Altcoins Dominate the Market, Grayscale Reveals 20 Tokens with Highest Yields

Jakarta, Pintu News – Grayscale revealed in an index that altcoins provided the best returns in the third quarter of 2025. Bitcoin’s (BTC) suboptimal performance was the most prominent feature of the period, while BNB Chain, Prometheus, and Avalanche (AVAX) topped the list of best-performing assets on a risk-adjusted basis.

In general, the index is dominated by tokens used in financial applications as well as smart contract platforms. The main trends driving this positive performance focus on the adoption of stablecoins, increased trading volumes on exchanges, as well as the management of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs).

Altcoins Dominate Third Quarter Performance

The third quarter of 2025 was a period of fairly even strength in the digital asset market. Based on the index developed by Grayscale Research, a number of prominent assets managed to record the best price returns after adjusting for volatility.

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In the ranking of the 20 highest-performing tokens, BNB Chain comes out on top, providing the most attractive returns with a relatively better level of stability compared to other assets whose returns are covered by excessive risk.

The next positions are occupied by Prometeus, Avalanche, Cronos (CRO), Beldex, and Ethereum (ETH).

Grayscale classifies the digital asset market into six segments based on their core functions and use cases: Currencies, Smart Contract Platforms, Financials, Consumer and Culture, Utilities and Services, and Artificial Intelligence.

From the results, seven of the top-performing tokens came from the Financials segment, while the other five were from Smart Contract Platforms. These findings show a shift away from the Currencies segment. Most notably, Bitcoin did not make the list.

Why Bitcoin is Lagging

The most interesting data from Grayscale’s research is not who made the list, but who was conspicuously absent: Bitcoin.

Although all six sectors recorded positive returns, the Currencies segment lagged behind, reflecting the relatively smaller increase in Bitcoin price compared to other sectors. When measured on a risk basis, Bitcoin’s performance profile is considered less attractive.

Assets that made the list were generally driven by thematic narratives around new functionality and regulatory clarity. Some of the key focuses include the adoption of stablecoins, increased trading volumes on exchanges, as well as the development of Digital Asset Treasuries (DATs).

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According to Grayscale Research, rising volumes on centralized exchanges are benefiting tokens like BNB (BNB) and CRO. Meanwhile, the growth of DATs and the widespread use of stablecoins are driving demand on platforms such as Ethereum, Solana (SOL), and Avalanche.

Certain categories within decentralized finance (DeFi) are also showing strength, for example decentralized perpetual futures exchanges such as Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Drift (DRIFT), which contribute greatly to the dominance of the Financials sector.

As an asset focused on peer-to-peer electronic money and store-of-value functions, Bitcoin is relatively less exposed to these specific catalysts. This lack of exposure has led altcoins linked to functional platforms and financial services to surge with better performance after adjusting for risk.

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*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities have high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

Reference:

• BeInCrypto. Grayscale Ranks Most Profitable Crypto from Q3. Accessed on September 29, 2025