Some of the links on this site may be affiliate links. ICOBench may receive advertising commissions when users visit recommended platforms via our affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. All recommendations are based on a comprehensive review process. 
Bitcoin has tapped the $86,000 level for the first time since January, and that move is driving forward-thinking traders to seek out the best altcoins to buy next. The OG cryptocurrency has yet to definitively flip $86,000 into support (leaving the possibility of a pullback on the table), but it is still up over 6.61% in the last 24 hours and 9.52% over the week. The total crypto market cap is now $2.91 trillion, putting the entire space up 5.75%, and 24-hour derivatives volume has jumped 92.2% to $1.15 trillion.
Bullish data points are not limited to spot prices alone: the Fear and Greed Index is at 79 (“Greed”), crypto ETFs have brought in over $625 million, and approximately $1.17 billion in derivatives have been liquidated, including $674.1 million in short positions. The current move is still an extension of the rally that began last week, but BTC has also surpassed the average US spot ETF cost basis (around $82,225) for the first time since January, and it remains about 32% below its October 2025 high near $126,000. Strategy has also announced new BTC purchases (the firm’s first in a few weeks), suggesting that institutional flows could accelerate this week.
Crypto presales have been consistently raising money through the same period, and they remain a useful alternative for buyers who want a set entry price before a token lists. As of today, BNB (BNB), Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER), and LiquidChain (LIQUID) are three of the best altcoins to buy as they represent a strong mix of listed strength and early-stage demand.
BNB (BNB)
BNB (BNB) has spent the past week mostly moving alongside Bitcoin, but it has still posted a larger seven-day gain (11.5% for BNB versus Bitcoin’s 9.52%). The token is now trading above $800, with a market value of $107.2 billion (ranking BNB fourth by market cap overall) and $1.78 billion in 24-hour trading volume.
BNB is the native coin of BNB Chain, and is used to pay fees on BNB Smart Chain, the opBNB Layer 2, and BNB Greenfield storage. It is also used in on-chain votes. The coin launched in 2017 as an exchange fee-discount token and moved to its own mainnet in April 2019. An automatic burn program reduces supply over time, with a long-term target of 100 million coins, and the size of each quarterly burn is tied to price and block production.
That restrictive supply path is a key reason why BNB still has room to push even higher if BTC flips $86,000. BNB Chain currently reports about 3.16 million daily active users, $5.88 billion in total value locked, gas fees of about $0.004, and finality of about 650 milliseconds. Tokenized US stocks have also been issued on the chain, and a recent US regulatory opening for tokenized shares that carry normal shareholder rights has put BNB Chain in the same group as Ethereum and Solana for that product.
BNB is still well below its October 2025 high around $1,370 – so from the $800 level, that gap, plus the burn schedule and increasing chain use, points to further upside for BNB.
Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER)
Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) is a soon-to-launch Bitcoin Layer 2 that runs applications on the Solana Virtual Machine and settles back to Bitcoin. A user will need to send BTC to a designated address, where the network’s canonical bridge checks Bitcoin block headers and transaction proofs, then mints a matching balance on the Layer 2. Transfers, payments, DeFi, and apps can then run with near-instant finality.
The Layer 2 batches those transactions, uses zero-knowledge proofs to check them, and posts its state to Bitcoin. Withdrawals send BTC back to the Layer 1. HYPER is the L2’s native token and will be needed for users to pay for gas, fund staking, and later acquire governance votes.
Strong chart. Stronger Hyper. ⚡️🔥https://t.co/VNG0P4GuDo pic.twitter.com/qAXJFTVW2X
— Bitcoin Hyper (@BTC_Hyper2) September 21, 2026
The token’s total supply is fixed at 21 billion HYPER, with splits of 30% for development, 25% for treasury, 20% for marketing, 15% for rewards, and 10% for listings. Token contracts have been reviewed by Coinsult and SpyWolf.
HYPER’s presale now offers a pre-listing discounted price of $0.0136866 (the final listing price will be $0.0137) and has raised $33.14 million. Buyers can stake from the point of purchase at a 35% APY. The project’s mainnet, bridge, and first dApps are expected to roll out later in 2026.
The Bitcoin Hyper sale figures have kept rising, even before Bitcoin recovered from last week’s low and rocketed toward $86,000. The current sale price is below the planned listing price, and staking is already paying out – and that combination is keeping HYPER in demand as the next price increase approaches and the Layer 2 moves toward launch.
LiquidChain (LIQUID)
LiquidChain (LIQUID) is a presale-stage Layer 3 project that will bring Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana into one execution and trading environment. Bitcoin’s capital, Ethereum’s DeFi apps, and Solana’s speed will be available in the same place, and assets from those three chains will be represented on the Layer 3 without wrapping, so liquidity can sit in shared pools. A Solana-class virtual machine will run all the L3’s applications.
Cross-chain proofs will also be used to verify Bitcoin UTXOs, Ethereum state, and Solana accounts, enabling a trade to settle in one step. Developers can deploy once and reach users across all three networks, with LIQUID as the native token for gas payments, staking to support the network, and unlocking network features.
The King. 👁⟁https://t.co/vqvBcdSQYC pic.twitter.com/TDTxXzjhRu
— LiquidChain (@getliquidchain) September 19, 2026
LIQUID tokens will be claimable on Ethereum when the claim window opens, and exchange listings will begin after the sale’s conclusion. The live sale is in Stage 107, and LIQUID costs $0.014957 per token. The raise stands at nearly $970,500 toward a $1 million stage target. Staking during the sale pays a 1,178% APY.
On the tokenomics side, LIQUID’s total supply is 11,800,000,100, and allocations send 35% to development, 32.5% to LiquidLabs, 15% to AquaVault, 10% to rewards, and 7.5% to listings and growth.
The LiquidChain presale has continued to fill while Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana have all risen together – motivating serious traders to establish positions in advanced infrastructure projects connected to all three major chains at once. With the LIQUID raise already nearing $1 million and the next price step due later today, LiquidChain has a clear path to continue attracting new buyers.
