Where the next real crypto gains are hiding explained

The market’s finally sobering up, fren. 

The hype cycles are cooling, and what’s left standing are protocols that actually generate value, real revenue, and institutional demand. 

The next leg up won’t be about memes. 

It’ll be about on-chain metrics, ETF flows, and usage that actually sticks.

This cycle looks nothing like 2021. Bitcoin’s rally is increasingly driven by spot ETF inflows, rather than retail traders chasing the highs. 

In July, U.S. Bitcoin ETFs brought in $3.4 billion, with $2.2 billion of that arriving in just two days. 

These inflows are drawing down the supply on exchanges and creating steady demand pressure.

Standard Chartered forecasts that Bitcoin will reach $135,000 by the third quarter of 2025 and sees potential for a year-end peak near $200,000. Analysts at VanEck and Bernstein have also published targets in the $180,000 to $200,000 range, reflecting expectations that ETF demand will keep driving the cycle. 

The same flows that fuel this surge could also magnify corrections, but institutional demand is now setting the pace for the market.

Solana’s futures market is breaking records, with open interest hitting $13.7 billion at its latest peak. That shows a mix of leverage and institutional positioning. On-chain, Raydium continues to lead activity, with total value locked bouncing back to $2.6 billion. 

For traders, it remains the heart of Solana’s degen energy. But the risks are obvious too. Public GitHub commits are almost nonexistent, meaning there’s little visibility into active development. 

The ecosystem may be thriving in usage, but the lack of transparency makes Raydium a high-risk, high-reward bet.

Not all DeFi stories are about hype. Maple Finance, behind the SYRUP token, has quietly built a strong base. 

Its TVL sits above $4 billion across chains, annualized fees are close to $88 million, and revenue clocks in at around $9 million. More than a third of the supply is staked in its own contracts, showing alignment between the protocol and its holders. 

It may not trend on Crypto Twitter, but its fundamentals show resilience in a market that often rewards speculation over substance.

The months ahead are shaping up as “mainnet season,” with a flood of launches from both new and established players. Monad, a high-performance Ethereum-compatible chain, is drawing big attention. 

Metamask is expected to finally launch its own token, which could be one of the largest events of the year, given its massive user base. 

Rainbow, another wallet project with a loyal community, is also on the radar. Add in launches like Sentient, MegaETH, Mira, and Allora, and it’s clear that the market is about to get busier and more volatile.

Forget chasing Twitter hype. The real alpha is in ETF flows, whale accumulation, and protocol revenues. Fundamentals are back in charge, and they’re the only anchor in a market that thrives on chaos.

As always, this isn’t financial advice. The data is out there, but it’s on you to DYOR before making any moves.

Crypto markets kicked off the week with renewed strength as Bitcoin climbed past $111,000, lifting trader sentiment. ETH also saw gains, but despite the rebound, it remained down over the past seven days. Among the week’s standout performers were altcoins like XRP, XLM, and MNT, with MNT posting particularly strong gains.

Weekly price movement: 

(All data here as of 12:46 p.m., 29 September 2025)

Before we conclude, here’s a quick look at some important news from around the crypto world.

That’s it for now. Thanks for sticking around.

See you later, folks! 👋