to securities regulations.

Reasons Why ICOs are Popular

Since projects have several options for releasing tokens, why do so many choose ICOs? ICOs offer several key advantages:

• Fundraising: Projects with savvy marketing teams can often raise more money through ICOs than through IEOs or IDOs. They have more flexibility to raise the price of their token as the presale progresses or to offer other incentives to investors, such as staking benefits or early access to project utilities. Projects are also only limited in their ICO fundraising by how many tokens they can offer for sale, whereas in an IEO or IDO they are limited by how many tokens an exchange will buy.

• Community-building: ICOs enable crypto projects to build a direct connection with their investors. They receive information about users’ wallet addresses and can survey them about how they found the project or why they joined. This can help a project better deliver for its investors.

• Investor loyalty: ICOs also engender loyalty among investors. Investors are more likely to hold onto a token—and stick with it through volatility—if they have “found” a project and invested in it directly. Investors who buy a token through their crypto exchange are less likely to feel direct loyalty to the project itself.

How Do ICOs Work?

ICOs all work in the same way: they enable investors to swap established tokens or fiat for a project’s new token. They also follow the same basic three-phase structure.

• Token sale: Tokens are offered for sale to investors. Some ICOs are split into a presale, in which tokens are available only to a limited group like team members and venture capital firms, followed by a main sale that’s open to the public.

• Distribution: Anyone who purchased tokens can claim their tokens and add them to their crypto wallet. In some cases, tokens are distributed directly to investors’ wallets through an airdrop.
• Listing: Tokens list on a DEX or centralized exchange for trading. Anyone can buy tokens once they are listed. ICO investors can typically sell at this time, although some projects have lock-up periods that prevent ICO investors from selling right away.

An ICO’s token sale phase can be further subdivided into stages, which last for several days or until a certain fundraising milestone has been reached. The price of the project’s token typically increases in each successive stage of the sale.

Smart contracts play a crucial role in ICOs, especially since investors typically pay for tokens during the sale phase but don’t receive them until the distribution phase. Smart contracts ensure that when distribution happens, investors can claim their tokens simply by connecting their crypto wallet to the project site. The smart contracts underlying ICOs are visible to investors—and are often audited by third-party security firms—to ensure the process is truly automated and trustless.

How to Buy Exclusive Crypto ICOs Early

Now that you know the basics of how ICOs work, let’s walk through the steps involved to join a crypto presale.

Step 1: Research the Project & Whitepaper

To get started, it’s important to carefully research any ICO you’re interested in joining. While there are many legitimate ICOs, this space is also a common target for scammers. In addition, not every ICO will be a success—some tokens can see their value fall rapidly after launch. It’s important to make sure the ICO you’re joining is likely to be a winner.

To conduct research, dive into the project’s materials. This can include the whitepaper, project roadmap, tokenomics, and social media channels. Explore what crypto analysts have said about a project and try to learn more about the project team members, especially if they are doxxed. It’s also a good idea to look at similar crypto projects and how they have performed recently.

The more information you can analyze, the better positioned you will be to make a decision about joining the ICO.

Step 2: Create a Compatible Wallet

Next, you must create a crypto wallet that’s compatible with the ICO. Your wallet needs to be able to connect to the project site and hold the project tokens. Most presales work with any ERC-20 compatible wallet, but it’s important to double-check.

We recommend using Best Wallet as the best decentralized crypto wallet. It’s free, highly secure, and supports thousands of tokens across 60+ blockchains. You can create a new wallet completely anonymously in just a few minutes. Best Wallet is available for iOS and Android.

Step 3: Transfer Funds

Your wallet will need to be funded with ETH, USDT, or another token accepted by the ICO for payment. If you already hold these tokens in another crypto wallet, you can transfer them to the wallet you set up in Step 2. Blockchain transfers incur a gas fee but take place instantly.

If you don’t already own the needed crypto tokens, you can purchase them with fiat on a centralized crypto exchange such as Binance or Coinbase. You’ll need to create an exchange account, go through the ID verification process, deposit funds, and then purchase the tokens you need. After purchasing tokens, you can make a withdrawal to transfer them to your crypto wallet.

Step 4: Access the ICO Platform or Launchpad

Now navigate to the ICO platform, which may be the project’s website or a crypto launchpad that the project is working with. Click ‘Connect Wallet’ or a similar prompt and choose your wallet from the menu that appears. Follow the prompts from your wallet to authorize the connection.

Step 5: Complete KYC

Some crypto ICOs require you to complete Know Your Customer (KYC) checks before you can make a purchase. This process includes providing details like your name and birthdate, uploading a photo of your ID, and providing proof of address.

Many ICOs don’t require KYC, so you may be able to skip this step.

Step 6: Purchase Tokens

Now you can purchase tokens. Enter the amount you want to invest in ETH, USDT, or whatever token you’re paying with. The ICO site should display the equivalent number of project tokens you’ll receive in return.

Confirm the transaction to complete your purchase.

