🚀 Crypto in 2025: Winners & Losers by Category 🔥

August 2025 shows markets move by sector as much as by token. Bitcoin ($2.35T) dominates, Ethereum ($548B) drives innovation — but other categories are where the real action is.

Here’s the Top 10 Crypto Categories Ranked by Market Cap + YoY Performance 👇

1️⃣ 🌐 Layer-1s — $3.35T — +80% YoY (BTC, ETH recovery leads)

👉 BTC, ETH, ADA, XRP, SUI, SOL

2️⃣ 💵 Stablecoins — $285B — +22% YoY (liquidity backbone)

👉 USDT, USDC, DAI

3️⃣ 💧 DeFi — $173B — –10% YoY (–50% Q1 → +25% Q2 comeback)

👉 UNI, AAVE, MKR, CRV

4️⃣ 🏦 Exchange Tokens — $131B — +5% YoY (defensive, steady)

👉 BNB, OKB, LEO, CRO

5️⃣ 🐸 Memecoins — $77.5B — –25% YoY (–60% Q1 → +50% Q2)

👉 DOGE, SHIB, BONK, PEPE

6️⃣ 🏦 RWA — $56B — +545% YoY 🚀 (tokenized Treasuries booming)

👉 ONDO, CFG, POLYX, MPL

7️⃣ 🤖 AI Tokens — $31.5B — +15% YoY (+30% Q2) (AI hype alive)

👉 FET, RNDR, AGIX, AKT

8️⃣ ⚡ Layer-2s — $19.4B — +25% YoY (ETH scaling momentum)

👉 ARB, OP, zkSync, STRK

9️⃣ 🎮 GameFi — $13.4B — Flat YoY (needs new catalysts)

👉 AXS, SAND, GALA, ILV

🔟 🎫 Fan Tokens — $0.5B — Flat YoY (sports/community niche)

👉 PSG, BAR, JUV, Alpine

ℹ️ Note: Categories are market conventions, not strict standards—definitions vary across data providers.

📊 Key Takeaways

🟠 Bitcoin dominates ($2.35T), 🟣 Ethereum powers DeFi/NFTs ($548B).

🚀 RWA (+545% YoY) and 🤖 AI (+15% YoY) are breakout categories.

💧 DeFi (+25% Q2) is rebounding; ⚡ Layer-2s (+25% YoY) gaining traction.

🐸 Meme (–25% YoY) & 🎮 GameFi (flat) are risky cultural bets.

💡 Diversification wins: mixing majors + growth sectors + speculative plays = resilience.

👉 Which category are YOU most bullish on for the rest of 2025? 🔥

$BTC

$XRP

$PEPE