Algorand is a Pure Proof-of-Stake (PPoS) Layer-1 focused on real business utility — from digital payments to tokenized assets. Every transaction costs just 0.001 ALGO (≈ $0.00014), making it 100–1,000x cheaper than Ethereum 👀. Fees never spike, even during congestion — perfect for banks, payroll, loyalty programs & compliance-first apps.
As of today: ALGO ≈ $0.139 • 756K MAUs (+13% MoM) 🧑💻 • 3B+ lifetime txns 📈 • 64% staking participation 🔒 • $140M TVL (still small vs. big L1s) 💧
Enterprises are coming in quietly but strongly: 🔹 Nubank (100M+ users) adding ALGO trading 🔹 Mastercard + Zebec for payroll & settlements 🔹 UN Academy trained 250+ staff on-chain 🔹 WorldChess loyalty tokenization 🔹 Falcon post-quantum signatures live on-chain 🧠
This is not a hype chain — it’s built for governments, banks, & corporate adoption. But TVL is still modest, and the SEC case keeps U.S. money cautious.
📊 Market Levels Support → $0.128 Resistance → $0.148 Target 2026 → $0.30–$0.50 if enterprise demand continues 💼⚡
🔥 Near Protocol (NEAR): Chain Abstraction + AI = Cross-Chain Growth 🚀
Near Protocol is a sharded L1 built for AI agents and user-owned apps, making it easy for Ethereum developers to migrate without high gas fees and L2 complexity. Its Nightshade design delivers 100K+ TPS with 1–2s finality, while Chain Signatures let one account interact across multiple chains — no bridge needed. ⚡
Right now NEAR ≈ $3.15 with key ecosystem strength: • 46M+ MAUs (2nd only to Solana) 🌍 • $312M TVL (+45% YoY) 🔗 • 200+ migrations via grants 🎯 • 229 monthly developers (+37% QoQ) 👨💻👩💻
🧩 ETH onboarding is strong: Aurora EVM → cheap Solidity deployments (90% fee savings) Rainbow Bridge → $2B+ transfers between ETH & NEAR MetaMask support → 20K ETH wallets onboarded
⚡ Solana pull is modest but growing — AI agents & cross-chain DeFi rely on signatures instead of rewriting code.
📊 Market Snapshot: Support: $3.00 | Resistance: $3.50 Bull outlook → $5–$7 in 2026 if AI + abstraction keeps scaling 🚀
💡 Why NEAR stands out: No need to “switch chains” — one wallet, multi-chain power 🔑 Great UX, low fees, fast finality, strong AI focus 🧠⚙️
👉 Easy Strategy: Hold, stake, and explore EVM + AI dApps for growth 📈
🚀 Tezos (XTZ): Governance Beast with Forkless Upgrades & L2 Growth 🔥 Tezos is a self-amending PoS blockchain built for secure smart contracts and smooth upgrades — no hard forks in 7+ years. Its on-chain governance lets holders vote on improvements while earning staking rewards. 💪
📈 As of now, XTZ ≈ $0.67 with strong network health: • 64% staked securing the chain 🛡️ • 4.5M+ wallets active globally 🌎 • $106M TVL, led by Etherlink L2 🔗 • 20+ successful upgrades since launch ⚙️
2025 upgrades like Quebec, Rio & Seoul boosted speed, staking, and multisig — while Etherlink L2 keeps scaling with faster confirmations & rising DeFi activity. Developer ecosystem is growing again (+37% QoQ), pushing Tezos into RWA + L2 innovation territory.
📊 Key Trend: Support: $0.60 | Resistance: $0.80 Bull case → Real-World Assets + L2 traction could target $1.20–$1.50 in mid-2026 🚀
🧠 Why XTZ still matters: Proven governance, continuous upgrades, and secure smart-contract infrastructure — undervalued compared to rivals.
🚀 Arbitrum (ARB) – The DeFi Liquidity King on Ethereum Layer-2
Arbitrum (ARB) remains the #1 Layer-2 for DeFi, powered by Optimistic Rollups and Nitro scalability — delivering 100+ TPS, sub-$0.01 fees, and deep liquidity trusted by top traders and institutions.