Step 7: Store Tokens Securely

Some ICOs will send tokens to your wallet immediately after you make a purchase. In these cases, you can store your tokens in the wallet you used to join the ICO or transfer them to another wallet for safe storage. Consider moving your tokens to a cold storage or hardware wallet if you have one, since this is the most effective way to keep them safe.

Most ICOs will not distribute tokens right away, but rather will hold a distribution event or token claim once the presale ends. At this time, you must return to the ICO platform and re-connect your wallet to add your tokens to your wallet. Once your tokens are in your wallet, you can transfer them to another wallet for storage if needed.

Tips for Maximizing Presale Access

Investors who are first to an ICO—or who are able to buy tokens during a presale before the main sale—can lock in the lowest token prices and the highest staking rewards. So, it’s important to set yourself up to get early access to new ICOs.

There are a few ways to do this. Some projects offer a whitelist you can join, which is similar to a waitlist for a new ICO. If you’re on the whitelist, you’ll have exclusive access to buy tokens before anyone who isn’t on the list.

Other projects require involvement in the community. This is especially common for established projects that have a strong following already, but are just releasing a token for the first time. These projects often provide early presale access to existing community members, such as those who own NFTs or have other proof of membership.

Finally, be on the lookout for airdrops, which can be a way to get tokens without having to purchase them. Airdrops often require investors to complete tasks, like sharing information about a project on social media. Completing more tasks may qualify you to receive more tokens when the airdrop happens.

How to Identify Legit ICOs

There are hundreds of legit ICOs in the crypto market every month, but investors also need to be on the lookout for scams and inauthentic projects that are trying to defraud unsuspecting investors. Unfortunately, crypto scams and rug pulls have been very effective at taking money from ICO investors—they took more than $500 million from investors in 2025.

So, it’s important to know how to identify legitimate ICOs. We’ll explain how.

How to Invest in ICOs Safely?

The key to investing in ICOs safely is doing research. You need to know as much as possible about a project and make sure that everything checks out.

Key elements to investigate include:

• KYC compliance: Do projects require KYC checks before you can invest? Many projects don’t if they only accept crypto payments, but projects that accept fiat are required to comply with KYC regulations.

• Smart contract audit: Has the project’s smart contract been audited by a trusted third-party security firm like Coinsult or SolidProof? These audits ensure that a project’s smart contract is legitimate and that tokens will be delivered at the end of the ICO.

• Tokenomics: Are the project’s tokenomics reasonable? Projects should have tokens set aside for development, exchange listing, and other key initiatives. Also watch out for large project team token allocations, since these could be sold suddenly and tank the price of a token.

• Project whitepaper: A project’s whitepaper explains what it’s all about, including its tokenomics, roadmap, expected audience, and other key details. This should be a well-thought out document that reflects the same information as other project documentation.

• Development team: The team behind a project should be fully doxxed—except in the case of meme coins, where teams often remain anonymous. Research the developers to see what projects they have been involved with in the past and whether they have a good reputation.
• Legal compliance: Projects should always comply with legal requirements, which can vary depending on what country the development team is based in. If a project appears to skirt the law, that’s a significant red flag.

How to Spot If an ICO Is a Scam?

When researching a project, it’s important to watch out for any red flags or suspicious activity that could indicate the ICO is a scam. Potential flags include:

• Promises of riches: While many projects, and especially meme coins, aim to generate returns for investors, they should never explicitly guarantee riches or specific levels of profit. No ICO is guaranteed to go up, so this type of language is at best misleading and at worst indicative of a scam.

• Poor track record: Watch out for developers or team members who have been involved with scams or rug pulls in the past. There is a strong likelihood that they may execute a similar scam again.

• Unrealistic project details: Scam projects often have unrealistic details or mismatched project details across different resources. For example, the project’s tokenomics may not add up or the project may promise different goals in the whitepaper and on the website.

• Unusual payment platforms: Only invest in ICOs that use legitimate, well-known payment platforms. Never send crypto or fiat directly to a wallet address without going through a smart contract.

• Lack of smart contract audits: An audited smart contract isn’t a guarantee that an ICO is legitimate, but nearly all legitimate projects go through audits. Avoid projects that haven’t undergone a third-party audit.

Are ICOs Legal?

ICOs are generally legal, although there are nuances in different markets and for different types of tokens. Let’s take a closer look at the regulatory landscape.

US Regulatory Landscape

In the US, ICOs are legal as long as the underlying tokens are not considered to be securities. However, this is a fraught designation as there is currently no legal consensus for what makes a specific crypto tokens a security.

During the Biden administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) broadly defined most crypto tokens as securities and thus made most ICOs illegal as unregistered security offerings. Many ICOs have language indicating that US residents are not able to join, although unless KYC checks are required, there are no barriers to buying tokens in the US.

Under the Trump administration, this has changed significantly. Most legal action against crypto projects and exchanges has been dropped, and there is increasing confidence that ICOs will not be challenged. Upcoming crypto legislation could provide more clarity on what tokens are securities and whether ICOs are fully legal.

