- 1. How We Picked These Altcoins
- 2. What Are the Top Altcoins to Watch Right Now?
- 3. The Altcoin Market Right Now
- 4. 1. Ethereum (ETH): Glamsterdam Moves Toward Mainnet
- 5. 2. Solana (SOL): Alpenglow Changes How the Network Reaches Consensus
- 6. 3. XRP (XRP): Swell and the Next Phase of the XRP Ledger
- 7. 4. Zcash (ZEC): The NU7 Upgrade
- 8. 5. Hyperliquid (HYPE): Buybacks Against Unlocks
- 9. 6. NEAR Protocol (NEAR): An ETF and an Issuance Cut
- 10. 7. Chainlink (LINK): Banking Infrastructure Going Live
- 11. 8. Canton Coin (CC): DTCC's Tokenization Launch
- 12. Also on Our Radar
- 13. Key Dates for Altcoins Through Year-End
- 14. Where to Find Reliable Altcoin News
- 15. Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: October 21, 2026
The top altcoins to watch in late October 2026 are Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Zcash, Hyperliquid, NEAR Protocol, Chainlink and Canton Coin, because each has a scheduled or targeted event before the end of the year that could move its price, such as a network upgrade, a token unlock, a governance vote or a major institutional launch. This is a watchlist, not a buy list. Several of these coins have fallen sharply this month, and the events below can disappoint as easily as they can deliver.
The backdrop is cautious. CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index stands at 58, below the 75 that marks a true altcoin season, Bitcoin’s share of the crypto market is about 60%, and the total market is worth about $2.78 trillion. The Federal Reserve meets on October 27 and 28 after raising rates in September, and a forced selloff on October 8 wiped out more than $1 billion of leveraged positions.
How We Picked These Altcoins
We start from the 40 largest cryptocurrencies by market value on CoinMarketCap and remove stablecoins, exchange tokens and coins without an active development or adoption story. A coin makes the list only if it has at least one of the following, with a public source:
- A dated or scheduled catalyst before the end of the first quarter of 2027, such as a network upgrade, a token unlock or a product launch
- Measurable demand data from the past two months, such as ETF flows, protocol revenue, buybacks or on-chain activity
- A clear, specific risk we can state alongside the opportunity
No project pays to be included, and we do not list presale tokens. We review the list every month.
What Are the Top Altcoins to Watch Right Now?
| Altcoin | Price | 30-Day Change | 2026 So Far | Next Catalyst | Main Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum (ETH) | ~$2,462 | -9.6% | -17.9% | Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet, October 26 | Largest ETF outflows of 2026 in October |
| Solana (SOL) | ~$106.68 | -8.6% | -15.8% | Alpenglow consensus upgrade, scheduled October 21 | Execution risk and ETF outflows |
| XRP (XRP) | ~$1.36 | -8.8% | -27.8% | Ripple’s Swell conference, October 27 to 29 | Monthly escrow supply and stalling ETF demand |
| Zcash (ZEC) | ~$1,285 | -17.8% | +144.7% | NU7 network upgrade, targeted for about November 5 | Hard fork execution and ETF outflows |
| Hyperliquid (HYPE) | ~$81.22 | -15.1% | +235.6% | Monthly token unlock, expected about November 6 | Large supply still to be released |
| NEAR Protocol (NEAR) | ~$5.17 | +24.0% | +217.9% | Governance vote to cut token issuance, opened October 20 | Overbought after a steep run |
| Chainlink (LINK) | ~$12.38 | -5.5% | -1.6% | DTCC Collateral AppChain using Chainlink, targeted for Q4 2026 | Adoption not translating into token demand |
| Canton Coin (CC) | ~$0.107 | -7.2% | -32.7% | DTCC tokenization service launch, targeted for late October | Net token inflation |
Prices and changes from CoinMarketCap on October 21, 2026, at about 11:50 UTC.
The Altcoin Market Right Now
Altcoins rallied through the summer, and most of the coins above gained about 20% to 175% over the past 90 days. October reversed part of that move. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16, and minutes released on October 7 showed most officials expected another increase before the end of the year. A day later, about $1.16 billion of crypto positions were liquidated, roughly 90% of them bets on rising prices.
