They say the most undervalued token is $LINK , but I will add my own candidate.
Why $LINK (Chainlink) may be undervalued:
Unique role: Chainlink is a leading decentralized oracle network that connects smart contracts with real-world data. Without oracles like Chainlink, many DeFi, NFT, and other blockchain applications would not be able to function.
Partnerships: It has strong ties with financial giants like SWIFT, Euroclear, and UBS, positioning it as a key player in asset tokenization – a market expected to reach trillions by 2030.
Stability and potential: The market capitalization of Link is around $11 billion (January 2024), placing it at 14th place, but its price (around $18-19 by May 2025) is far below the historical peaks from 2021 (~$52). Analysts forecast growth to $24-28 by 2025, and some even up to $100 by 2030.
Undervaluation: Despite its technical significance, Link does not receive the same media attention as meme coins or major blockchains like Solana or Ethereum, making it a "hidden gem" for investors seeking fundamental value.
My choice for the most undervalued cryptocurrency: $DOT (Polkadot)
Why $DOT: Polkadot is a blockchain protocol focused on cross-chain interoperability, allowing different blockchains to communicate seamlessly. This is crucial for the future of Web3, where fragmentation between networks is a problem.
Potential: Polkadot has a strong ecosystem with projects like Moonbeam and Astar, but its price (around $4-5 by May 2025) is significantly below the peak from 2021 (~$55). This suggests great potential for growth, especially if the market remains bullish.
Undervaluation: Despite its technical innovations, Polkadot is often overshadowed by more popular projects like Solana or Cardano. Its low price and lack of hype make it attractive to investors seeking long-term value.
Risks: Competition from other cross-chain solutions (e.g., Cosmos) and the slow promotion of the ecosystem may hinder growth.
Comparison and opinion:
$LINK is more established and has a clearer niche (oracles), making it a safer choice for an undervalued cryptocurrency. Its application in the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is particularly promising, as noted by co-founder Sergey Nazarov.
$DOT, on the other hand, is riskier but has the potential for higher returns if its ecosystem gains traction. It is less known among retail investors, making it even more undervalued compared to $LINK.
A little-known fact about Polkadot (DOT) is that the network supports "shared security" for its parachains through the so-called Relay Chain. This means that all parachains connected to Polkadot inherit the same level of security as the main network, without each parachain needing to build its own security system or maintain a separate network of validators. This innovation significantly reduces costs and complexity for projects developing in the ecosystem and makes Polkadot extremely efficient for scalability. Few people realize how unique this is compared to other blockchain platforms, where each project must secure its own security, often with limited resources.
Its architecture allows for the dynamic addition and removal of parachains without the need for a hard fork, which is unique among most blockchain networks. This is due to Polkadot's governance mechanism called OpenGov, which enables the on-chain community to make decisions about adding new parachains or removing old ones through voting with DOT tokens. For example, if a parachain is no longer useful or its project is abandoned, the associated tokens can be released and returned to the holders, making the network extremely adaptive and resistant to stagnation. This flexibility often remains in the shadow of more discussed features like interoperability, but it is key to the long-term evolution of the ecosystem.
