Down 50% in 2026, This Cryptocurrency Stock Has a Better Shot Than Nvidia to 10x in 10 Years

No company has captivated the investment community in the way that Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has. At an almost $5.5 trillion market capitalization, propelled by a share price that has skyrocketed, it's the world's most valuable business. Nvidia is worth $1 trillion more than Apple, a mind-boggling stat.

This dominant company might have extremely bullish supporters who think the artificial intelligence (AI) stock will 10x in 10 years. Given Nvidia's monster success, it's hard not to be optimistic.

However, I believe there's a cryptocurrency stock that has fallen 50% in 2026 and has a better chance of rising 900% over the coming decade. Here's why.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Nvidia sits in the middle of the data center boom

In recent years, the economy and stock market have been defined by the AI boom. At a high level, this trend is really about the burgeoning data center build-out. To power the AI models these facilities are built to run, there is a need for the graphics processing units that Nvidia sells. These are the best in the industry, as evidenced by the business's virtual monopoly.

As hyperscalers continue to spend aggressively, Nvidia has been winning. In the fiscal 2027 first quarter (ended April 26), revenue jumped 85% year over year to $81.6 billion. Founder and CEO Jensen Huang expects the business to collect $1 trillion in Blackwell and Rubin sales from 2025 through 2027.

In addition to pricing power, Nvidia has benefited from notable operating leverage. Net income was up 211% last fiscal year.

You'd think the stock carried a wildly expensive valuation. But it only trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 25.6.

Given its impressive competitive position and financial performance, coupled with its attractive valuation, investors will readily gravitate toward this booming stock. Consequently, it makes sense if shareholders believe a 10-fold gain is on the horizon between now and 2036. And a potential 900% return would be peanuts compared to Nvidia's eye-popping 14,280% share-price growth in the past decade (as of Aug. 17).

Strategy is a levered bet on Bitcoin

With its stock price cut in half this year, it might come as a surprise that I think Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) (formerly known as MicroStrategy) shares have a better shot at surging 10x. The company is being hammered by the Bitcoin bear market. It owns $54 billion worth of the top digital asset, so its stock typically makes more pronounced moves in the same direction.

Any student of history has figured out that Bitcoin experiences boom-and-bust cycles in four-year waves. Bear markets are always followed by raging bull runs. And past data suggests that the cryptocurrency will reach a bottom late this year before starting its ascent.

This puts Strategy in an advantageous position, since it's a levered bet on Bitcoin. The business model provides a case study in complex financial engineering. What matters most, however, is that Strategy can continue to meet its dividend and interest payments. Even as Bitcoin trades 48% off its peak, this company has handled its obligations.

Investors that aren't bullish on Bitcoin, of course, won't be bullish on Strategy. It's that simple. These market participants will be more compelled to think that there's a higher probability Nvidia will 10x in 10 years. But this implies that the AI enterprise will carry an enormous $55 trillion market cap in 2036 (assuming the share count stays the same). That doesn't seem likely.

Additionally, Nvidia is all-in on the AI craze. Its success going forward and the market's sentiment toward the stock are heavily shaped by the spending boom, which is not only keeping up but also growing in dollar terms. While the company's financial performance has been extraordinary, the hyperscalers' capital expenditures must eventually taper off.

This doesn't mean the stock isn't worthy of investment consideration. It's just that the returns going forward won't come anywhere close to resembling the past.

On the other hand, Strategy is leaning on two durable trends: ongoing currency debasement and greater Bitcoin adoption. It has figured out how to raise fiat currency, which has a limitless supply, and direct it into what is the scarcest financial asset, Bitcoin.

There will be unnerving volatility, and the risk is notable, but this crypto stock has massive upside over the coming 10 years.

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.