The Altcoin Season Index, which measures how many of the top 100 coins have beaten Bitcoin over 90 days, read 58 on October 21, up from 50 a month ago but below its yearly high of 64 on September 27. Our explainer on altcoin season indicators explains how to read it, and our crypto fear and greed index page tracks the sentiment side. Regulated funds are now part of the picture for most of the coins on this list; our overview of every altcoin ETF live, filed or coming next covers them.
1. Ethereum (ETH): Glamsterdam Moves Toward Mainnet
Why watch it: Ethereum’s next major upgrade, Glamsterdam, is scheduled to activate on the Hoodi test network on October 26 at 17:42 UTC, after it activated on the Sepolia testnet on October 6. Hoodi is usually the last test network before mainnet, but developers have not yet set a mainnet date: the upgrade is targeted for Q4 2026 after its original first-half 2026 target slipped.
Key numbers: BitMine, the largest corporate holder of Ether, owned 6,041,481 ETH on October 18, close to its target of 5% of supply. JPMorgan’s JPM Coin deposit token launched on Ethereum mainnet on October 19.
Main risk: US spot Ether ETFs have recorded about $1.08 billion of net outflows in October, their largest monthly outflow of 2026, after $832 million of inflows in September. ETH is down about 18% this year.
For price scenarios, see our Ethereum price prediction, and for daily coverage, Ethereum news today.
2. Solana (SOL): Alpenglow Changes How the Network Reaches Consensus
Why watch it: Alpenglow, the largest change to Solana’s consensus since launch, is set to activate on mainnet on October 21 at the start of epoch 1064, estimated for the early afternoon UTC. It aims to cut the time it takes for a transaction to become final from about 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds. Solana’s Breakpoint conference follows in London from November 15 to 17.
Key numbers: Solana processed 8.92 billion non-vote transactions in the third quarter, up 104% from the fourth quarter of 2025, and set a record of 557 million stablecoin transfers in September. Fiserv’s bank stablecoin platform went live on Solana on October 1.
Main risk: The switch carries execution risk: validators running Firedancer-family clients, roughly 15% of stake in mid-October according to Solana Compass, were not supported during the migration, and the network’s fault tolerance threshold changes under the new design. US spot Solana ETFs had ten straight days of outflows through October 16, and treasury company SkyAI sold all of its more than 2 million SOL.
See our Solana price prediction and the live Solana price page.
3. XRP (XRP): Swell and the Next Phase of the XRP Ledger
Why watch it: Ripple’s Swell conference runs from October 27 to 29 in New York, merged for the first time with its developer event, Apex. Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz is scheduled to outline the ledger’s next development phase, and a session will review the first year of US spot XRP ETFs.
Key numbers: XRP rose about 43% in the third quarter. The XRP Ledger’s Batch amendment, which allows bundled transactions, went live on October 9, and Evernorth, which holds about 473 million XRP, began trading on Nasdaq on October 12. US spot XRP ETFs have taken in about $1.8 billion since launch, but recorded their first weekly outflow in about three months in mid-October.
Main risk: Ripple releases 1 billion XRP from escrow on the first of each month and relocks most of it; on October 1 it relocked 700 million and left 300 million unlocked. Exchange reserves stood near 11.81 billion XRP in mid-October, according to CryptoQuant, and the CLARITY Act stalled in the Senate in September.
For more, see our XRP price prediction and XRP news today.
4. Zcash (ZEC): The NU7 Upgrade
Why watch it: Zcash developers agreed on block 3,543,405 for the NU7 network upgrade, expected around November 5, though the date is not final: specifications still had to be merged, and the Zcash Foundation’s readiness tracker showed six of 12 tasks complete on October 21. NU7 would cut block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. ZEC rose about 12% on October 21 after the height was set.
Key numbers: US Zcash funds held about $602 million in net assets on October 20. About 4.9 million ZEC, roughly 29% of supply, was held in shielded addresses in September, and a Winklevoss-backed Zcash ETF filed for a Nasdaq listing in early October.
Main risk: NU7 is a hard fork, and node synchronization issues were still open. Zcash funds have seen about three weeks of outflows, and ZEC has fallen from about $1,600 to $1,700 in late September.