Optimism (OP) is Ethereum’s leading optimistic rollup powering the OP Stack Superchain (50+ chains including Base & Worldcoin), enabling off-chain batching with L1 security via 7-day fault-proof challenges. Granite hard fork (Sep 2025) enhanced security and Bedrock upgrades boosted TPS and reduced fees.
Key Stats (Dec 6, 2025):
Price: $1.45 | Market Cap: $1.7B
Circulating Supply: 1.17B / Max 4.29B | Rank #45
Superchain TVL: $17B | OP Mainnet: $3.2B
Daily Txns: 1M+ | DEX Volume: $280M
Avg Fee: $0.001 | TPS: 100+
2025 Highlights:
Granite Hard Fork: Fixed permissionless faults; FPVM for EVM disputes
Loopring (LRC) is Ethereum’s pioneering zk-rollup for non-custodial zkDEX trading, offering up to 2,025 TPS and ultra-low ~$0.00015 per trade. While early zk innovation led the way, 2025 shows LRC trailing broader L2 adoption.
Key Stats (Dec 6, 2025):
Price: $0.052 | Market Cap: $65M
Circulating Supply: 1.25B / Max 1.37B | Rank #385
TVL: $16.86M | 24h DEX Volume: $2.58M
DAUs: ~5K | Cumulative Txns: ~42M
2025 Highlights:
Multi-Chain Pivot: Base integration, fast withdrawals, decentralized ring miners for zkDEX
DeFi Retrenchment: July closure of Dual Investment, ETH staking, Portal to focus on core zkDEX
Leadership: CEO Steve Guo stepped down (August), community-led incentives continue (L2 Loopers)
Metrics: Hack recovery complete; low media buzz; DAUs steady
zkDEX Adoption & Competition:
Order-book based, gas-efficient swaps for gaming/NFTs
Stablecoins drive ~90% of volume
Outpaced by zkEVMs (Scroll, zkSync) in TVL, DeFi integration, and EVM compatibility
zkSync is Ethereum's enterprise-grade zk-rollup L2, powering cross-chain asset transfers and tokenized assets with ~1-second hops and minutes-to-Ethereum finality.
Scroll is Ethereum's zkEVM Layer-2 leader, delivering full bytecode compatibility for seamless Ethereum dApp deployment with 100x cheaper, faster transactions.
Price dip to $0.04 in Jan 2025 from airdrop expiry, recovered +120% by Dec
Challenges:
Competes with zkSync, Starknet, Polygon zkEVM on TPS and adoption
Sequencer centralization limits DAUs vs. optimistic rollups
Regulatory scrutiny on zk privacy proofs (MiCA) may slow enterprise adoption
💡 Outlook: Support $0.08, resistance $0.10. Bullish target: $0.15–$0.25 on DeFi/zk adoption; TVL could hit $1B+ by mid-2026. Ideal for builders seeking Ethereum fidelity at L2 speed.
Harmonized framework ensures institutional trust and scalable adoption
Challenges:
Competing with USDT’s raw volume dominance
Multi-chain UX complexity
Rate sensitivity may affect reserve income
💡 Outlook: USDC is the compliant “institutional dollar”. Short-term peg stable at $1.00; mid-term bullish with Gateway adoption and RWA integrations driving TVL growth. Ideal for institutions, DeFi participants, and global payment rails.
USDT remains the dominant institutional stablecoin, powering 68–82% of global crypto trading volume and serving as the key liquidity backbone for exchanges, hedge funds, and OTC desks.
Key Stats (Dec 3, 2025):
Price: $1.00 | Market Cap: $174B
Circulating Supply: 174B | 24h Volume: >$128B
Reserves: $184.5B (including $7B excess); $34B in non-cash assets
Highlights:
Institutional liquidity surge: $20B+ new mints YTD (Ethereum/Tron focus)
$34B non-cash reserves vulnerable to crypto crashes
Regulatory fragmentation (EU bans vs. U.S. reciprocity)
Competition from USDC, RLUSD, and USA₮
💡 Outlook: USDT continues as crypto’s liquidity engine. Short-term support at $0.999; peg stable. Mid-term bullish if USA₮ adoption expands in U.S. markets. Institutions rely on USDT for volume, hedging, and cross-chain flows, but diversification into compliant stables is growing.
