Altcoins: The weakest segment

The altcoin market has become the weakest part of the cryptocurrency segment in 2025. On average, altcoins lost about 42% of their value, while the total market capitalization of the segment was nearly halved over the year. Investors systematically reduced their exposure, focusing on more liquid instruments.

Even strong stories failed to change the overall trend of the altcoin market. Ecosystems and individual tokens periodically received boosts from on-chain activity, speculative waves, exchange product developments, or their role as infrastructure in the DeFi and RWA segments. However, these movements were most often short-lived and did not result in sustained growth. With low liquidity and reduced risk appetite, fundamental factors proved insufficient to stop the overall capital outflow from altcoins.

As a result, 2025 confirmed that altcoins are the most dependent on excess liquidity and market optimism - and in their absence, the segment became the year's main underperformer.