1️⃣EigenLayer
Restaking lets staked ETH secure new services and earn extra rewards. A surge of AVSs is launching, creating real demand for restaked security. Backed by top builders and aligned with Ethereum, it sits at the center of a 2025 narrative.
- Restaking unlocks new reward streams
- Rapidly growing AVS ecosystem
- Strong alignment with Ethereum security
- Heavy developer momentum
- Clear 2025 catalysts
- Smart contract and slashing risk
- Airdrop and token timing uncertainty
2️⃣Celestia
A modular data availability layer powering a wave of new rollups. TIA demand grows as more chains post data to Celestia. Tooling and grants are accelerating adoption into 2025.
- First-mover in modular DA
- Strong rollup ecosystem growth
- Staking and DA usage create real utility
- Active grants and community
- Competition from EigenDA and Avail
- Potential dilution from emissions
- Throughput economics still evolving
3️⃣Chainlink
The backbone oracle for DeFi and a key bridge for real-world assets via CCIP. Enterprise integrations and tokenized assets could expand demand, but fee capture remains the debate for investors.
- De facto oracle standard
- Deep enterprise and DeFi partnerships
- CCIP opens cross-chain and RWA rails
- Long operating history
- Fee capture and value accrual still questioned
- Ongoing token unlock and selling pressure
- Competing oracle and messaging solutions
4️⃣Arbitrum
The largest Ethereum L2 by TVL with a stacked app ecosystem. Stylus, gaming, and perpetuals keep users sticky, but sequencer centralization and fierce L2 competition remain real issues.
- Top-tier liquidity and TVL
- Broad app coverage from DeFi to gaming
- Active incentives and dev tooling
- Sequencer still centralized
- Heavy competition from Optimism
- Base
- and zk rollups
- Governance and treasury decisions can sway markets
5️⃣Jupiter
Solana's dominant DEX aggregator and launchpad that captures retail flows and meme coin cycles. Volumes surge in hot markets, but revenues can whipsaw with volatility and sentiment.
- Owns Solana order flow and routing
- Launchpad drives user acquisition
- High-volume catalyst during Solana uptrends
- Strong brand and community
- Highly cyclical trading volumes
- Exposure to Solana congestion or outages
- Regulatory uncertainty around tokens
- Community sentiment can be volatile