Our Zcash news today page tracks the upgrade.
5. Hyperliquid (HYPE): Buybacks Against Unlocks
Why watch it: Hyperliquid’s next monthly team token unlock is expected around November 6. In October, Hyperliquid Labs placed 3.75 million HYPE, worth about $330 million, with a single institution in an over-the-counter deal and said the tokens would not be sold on public markets. How the November unlock is handled will show whether that approach continues.
Key numbers: Hyperliquid has generated more than $1.4 billion in cumulative revenue and spent more than $1.26 billion on buybacks, according to Castle Labs, and its Assistance Fund holds about 48 million HYPE. The exchange handles more than half of on-chain perpetual futures open interest. Three US spot HYPE ETFs held about $490 million in assets on October 19. HYPE set a record of $97.96 on September 23.
Main risk: Only about a quarter of HYPE’s 1 billion maximum supply is in circulation, so monthly unlocks will continue for years, and buybacks depend on trading volume holding up.
6. NEAR Protocol (NEAR): An ETF and an Issuance Cut
Why watch it: On October 20, NEAR’s House of Stake opened a vote on HSP-029, a proposal to cut the maximum annual issuance of NEAR from 2.5% to 1.6% over 24 months, which would lower the staking yield from about 5.27% to about 3.37%. If approved, validators must adopt it and a 90-day grace period applies before the cut begins.
Key numbers: Bitwise’s NRR, the first US spot NEAR ETF, launched on September 29 and held about $79 million worth of NEAR by October 12. NEAR Intents, its cross-chain trading system, passed $32 billion in cumulative volume by the end of the third quarter. NEAR is up about 218% in 2026, second only to Hyperliquid on this list.
Main risk: After a steep run, momentum indicators are stretched, and issuance still far exceeds buybacks. An exploit of NEAR Intents in early October took $3.8 million, which was recovered within 24 hours.
7. Chainlink (LINK): Banking Infrastructure Going Live
Why watch it: The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is building a collateral management system, the Collateral AppChain, which uses Chainlink for orchestration and data and is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. Chainlink launched version 2.0 of its cross-chain protocol, CCIP, at the Sibos banking conference on September 28.
Key numbers: LINK reached its 2026 high of about $15.78 on September 29. The Chainlink Reserve, which buys LINK with network revenue, held more than 6 million LINK in October, and Grayscale’s LINK ETF bought about 629,100 LINK in September.
Main risk: Institutional adoption has not reliably translated into demand for the LINK token. Tokens are released from non-circulating supply roughly quarterly, and in April most of a 19 million LINK release went to Binance.
8. Canton Coin (CC): DTCC’s Tokenization Launch
Why watch it: The DTCC’s tokenization service is due to launch in late October with 25 securities on the Canton Network and a private DTCC ledger, with about $30 trillion of assets eligible over time. It is the clearest test yet of whether institutional use of Canton translates into demand for its token. Our explainer on the DTCC tokenization service and our RWA tokenization news hub cover the launch.
Key numbers: Canton earned about $155 million in network fees in the third quarter. a16z crypto, LSEG, Marex, Paxos, Shinhan Asset Management and TreasurySpring joined as Super Validators in the same quarter, and 21Shares has offered a Canton ETF since May.
Main risk: Through mid-2026, more Canton Coin was being minted than burned, and DTCC’s materials do not say whether its service will drive demand for the token. CC fell about 16% in the week to October 20, raising the risk of a “sell the news” reaction.
