Best Altcoins to Buy – Top Picks as Retail Dives into Alts Over BTC & ETH, Says Wintermute

Bitcoin and Ethereum remain the top choices for institutional investors. However, retail investors are shifting their focus to the best altcoins, including meme coins, as part of a growing trend that shows a clear divergence in investment strategies.

That’s according to a recent report by Wintermute, an algorithmic trading firm and OTC liquidity provider. It states that institutional spot trading in $BTC and $ETH remained steady at 67%, driven by ETF inflows.

Retail investors, on the other hand, reduced their exposure from 46% to 37%, favoring newer, speculative tokens instead.

Source: Wintermute

The report states that the market split comes down to a few key factors. First, institutional investors are somewhat limited by liquidity constraints and policy restrictions, which keep them focused on larger-cap assets.

That said, major tokens are back in favor due to strong ETF demand and themes such as corporate treasury usage and structured buying strategies.

Retail traders, on the other hand, face fewer restrictions. This allows them to shift into newer sectors more easily. They are following emerging trends such as DeAI, DeFi, and DePIN as innovation spreads through areas like finance and AI infrastructure.

ETFs vs LOLs

Touching on the meme coin sector, Wintermute notes that activity declined in early 2025 after stealing the spotlight last year.

Attention shifted away from OG meme coins like $DOGE and $SHIB toward the likes of $BONK, $WIF, and $POPCAT, with a long-tail share increasing from 0.7% to 5.3%. Meanwhile, retail investors more than doubled the number of meme coins traded.

Source: Wintermute

That said, Wintermute ends its report by reflecting on a list of predictions it made last year – one of which is that a core asset manager will launch a meme coin ETF this year. And it still stands by that claim – suggesting $DOGE as a likely frontrunner.

Multiple major issuers, including 21Shares, Grayscale, and Bitwise, have filed spot $DOGE and other meme coin ETFs this year.

Source: Polymarket

Wintermute cites a forecast by prediction market company Polymarket, which shows a 74% chance of a $DOGE ETF being approved by the end of 2025. The SEC is expected to make a final call by October.

Top Altcoin Picks

Bitcoin’s surge to a new ATH, massive institutional capital flowing in, and increasing traction across major altcoins are creating the conditions for a potential breakout. In other words, H2/25 is shaping up as an ideal time for capital to shift toward the altcoin space.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Which altcoins are the best to buy right now? Well, the field is enormous, and traders are spoiled for choice. But here’s our pick of the three best altcoins to invest in –and why.

1. Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) –The Meme Coin Powering a Bitcoin L2

The Bitcoin blockchain is known for its high-level security. But what about speed, low transaction fees, and scalability? Not so much. That’s where Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) steps in, launching a Bitcoin Layer-2 (L2) ecosystem that unlocks Bitcoin’s full potential.

That means lower-cost transactions and sub-second execution speeds. More importantly, it adds cross-chain capabilities, giving you access to meme coins, dApps, and DeFi.

Bitcoin Hyper will be built on the Solana Virtual Machine. That means seamless compatibility with Solana products.

$HYPER is currently on presale, with $2.86M+ already raised. That shows strong investor interest, boosted by strong tokenomics. Some 30% of $HYPER’s 21B-strong total token supply is allocated to project development.

An impressive 306% in APY rewards also sweetens the deal when you buy $HYPER at its current price of $0.012275. Remember, though, presale prices increase in stages, so that price is time sensitive.

2. Best Wallet Token ($BEST) – Driving Crypto Wallet Market Dominance

Best Wallet Token ($BEST) is the native coin driving the Best Wallet app’s mission to dominate 40% of the global crypto wallet market by the end of next year. And with the significant influx of crypto traders as digital assets become more mainstream, $BEST is primed to pump.

Here’s why. The Best Wallet app is a no KYC, fully non-custodial, multi-chain, and multi-currency hot wallet. And being free to download, this Best Wallet is gaining traction in the very lucrative crypto wallet market.

To help the Best Wallet app’s goal to dominate the market, it launched $BEST (currently on presale). And holding $BEST means lower transaction fees, higher staking rewards, and governance rights.

$BEST holders also have access to the best altcoins on presale. That’s a first for crypto wallets.

The Best Wallet Token presale has already raised $13.9M, with no signs of slowing down. The presale kicked off with serious momentum. You can buy $BEST for $0.025335 and stake it for 98% APY.

A reminder though: like $HYPER, the $BEST price rises in stages, with the next increase scheduled for tomorrow.

3. MemeCore –A Unique Approach To Meme 2.0

MemeCore ($M) is a meme coin that’s also new to the market. Unlike $HYPER and $BEST, however, this one is already listed on DEXs and CEXs. And with a 555% price increase since its launch, this altcoin is one to watch.

Fresh off a ByBit listing last week, this meme coin in the ERC-20 token powers a dedicated Layer-1 blockchain tailored for meme coin ecosystems. It runs on a unique “Proof of Meme” (POM) consensus model, designed to nurture the full lifecycle of meme coins.

$M is engineered for Meme 2.0. Not to be confused with the $MEME 2.0 token, here Meme 2.0 refers to a new era of meme coins. An era that moves beyond the usual hype and speculation, and instead turns meme coins into influential cultural assets with tangible real-world functionality.

Currently, the $M price is about $0.4122, down from its all-time high of $0.9695, reached on July 11. Learn more about this exciting new altcoin by visiting the official MemeCore website. And be sure to read its whitepaper before purchasing your $M.

Altcoins For The Win

Altcoin season may not be here yet, but they are definitely enjoying their time in the spotlight. As the Wintermute report explained, innovative altcoins are drawing in more retail investors, which means coins like $HYPER, $BEST, and $M are poised to do well.

As always, we encourage you to DYOR before making any investment. Don’t buy into the hype. Do your homework to make an educated investment choice you’re less likely to regret.

This is a sponsored article. Opinions expressed are solely those of the sponsor and readers should conduct their own due diligence before taking any action based on information presented in this article.