The 12 months 2025 was, in some respects, an uncommon 12 months for the crypto market.
Actually, since Bitcoin’s inception in 2009, yearly that has seen U.S. presidential elections has been adopted by years of bull runs accompanied by at the least one altseason.
On the finish of 2024, the most recent presidential elections have been held in america, however the bullrun was successfully confined to the final months of that 12 months, with no altseason within the following 12 months.
Furthermore, 2025 was additionally a 12 months marked by the absence of a memecoin growth, though to be truthful, this had already partially occurred within the earlier 12 months.
In different phrases, final 12 months noticed a resurgence in additional structured and utility-oriented initiatives, with the full crypto market capitalization rising to roughly $3.364 trillion, a rise of 1.6% in comparison with the shut of 2024.
Nevertheless, by the top of 2015, most of the main cryptos, together with Bitcoin and Ethereum, ended with adverse worth performances in {dollars}, with BTC down 7.96% and ETH 15.25%, regardless of having recorded new all-time highs through the 12 months.
And so, different cryptos have proven the perfect performances.
Right here is the highest 10 checklist of cryptos with the perfect share worth returns.
MYX Finance (MYX)
On the high of this rating stands MYX Finance, with a staggering achieve of three,358%.
MYX debuted on the crypto markets in Might 2025 round $0.097, reaching its all-time excessive in September at a powerful $19.03.
It is a decentralized derivatives protocol native to BNB Chain, specializing in perpetual futures (perpetual contracts).
Its success is because of a mix of things: an airdrop program that distributed tokens to lively customers, attracting a big group, and the recognition of the “perpetual” narrative in DeFi.
Moreover, BNB Chain skilled a surge in adoption as a consequence of low charges and excessive speeds, and MYX capitalized on this.
Nevertheless, there have additionally been a number of accusations of insider buying and selling and varied controversies relating to the airdrop beneficiaries, which have precipitated volatility, with the value then dropping beneath $3 by the top of the 12 months.
Zcash (ZEC)
Nevertheless, the crypto that garnered probably the most consideration in 2025 is one other: Zcash.
ZEC amazed with an unbelievable +573%, because of a rally that started significantly on the finish of September as a consequence of renewed curiosity in “privateness cash”.
Zcash was really launched in 2016, the 12 months after Ethereum, and makes use of superior cryptography (zk-SNARKs) to obscure transactions and person identities, providing a excessive stage of privateness, however solely optionally.
In 2025, components reminiscent of elevated authorities surveillance and regulatory debates have pushed traders in direction of privacy-protecting belongings.
Its success can be linked to integrations with wallets and exchanges, which have improved accessibility.
In a 12 months the place privateness has change into a sizzling matter – with three privateness cash within the high 10 – Zcash has demonstrated that mature applied sciences can thrive with the fitting regulatory context.
Rain Protocol (RAIN)
In third place is Rain Protocol, with a greater than appreciable +184%.
RAIN is the token of a protocol for decentralized prediction markets, much like platforms like Augur or Polymarket. Rain certainly permits customers to guess on real-world occasions (elections, sports activities, economic system) in a decentralized method, in contrast to, for instance, Polymarket.
The 12 months 2025 witnessed a growth in these markets, particularly throughout international occasions just like the US elections, and decentralization provided intriguing alternate options to conventional centralized platforms liable to censorship.
Rain has additionally benefited from partnerships with oracles like Chainlink for dependable knowledge, and its tokenomics have incentivized liquidity.
Zebec Community (ZBCN)
In fourth place, slightly below RAIN, is Zebec Community.
That is the token of a platform centered on funds and Actual World Belongings (RWA), and it gained 164% throughout 2025.
This platform particularly allows cost streaming, reminiscent of real-time salaries, and the tokenization of actual belongings like actual property or commodities.
In 2025, curiosity in RWAs exploded, primarily as a consequence of clearer laws that allowed establishments to enter the crypto world with out direct publicity to volatility.
Zebec has capitalized on this, with integrations into ecosystems like Solana for velocity and low prices. Its enterprise mannequin, which incorporates transaction charges, has made the ZBCN token enticing even for long-term holders.
Zora (ZORA)
In fifth place, not far behind, is Zora, with a powerful +138%.
It is a layer 2 for SocialFi (social finance) that mixes social media with decentralized finance, particularly permitting creators to monetize content material via NFTs and tokens.
The 12 months 2025 marked the rise of SocialFi, with customers weary of centralized platforms like X or Instagram migrating in direction of blockchain alternate options.
Zora has benefited from a vibrant ecosystem on Optimism, with instruments for group constructing. Its success displays a broader development: the tokenization of creativity and social interactions.
Monero (XMR)
In sixth place is the quintessential privateness coin, Monero, with a stable +115%.
Not like Zcash, Monero doesn’t provide non-obligatory privateness, however necessary privateness, because it makes use of Ring Signatures and Stealth Addresses for each transaction.
The revival of privateness cash in 2025 was pushed by issues over transaction traceability on public chains, and Monero noticed its adoption develop in darkish markets and amongst privateness activists, but in addition from institutional traders.
OKB
The +115% of OKB additionally stands out.
It’s the token of the famend alternate OKX, thus in some methods much like BNB, because it affords reductions on charges and entry to unique companies.
BNB closed the 12 months with a 20% improve, however OKB managed to carry out significantly better. The actual fact is that traders and speculators have been searching for various “alternate tokens,” and so they discovered OKX’s as a result of it expanded its ecosystem with launchpad and DeFi integrations.
This demonstrates how centralized exchanges stay the pillars of the crypto market, regardless of the expansion of DeFi.
Alchemist, Maple, and Midnight
The final three are Alchemist AI (ACH), with +89%, Maple Finance, with +75%, and Midnight Community (NIGHT), with +58%.
Alchemist AI is a token that aligns with the AI narrative, nonetheless very fashionable in 2025.
Maple Finance is a platform for DeFi loans to establishments, whereas Midnight Community, launched solely in December, focuses on privateness.
Common Traits
Essentially the most important development in 2025 seems to have been privateness cash, however DeFi, derivatives, and AI have additionally carried out very effectively.
In actuality, 2025 reshaped the crypto panorama, rewarding innovation and privateness as an alternative of mere hypothesis for its personal sake.
In actuality, the primary narrative of the 12 months has been the diversification of narratives, as there hasn’t been a very dominant narrative.
Particularly, the decline in curiosity for memecoins has indicated a maturation of the sector, with a deal with stable fundamentals quite than viral hype.