Not Bitcoin. Not Ethereum. This Once-Popular Cryptocurrency Could Be the Biggest Winner of 2027.

If you're looking for a big winner in 2027, you'll likely need to widen your search beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. In bull market cycles, these two cryptocurrencies perform well, of course, but nowhere near as well as more speculative altcoins with much smaller market caps.

In 2027, there is one type of altcoin that I'm expecting to perform particularly well: beaten-down cryptocurrencies that have pretty much been left for dead in 2026. With that in mind, there's one name that I've already circled for a potential major rebound next year: Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA).

Why Cardano?

Just five years ago, Cardano ranked as the fourth-largest cryptocurrency on the planet, trailing only Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB. At the time, Cardano had a market cap of $70 billion, and appeared to have a path to toppling Ethereum as the world's premier Layer-1 blockchain network.

But that never happened. Down another 40% in 2026, Cardano now trades for a bargain-basement price of just $0.21. Its market cap has slid to less than $8 billion. In fact, Cardano's fall has been so precipitous that it has already dropped out of the list of the top 10 cryptocurrencies (as measured by market cap).

Image source: Getty Images.

But a few factors are working in Cardano's favor right now.

One of these is a renewed emphasis on decentralized finance (DeFi). At the beginning of the year, the Cardano developer community released a far-reaching strategy document ("Cardano 2030 Strategic Framework") with details on how they planned to turn things around in DeFi. And they gave very specific goals for user growth, transaction activity, and market share gains.

That might sound like pie-in-the-sky thinking, except for one fact: Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson is also one of the co-founders of Ethereum and knows a thing or two about putting together a world-class blockchain network.

Hoskinson is currently working on a new programming language for the Cardano blockchain platform, and that could mean big things ahead if it opens up new opportunities in fast-growing areas such as artificial intelligence.

A possible template for Cardano

If Cardano can turn things around next year, a good template could be Solana (CRYPTO: SOL), which saw a monster turnaround after losing 94% of its value in 2022. The following year, Solana soared by 924% as investors realized that it had been oversold amid broader fears of a full-fledged crypto meltdown.

Like Solana, Cardano is a Layer-1 smart contract platform. And, similar to Solana several years ago, Cardano is currently trading at a massive discount to its all-time high.

This is not to say that Cardano will 10x in 2027. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if it climbs back past the $1 mark. As recently as January 2025, Cardano traded for $1. That's nearly a 5x return, and much higher than Bitcoin or Ethereum is projected to return. It's a risky bet, of course, but at a price of just $0.21, Cardano is just too cheap to ignore.

Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool recommends BNB. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.