DAI, the flagship decentralized stablecoin of Sky DAO (formerly MakerDAO), maintains its $1 peg via over-collateralization and automated liquidations. Fully on-chain and governed by SKY token holders, it powers DeFi lending, trading, and yield farming without relying on centralized reserves.
Emergency Shutdown: Protects peg in extreme scenarios
Liquidation Management:
Automated, incentive-driven via Chainlink oracles
13% liquidation penalty; $150M liquidated in Q3 2025 with 99% success
Governance continuously fine-tunes ratios and collateral types
Highlights:
Peg remained tight at $0.999–$1.001 during 2025 volatility
Cross-chain upgrades and MetaMask integration improve accessibility
Resilient against ETH volatility and market turmoil
Risks:
Exposure to USDC and ETH volatility
Extreme crashes could stress auctions and buffers
Regulatory oversight increasing, though decentralization shields DAI
💡 Outlook: DAI is a proven decentralized dollar, ideal for DeFi users seeking stability, transparency, and yield. Support at $0.999; short-term bullish if DSR >7%. Long-term, Sky DAO upgrades and RWA integration strengthen DAI’s position as a trusted, community-owned stablecoin.
Niche adoption in DeFi yield farming (12% APY) and online gambling
Hardware wallet & ERC-20 compatibility ensures user security
Challenges:
2025 Dubai asset freeze ($456M) and fiduciary fraud weakened trust
EU delistings under MiCA reduce liquidity
Trails USDC & USDT in volume, market cap, and enterprise integrations
💡 Outlook: TUSD is reliable for niche, compliant use cases, but high-risk for enterprises seeking scale. Short-term support at $0.99; resistance $1.01. Full trust recovery depends on court resolutions and proven reserve integrity.
Pax Dollar (USDP) remains a regulated, compliance-focused stablecoin, pegged 1:1 to USD and backed by U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents. Trusted by institutions and overseen by NYDFS, USDP emphasizes transparency, security, and regulatory adherence.
LatAm adoption via PicPay: 65M users access USDP payments
Stable, compliant alternative for risk-averse players
Challenges:
Competes with USDC ($77.8B cap) – much higher liquidity & adoption
Limited DEX & DeFi activity; EU delistings reduced flows
Small market share: <0.1% of global stablecoin trading
💡 Outlook: USDP is a steady, regulated choice for institutions and tokenization use cases. Short-term support at $0.99; resistance $1.01. Long-term, USDC dominates utility and volume, while USDP thrives in compliance-focused niches.
Folks Finance acts as the “silent engine” driving real adoption
Challenges:
Low overall market share (<0.1% of global DeFi)
Heavy dependence on Folks (70%+ TVL)
Competition from EVM-compatible chains
💡 Outlook: ALGO-Fi is solid for yield-seekers, composable for long-term holders. Short-term support at $0.12; bullish if DEX volume exceeds $10M weekly. $FOLKS incentives & RWA growth may push TVL toward $100–200M in 2026.
Terra Classic (LUNC): Community Resilience & Burn-Driven Speculation
Terra Classic (LUNC), the original Terra blockchain, continues to operate as a fully community-led project after the 2022 collapse. The 1.2% transaction burn, Binance monthly fee burns, and Tax2Gas upgrades are driving a resurgence in price and attention: $0.000063 (+87% 24h, +126% 7d) with $658M in daily volume.
✅ Highlights:
427B LUNC burned since May 2022
Circulating supply down to 5.49T
Governance is fully decentralized; proposals actively passed
⚠️ Challenges:
Fragile trust due to 2022 collapse
Minimal new use cases; DeFi activity < $10M TVL
Extreme volatility: pumps often followed by sharp corrections
Outlook: Short-term pumps likely if burn rates stay high. Long-term, LUNC remains a speculative asset betting on community-driven supply shocks.