Fortune Crypto 100 Crowns Hyperliquid as Top DeFi Platform in Debut Ranking

Fortune unveiled its inaugural Fortune Crypto 100 this week, naming Hyperliquid the leading decentralized finance (DeFi) platform. Coinbase topped the centralized finance (CeFi) category, ahead of second-placed Binance.

The ranking, built with intelligence firm Inca Digital, sorted more than 3,000 companies into 10 categories of 10 entries each. A survey of over 200 crypto experts informed trust and reputation scores.

How the Fortune Crypto 100 Was Built

Fortune modeled the project on its Fortune 500 franchise. Each entity could appear in only one category.

Companies that qualified for several were placed where they ranked highest, according to the published methodology.

Scores combined on-chain activity and corporate financials with security infrastructure, regulatory track records, and global media footprint. However, Fortune and Inca Digital declined to reveal the metric weights, citing competitive reasons.

The announcement confirmed eight other category winners. Franklin Templeton led TradFi, Robinhood took fintech, and Andreessen Horowitz headed venture capital. Meanwhile, Tether won stablecoins, Chainalysis topped crypto services, Mara led mining, and Bitcoin (BTC) ranked first among blockchains and protocols.

BlackRock claimed the digital asset treasuries (DATs) and ETFs category. The result reflects how a few Wall Street asset managers now hold most institutional crypto exposure.

“Evaluating digital assets means looking past the trends and analyzing the data that isolates real signals. Inca brought financial and technical analysis across markets, sentiment, and on-chain activity to the Fortune Crypto 100 list. This is what a higher benchmark for tracking the industry looks like,” Adam Zarazinski, CEO of Inca Digital, said in the release.

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Why Hyperliquid Topped the DeFi Category

Hyperliquid (HYPE) earned the DeFi crown after a year of measurable growth. The perpetuals exchange recently cracked the top 10 by market capitalization, flipping Dogecoin (DOGE) in the process.

Its Assistance Fund has also directed $1.16 billion in buybacks toward HYPE since launch. In addition, growing institutional ETF demand has supported the token through 2026.

HYPE traded at $56.65 at press time, up 2% in 24 hours, per BeInCrypto Markets data. That gives the token a $12.66 billion market cap, ranking 11th overall.

The price remains below its June 2 all-time high of $75.48 after a 12.6% weekly pullback.

Fortune acknowledged one gap in the first edition. Crypto market makers were left out, and the publisher pledged to include them next time.

A companion Crypto Innovators list also recognized 30 emerging firms across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and Africa.

Whether the Fortune Crypto 100 becomes an annual industry benchmark may depend on how its winners perform before the 2027 edition.