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The best crypto to buy now may no longer be XRP, as the altcoin’s rally has stalled and investors turn their focus toward a fast-rising presale token, Bitcoin Hyper. XRP surged earlier this week, hitting a six-month high of $3.51 on Wednesday before slipping back to around $3.09.
Despite a strong start, the move lost steam amid fading momentum and increasing sell pressure. According to CoinGecko, the coin has dropped more than 10% over the past 7 days, even as its 24-hour trading volume holds near $9 billion.
Leverage Hits Record Levels, But Price Retreats
Part of the spike in XRP’s price was driven by record-setting open interest on perpetual futures. Data from CoinGlass shows $8.8 billion in leveraged positions were placed on XRP this week, surpassing its previous all-time high.
The surge reflects aggressive trading activity on major exchanges like Binance and Bitget, which controlled more than $3.4 billion in exposure combined. While these figures point to strong market participation, they also carry risk.
Analysts note that funding rates across venues turned positive, suggesting traders were willing to pay extra to stay long on XRP, often a sign of overheated sentiment. Greg Magadini, director at derivatives analytics firm Amberdata, told Decrypt that this type of behavior tends to appear when traders are driven by FOMO.
“They think the price is going to go up, so they’re willing to pay a higher interest rate to leverage long,” he explained.
Regulatory Winds Still Shape XRP’s Outlook
XRP remains one of the most recognized cryptocurrencies among retail traders. Its blockchain, the XRP Ledger, has drawn attention for its potential use in compliant stablecoin transfers and regulated crypto transactions.
Some analysts have cited regulatory tailwinds, including growing political interest in crypto legislation, as a possible long-term catalyst for XRP adoption.
However, XRP also continues to carry baggage. Ripple Labs, the company closely tied to XRP’s ecosystem, remains involved in a prolonged legal battle with the U.S. SEC. While progress has been made, the unresolved status still clouds investor confidence.
Carlos Guzman, an analyst at GSR, noted that XRP remains popular partly because it’s familiar. “Retail traders are reaching for names they know,” he said, referring to legacy tokens like XRP that saw explosive growth during previous market cycles.
Bitcoin Hyper Emerges as Early-Stage Contender
As XRP cools off, attention is quickly shifting to Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER), a Layer 2 Bitcoin scaling solution currently in presale. Unlike XRP, which is trading near multi-month highs, HYPER is still in its early funding phase and gaining traction rapidly.
The project has already raised over $4.5 million, with individual investors pouring in more than $100,000 daily. The current token price is $0.012375, giving it the kind of low-entry appeal that speculators often seek when hunting for the best crypto to buy now.
In recent days, multiple whale transactions have been recorded, including one purchase of 784,000 tokens for around $9,700. Another buyer scooped 751,000 tokens for just over $9,200, while one wallet dropped $17,000 in a single transaction last week.
Bitcoin Hyper is pitching itself as the first high-speed Bitcoin Layer 2 network, built using Solana’s SVM and a Canonical Bridge. This structure allows Bitcoin to interact with smart contracts, DeFi tools, and wrapped assets, something the base Bitcoin network doesn’t support natively.
Unlike Lightning Network, which has struggled with adoption, Bitcoin Hyper focuses on unlocking fast payments, staking, and DApp development directly on a dedicated chain. The project also includes a staking system offering up to 221% APY, which has attracted early yield-seekers.
Its supply is capped at 21 billion tokens, aligning with Bitcoin’s deflationary philosophy. A series of roadmap milestones are planned through Q4, including the launch of its bridge, first dApps, exchange listings, and eventually full DAO governance by 2026.
Market Shifts Suggest New Momentum
While XRP remains a dominant player by market cap, the rapid growth of Bitcoin Hyper’s presale and its appeal to both DeFi users and Bitcoin purists is hard to ignore. The crypto landscape is evolving fast, and so is investor behavior.
As one project pulls back and another accelerates, market watchers are reassessing where real upside lies. In a week where XRP showed it still has strength but also sharp resistance, Bitcoin Hyper might be emerging as the more compelling opportunity, especially for early participants chasing future growth.be
For now, XRP holds its place among the top three cryptos by market cap. But in the race for the best crypto to buy now, it may be time for retail traders to look further down the chart.