Also on Our Radar
| Altcoin | Why We Are Watching | Why It Is Not on the Main List |
|---|---|---|
| Quant (QNT) | Nearly tripled in 30 days after The Clearing House chose Quant for its tokenized deposit network and seven UK banks went live on a Quant-built platform on September 24 | No dated catalyst before 2027, and neither partner says banks must use the QNT token |
| Monero (XMR) | Up about 71% over 90 days and near multi-month highs after US regulators withdrew proposed rules on unhosted wallets and mixers on October 5 | No date yet for its FCMP++ upgrade, and exchange access keeps shrinking in Europe |
| Aave (AAVE) | Version 4 has passed $1 billion in deposits, and proposals to accept native Bitcoin and new stablecoins as collateral are in governance | No dated votes yet, and version 3 still generates almost all revenue |
Key Dates for Altcoins Through Year-End
| Date | Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| October 21 | Solana Alpenglow mainnet activation | Scheduled |
| October 26 | Ethereum Glamsterdam on the Hoodi testnet | Scheduled |
| October 27 to 28 | Federal Reserve meeting | Confirmed |
| October 27 to 29 | Ripple Swell, New York | Confirmed |
| Late October | DTCC tokenization service on Canton | Targeted |
| November 1 | Monthly XRP escrow release | Recurring |
| About November 5 | Zcash NU7 upgrade | Targeted |
| About November 6 | Hyperliquid team token unlock | Expected |
| November 15 to 17 | Solana Breakpoint, London | Confirmed |
| Q4 2026 | DTCC Collateral AppChain using Chainlink | Targeted |
| To be set | Ethereum Glamsterdam on mainnet | Not scheduled |
Where to Find Reliable Altcoin News
For daily coverage that goes beyond Bitcoin, our altcoin news section covers project updates, listings and fund launches, and asset hubs such as XRP news today, Ethereum news today and Zcash news today are updated several times a week. Our crypto market today page tracks prices and market data each day.
For primary data, CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko publish prices and the Altcoin Season Index, fund issuers and data providers such as SoSoValue publish ETF flows, and DeFiLlama tracks protocol revenue and locked value. Before trading any of these coins, compare platforms in our ranking of the best crypto exchanges.
Data sources: CoinMarketCap (prices, market data and the Altcoin Season Index), ETF issuers and SoSoValue via TokenPost and Cointelegraph (fund flows), Castle Labs and DefiLlama (Hyperliquid revenue), CryptoQuant (XRP exchange reserves), the Zcash Foundation and developer announcements (NU7), Anza and Solana Compass (Alpenglow), Ethereum core developer calls (Glamsterdam), DTCC (tokenization service), and project announcements, as of October 21, 2026.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile; always do your own research before investing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top altcoins to watch right now?
In late October 2026, the altcoins with the clearest near-term catalysts are Ethereum (Glamsterdam upgrade), Solana (Alpenglow upgrade), XRP (Ripple’s Swell conference), Zcash (NU7 upgrade), Hyperliquid (monthly unlock and buybacks), NEAR Protocol (issuance vote and ETF), Chainlink (DTCC collateral system) and Canton Coin (DTCC tokenization launch). This is a watchlist based on events, not a buy recommendation.
How do you choose the altcoins on this list?
We start from the 40 largest cryptocurrencies by market value and remove stablecoins, exchange tokens and presale projects. A coin is included only if it has a dated catalyst before the end of Q1 2027 or recent, measurable demand data, and we can state a specific risk. No project pays to be listed, and we review the list every month.
Is it altcoin season right now?
Not yet. CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index read 58 on October 21, 2026, below the 75 that marks an altcoin season, though up from 50 a month earlier. Bitcoin still accounts for about 60% of the crypto market, and a Federal Reserve meeting on October 27 and 28 could set the tone for risk assets.
Which altcoins have performed best in 2026?
Among the 40 largest cryptocurrencies, Hyperliquid is up about 236% in 2026, NEAR Protocol about 218%, Quant about 163% and Zcash about 145%, according to CoinMarketCap data on October 21. Most large altcoins are down for the year, including Ethereum at about 18% lower, Solana at about 16% lower and XRP at about 28% lower.
What are the biggest risks of investing in altcoins now?
Rising interest rates, ETF outflows and token supply are the main pressures. The Federal Reserve raised rates in September and may raise them again, Ether and Solana funds have seen sustained outflows in October, and several coins face regular unlocks or net inflation. Altcoins also fall harder than Bitcoin in selloffs, as the October 8 liquidations showed.
Where can I find reliable altcoin news?
Look for outlets that cite primary sources such as developer announcements, regulatory filings and on-chain data, and that clearly label sponsored content. Blockchainreporter covers altcoins daily, with dedicated hubs for XRP, Ethereum and Zcash. For data, CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko track prices, while ETF issuers and DefiLlama publish fund flows and protocol revenue.