EU Regulatory Landscape

In the EU, most ICOs are legal as long as they comply with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) legislation. MiCA provides a framework for registering new tokens, and projects must go through this process if their token meets specific registration requirements. Projects that are required to register under MiCA but do not can face penalties.

Asia Regulatory Landscape

There is no single regulatory framework for crypto ICOs in Asia. Each country has its own process, and they can vary considerably. For example, in Japan, crypto ICOs are legal, but tokens are subject to heavy regulation. In China, ICOs are banned completely. In Malaysia, ICOs are legal but cryptocurrencies are regulated as securities. So new offerings must have approval from Securities Commission Malaysia.

What Returns Can I Make Investing in ICOs?

Most investors are interested in joining ICOs because of their potential for high returns compared to investing in established cryptocurrencies. So, what kind of returns can you actually make?

Historical Success and ROI Examples

An analysis of more than 1,600 ICOs from 2017-2022 provides an in-depth look at the historical performance of new tokens. According to that analysis, the vast majority of tokens provided a positive return on investment (ROI) at their all-time high. However, while a subset of tokens provided gains from 100% to 10,000%, most successful tokens offered a return of 10% to 70% at their all-time high.

Importantly, not all investors will have a chance to sell right at the all-time high. And if you miss this opportunity, the data suggests that many fewer ICOs produce returns. Nearly all of the ICOs had a negative ROI at the time of the analysis—although it’s worth noting this was up to five years after the token’s ICO. Several tokens offered long-term returns of 1,000% or more, but returns over 100% were relatively rare.

More recent examples have shown that ICOs still have explosive potential after launch. Here is how three tokens performed at different intervals after launch.

This shows that while life-changing gains are possible, returns of a few hundred percent from launch are more likely for most ICOs. However, these gains often take place very quickly—often within a few days of launch—so investors can earn much higher annualized gains compared to investing in established cryptocurrencies.

Risk vs. Reward Analysis

One way to estimate the potential ROI from a crypto ICO is to conduct a risk vs. reward analysis.

This analysis should take into account not just a project’s potential for long-term growth, but also trading metrics like volatility and liquidity. It should also consider market sentiment, since this can significantly impact how an ICO token performs in the days immediately after launch—when its growth potential is highest.

Since ICO tokens have not yet traded on public markets, investors should look at similar tokens that are already trading on exchanges. Investors can also look at trends in the broader market to identify bullish periods when ICOs are more likely to be successful.

How Often Do New Crypto ICOs Take Place?

New crypto ICOs occur frequently. There are usually several ICOs going on during any given week in the crypto market, and new ICOs launch as often as a few times per week.

That said, ICOs aren’t as common as new direct-to-exchange launches like IDOs. That’s because meme coins are the most common type of new crypto launch, and the majority of them go straight to listing on decentralized exchanges. There can be hundreds or even thousands of new IDOs every day, although most of these tokens attract less attention and investment than new ICOs.

Market Cycle Insight

Importantly, new crypto ICOs don’t take place at a constant, steady pace. Instead, the frequency of new token sales rises and falls with the fortunes of the crypto market.

When the crypto market is going through a bull run, ICOs are more frequent—and they tend to raise more money ahead of launch. When the crypto market is bearish, ICOs are less frequent. Presale stages also tend to last longer and projects raise less investment overall before listing.

Frequency of Launches by Category

Another thing to consider is that ICO frequency—and fundraising—can vary widely across different sectors of the crypto market at different times. Usually, trending sectors tend to see a larger number of token launches (as ICOs, IDOs, and IEOs) and greater raises from investors.

Examples of hot categories that have seen surges in ICO activity in the past include DeFi, NFTs, and metaverse tokens. Most recently, the AI agent token category experienced a massive boom in ICOs.

FAQs

What Is the Best Crypto ICO?

The best crypto ICO today is SUBBD, a subscription content and AI platform that aims to disrupt an $85 billion centralized market. The project has seen significant early support from investors and offers 20% APY for $SUBBD token staking throughout the ICO.

Can You Make Money Investing in ICOs?

It’s possible to make money investing in ICOs if you choose the right tokens to buy early. Some ICOs will produce returns of 10x, 100x, or more, while others will fall flat or lose money. Investors need to know how to carefully research ICOs to determine which launches are legit and which tokens are most likely to rise in price.

What Is the Next Big ICO?

The next big ICOs include SUBBD, BTC Bull Token, and MIND of Pepe. These three projects have together raised more than $13 million and span some of the most exciting sectors in the crypto market. All three ICOs are on track to sell out and could see major centralized exchange listings at launch.

References

1. History of Crypto: The ICO Boom and Ethereum’s Evolution (Cointelegraph)
2. Crypto Investors Lost Over $500M in Memecoin Rug Pulls and Scams in 2024 (CoinDesk)
3. Trump’s SEC Is Ending Crypto Lawsuits and Investigations—These Are the Biggest (Decrypt)
4. I Analyzed The ROIs of 1.600 Crypto ICOs – Here is What I Learned (Medium)