For many cryptocurrency market participants, it's difficult, if not impossible to put a positive spin on this year's price action. For those that feel as though bitcoin and friends do nothing but decline, rest assure, you're not alone.
Settlement layers, DeFi protocols, US dollars on chain, and the rails of tomorrow's finance. The term “altcoin”, used to define digital assets different from Bitcoin, covers everything from mission-critical financial infrastructure to memecoins inspired by internet jokes.
These are tough times in the cryptocurrency space. Bitcoin's mired in a lengthy slide that's dragging altcoins to the downside, too.
On Tuesday, Bitcoin extended its slide, hitting the lowest levels since soon after the 2024 presidential election. This sparked a rally for the largest cryptocurrency.
The addition of Binance Coin (BNB) during the CoinShares Altcoins ETF's (DIME) quarterly rebalance raised questions about how an exchange token fits an infrastructure investment strategy. The answer lies in mechanisms that make BNB scarcer over time and growing institutional adoption.
On Capitol Hill, it's often said that “it's always Infrastructure Week” – a phrase implying politicians know that infrastructure spending is often to the liking of their constituents. In the world of cryptocurrency it sure feels as though as it's always altcoin season.
Digital asset investment products saw altcoins attract capital even as the broader crypto market recorded $454 million in outflows last week, according to CoinShares. The divergence suggests investors are rotating within crypto rather than exiting the asset class entirely, according to CoinShares' Monday weekly fund flows report.
Cryptocurrency market participants are revisiting Bitcoin, among others, to start 2026. Could that trend evolve to encompass some of the more credible altcoins?
The CoinShares Altcoins ETF (DIME) provides investors with equally weighted exposure to blockchain networks that are becoming infrastructure for traditional finance, according to the company's 2026 market outlook. The altcoin ETF launched in October 2025 and holds exchange-traded products tracking Layer 1 protocols including Solana, Avalanche, and Cardano.
The CoinShares Altcoins ETF (DIME) provides investors with equally weighted exposure to blockchain networks that are becoming infrastructure for traditional finance, according to the company's 2026 market outlook. The altcoin ETF launched in October 2025 and holds exchange-traded products tracking Layer 1 protocols including Solana, Avalanche, and Cardano.