Best Crypto Projects to Watch This Year: 10x Watchlist the Smart Money Follows

Best Crypto Projects to Watch This Year: 10x Watchlist the Smart Money Follows

9 December 2025 Views: 0

1️⃣EigenLayer

Restaking unlocks new yield from your existing ETH while securing top-tier middleware. Backed by leading funds and shipping fast, EigenLayer is where institutional and retail capital are converging. Early users are positioning for outsized upside.

  • Restake ETH and LSTs for stacked rewards
  • Explosive TVL growth and network effects
  • Strong team and investor backing
  • Deep integrations across Ethereum
  • Clear real-world demand from AVS projects
  • User incentives and points are compelling
  • Smart-contract and slashing risks exist
  • Yields can fluctuate
  • Regulatory treatment of restaking is still evolving

2️⃣Celestia

Celestia powers the modular blockchain era with scalable data availability. Builders can launch fast, cheap rollups while staking TIA earns on-chain rewards. The ecosystem is expanding weekly.

  • Category leader in modular DA
  • Low fees and fast finality
  • Massive builder momentum and grants
  • Simple staking with liquid options
  • Strong research pedigree
  • Token emissions can dilute returns
  • Ecosystem still maturing
  • Competition from new DA layers

3️⃣Sei Network

Sei is a high-performance L1 built for trading and real-time apps. Ultra-low latency makes it a magnet for perp DEXs and market makers, but liquidity depth still needs work.

  • Blazing fast finality for traders
  • Growing list of perps and DeFi apps
  • Backed by reputable investors
  • Active incentives to bootstrap liquidity
  • Deeper liquidity is still forming
  • Heavy competition from Solana and L2 perps
  • Token unlock schedules can pressure price

4️⃣Berachain

Berachain introduces Proof-of-Liquidity to align incentives across DeFi. Hype is real, but mainnet timelines and decentralization trade-offs are key unknowns.

  • Novel PoL design that rewards liquidity
  • Huge community and partner interest
  • EVM compatibility for easy onboarding
  • Not fully launched at scale
  • Validator and governance distribution unclear
  • High expectations may outpace delivery
  • Potential regulatory headwinds

5️⃣Solana

Solana's throughput and UX keep attracting consumer crypto apps and memecoins. Outages have decreased, but network congestion and MEV remain concerns during peak mania.

  • High TPS and low fees for mainstream apps
  • Exploding ecosystem of DeFi
  • NFTs
  • and social
  • Strong retail mindshare and liquidity
  • Congestion and MEV issues in peak periods
  • Ecosystem volatility tied to narratives
  • Validator hardware requirements favor larger players