These 3 Cryptocurrencies Are Up 25% or More in 2026, But Are Any of Them Worth Buying?

Much of the crypto market is deep in the red through the first three months of 2026. Even top names have not fared well. Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is down 20%, while Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) is down 27%.

However, fresh new names are starting to soar in value, and all of them have plenty of potential upside ahead. Here are three cryptocurrencies that are up 25% or more in 2026 and are worth a closer look by investors.

Hyperliquid

Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) is a decentralized finance (DeFi) token that continues to soar in value. It's now the 10th-largest cryptocurrency in the world, with a massive $10 billion market cap. For the year, it's up a remarkable 50%.

Much of that is due to the hype and buzz surrounding the trading of perpetual futures contracts. This is where Hyperliquid built a massive following with crypto traders. This year, it announced the planned introduction of even more exotic trading products, including the types of "yes/no" event contracts that are popular with online prediction markets.

But can you trust the hype around HYPE? After all, trading on the Hyperliquid platform is still off-limits to U.S.-based customers, due to the perceived risk of crypto derivatives. Moreover, once a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange -- such as Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN) -- gets regulatory approval to offer a wide range of perpetual futures contracts to all U.S. investors, much of the buzz around Hyperliquid might fade away.

Bittensor

Another crypto token that has gone absolutely bonkers this year is Bittensor (CRYPTO: TAO), which now ranks as the top AI crypto token, with a market cap of $3 billion. For the year, Bittensor is up 40%.

As might be imagined, much of the excitement around Bittensor is built around the AI investment thesis. Investors are tripping over themselves, trying to find the next AI crypto that can skyrocket in value.

Image source: Getty Images.

What's particularly interesting about Bittensor is its maximum lifetime supply of just 21 million coins. By way of comparison, other cryptocurrencies usually have coin supplies measured in the billions.

That 21 million number might sound familiar, because that's the exact same total as Bitcoin's maximum coin supply. That type of scarcity is important going forward. As demand for Bittensor builds over time, this limited scarcity should lead to outsize price gains.

Sky

Finally, there's Sky (CRYPTO: SKY). It now ranks as the 43rd-largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $1.65 billion. For the year, it's up 25%.

The name Sky may not be immediately familiar. However, longtime crypto investors likely recognize the name MakerDAO, which was one of the first-ever DeFi protocols for yield generation. In late 2024, MakerDAO rebranded as Sky. At the same time, the stablecoin Dai (CRYPTO: DAI), which MakerDAO launched in 2017, rebranded under the Sky name.

What piqued my interest was a recent move by NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NYSEMKT: NBY), a small publicly traded pharmaceutical company, to completely transform itself into a stablecoin development company focused on Sky. The company, in fact, now owns 9% of all Sky currently in circulation. So it obviously thinks that the sky is the limit for Sky.

Best buy?

Of these three cryptocurrencies, my favorite pick is Bittensor. Admittedly, it's trading at a 60% discount to its all-time high from 2024, so there's plenty of risk involved here.

However, I'm banking on continued investor enthusiasm for all things AI. Right now, there are only a handful of cryptocurrencies with the upside potential of Bittensor, and I'm fully expecting it to outperform Bitcoin for the remainder of 2026.

Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Bittensor, Ethereum, and Sky. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global and Hyperliquid. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.