2026 Year Altcoin Season Expectations

As we approach 2026, the biggest question on investors' minds is: Will the altcoin season come? Current market data shows that Bitcoin dominance continues and high risks remain for altcoins. According to CoinMarketCap data, the Altcoin Season Index has dropped to 17 this week. In the last 90 days, only 17 of the top 100 assets in the markets have performed better than Bitcoin (BTC).

The performance of 2025 proves how distant altcoins are from a low-risk appetite. Bitcoin experienced a sharp pullback from its record level of $126,000 in October and is currently searching for equilibrium in the $80,000–$90,000 range. During this process, while Bitcoin lost about 6 percent of its value throughout 2025, some low-volume tokens encountered declines of up to 90 percent from their peak prices.

Key figure and BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes is signaling that risk appetite in the world may change. According to on-chain data, Hayes sold 1,871 Ethereum over the past week (approximately $5.53 million) to convert to cash. Following this, it has been revealed that he made purchases totaling about $609,000 in the projects Ethena (ENA), Pendle (PENDLE), and ether.fi (ETHFI). This move is being interpreted by analysts as a transition strategy.

Four important altcoins on analysts' radar are as follows: Solana (SOL), which has fallen by 58.6 percent from its January 2025 peak, indicates that ecosystem growth may once again possess price appreciation potential in a possible price increase. Ethena (ENA) is currently trading at around $0.203, and is a significant part of Hayes' portfolio. There are strong growth indicators for Pendle (PENDLE) within 2025. ether.fi (ETHFI) has decreased from $1.60 in September to $0.70, drawing attention with its position in the liquid restaking sector.

Another altcoin project to closely monitor for 2026 is Minotaurus (MTAUR). Market analysts are evaluating long-term 50 percent potential growth scenarios for this project. If investment is made in this project today, a 50 percent increase from the 0.00020 USDT level could theoretically bring investors to approximately $3,960. As a result, investors should continue to carefully monitor changes and price movements in the markets.