Which crypto to buy today for the long-term?

When looking for cryptocurrencies to hold over the long term, there is more to consider than recent price movements. For this selection, we look at projects that have been around for several years, have sufficient market capitalization, and have demonstrated their ability to withstand different market conditions over time.

The ranking is based on five factors:

• project age;
• market capitalization;
• long-term price performance;
• recovery after the bear market;
• current market share.

Only cryptocurrencies currently available on Finst that have existed for at least five years, have a market capitalization of at least €500 million, and are not stablecoins are eligible. We also use our neutral prediction model as an additional selection criterion: to qualify, the model must project positive price performance over 1, 3, 5, and 10 years.

Predictions do not determine the position in the ranking. They are used solely as an additional eligibility criterion.

This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The crypto market is highly volatile and influenced by various external factors. Cryptocurrency values can fluctuate significantly, and you may lose some or all of your investment.

This list was last updated on 9 October 2026.

Top 10 best cryptocurrencies for the long term

Investing in crypto-assets involves a risk of loss. Historical returns and price predictions do not guarantee future performance. The predictions shown are based on historical data and are provided for informational and educational purposes only. Before trading crypto-assets, you should conduct your own research and assess your risk tolerance.

1. Zcash (ZEC)

What is Zcash?

Zcash (ZEC) is a blockchain and cryptocurrency that launched in 2016 with a focus on privacy and anonymity in transactions. Thanks to zero-knowledge technology, amounts, senders, and recipients can be shielded while the network remains decentralized. That sets Zcash apart from blockchains where transactions are fully public by default.

Zcash price performance

Since the start of the available price history in October 2021, ZEC moved from a peak of €271.94 to a bear market bottom of €33.32 in November 2022. That meant a decline of 87.75% from the earlier peak. Recovery followed, and according to the current reading, the earlier bear market peak has been fully regained or exceeded. During the period shown, the price reached a high of €2,305.73, and historical performance says nothing about future developments.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Zcash:

• Limited supply: The maximum supply of ZEC is set at 21 million coins, and issuance follows a schedule with periodic halvings, which limits long-term supply growth.
• Payment function: ZEC is the native settlement asset of Zcash and is needed to pay transaction fees within both transparent and shielded payments.
• Privacy technology: Shielded transactions using zero-knowledge technology offer a specific privacy feature that could matter if private digital payments become more widely used.
• Specialized infrastructure: The mature and extensible protocol and cryptographic infrastructure can offer technical and ecological advantages that are hard to copy.

Updates and developments that could affect Zcash

The planned NU7 upgrade is expected to shorten block times from 75 to 25 seconds, which means systems tracking the network will need to process new blocks faster. Ahead of that, Gemini switched to Zakura, which according to the article synced faster than the software used before: switch to Zakura ahead of the NU7 upgrade. Ledger also added support for private Zcash balances in its desktop app, allowing public and shielded funds to be managed within one account: support for private Zcash balances.

Long-term price prediction for Zcash

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Zcash could reach €5,930.20 in one year, €71,926.20 in three years, €181,761.90 in five years, and €3,529,629.80 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

2. Bitcoin (BTC)

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is the first digital currency and works without a central authority like a bank or government. Transactions are recorded on a public, decentralized blockchain network and secured by thousands of computers around the world. Because the maximum supply is 21 million BTC, Bitcoin is often seen as a scarce digital asset and as digital gold.

Bitcoin price performance

Starting in October 2021, Bitcoin first rose to a bear market peak of €59,647.19, after which the price fell 74.63% to €15,134.83 in November 2022. A long recovery followed, with several periods of gains and pullbacks. Based on the available measurement period, 100% of the recovery path from the bottom toward the earlier bear market peak has been regained; the price ended at €76,022.52.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Bitcoin:

• Limited supply: Issuance is capped algorithmically, with the block reward halving about every 210,000 blocks and supply eventually moving toward 21 million BTC.
• Permissionless payments: BTC enables peer-to-peer value transfer without users needing a trusted intermediary.
• Proof-of-work security: Proof-of-work, validation by full nodes, and the accumulated blockchain history together form a security model that resists Sybil attacks and makes transaction reversals difficult.
• Global ecosystem: The open-source network of users, miners, nodes, and developers supports network effects and helps reinforce Bitcoin’s monetary credibility.

Updates and developments that could affect Bitcoin

According to the article on the shift toward everyday use, Bitcoin-backed loans are increasingly being used for spending, cash flow, and business needs instead of only trading. The development also includes fixed-rate, fixed-term credit products, including a bitcoin loan in a retail app through Morpho’s Midnight protocol. That creates a broader financial use case in which BTC is used as collateral.

Long-term price prediction for Bitcoin

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Bitcoin could reach €91,689.34 in one year, €130,286.20 in three years, €138,739.51 in five years, and €195,658.85 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

3. Binance Coin (BNB)

What is Binance Coin?

Binance Coin (BNB) is the native cryptocurrency of the crypto exchange Binance. The coin is used within the BNB Chain ecosystem, including Binance Smart Chain, and was originally launched as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum before moving to Binance’s own blockchain.

Binance Coin price performance

Since the first measurement point in October 2021, BNB saw a sharp decline: from the bear market peak of €598.50, the price fell to a bottom of €186.55 in June 2022. That meant a drop of 68.83% from that earlier peak. After that, the price recovered gradually; the recovery from the bottom has now regained 100% of the move toward the bear market peak. The all-time high is €1,187.68, while historical price action offers no guarantee of future performance.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Binance Coin:

• Limited supply: Auto-Burn targets a circulating supply of 100 million BNB, and BEP-95 destroys part of the transaction fees, which limits supply growth.
• Ecosystem utility: BNB is needed for transaction fees and governance on BNB Smart Chain, opBNB, and Greenfield, tying its use to activity across these networks.
• Staking and security: Staking helps determine which validators qualify and helps secure BNB Smart Chain through Proof-of-Staked-Authority and slashing.
• Network effects: BNB’s use across different BNB Chain services and Greenfield can strengthen network effects as developers, users, and applications continue to gather around the ecosystem.

Updates and developments that could affect Binance Coin

One development within the ecosystem is the launch of genius.fun, a launchpad on BNB Chain that links new tokens to tokenized shares of publicly listed companies. The initiative builds on an onchain options exchange and explores use cases where blockchain and traditional stock markets move closer together. The practical and legal setup of tokenized shares and voting rights is still not fixed. The launch of genius.fun and tokenized shares describes this development.

Long-term price prediction for Binance Coin

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Binance Coin could reach €832.63 in one year, €1,195.09 in three years, €1,222.54 in five years, and €1,696.96 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

4. Tron (TRX)

What is Tron?

Tron is a blockchain network for fast and low-cost transactions without a third party. The project focuses on a global system for content and digital entertainment, where creators can communicate more directly with their audience. Tron also supports smart contracts and decentralized applications, such as DeFi projects, social platforms, and games.

Tron price performance

Since the start of the available price history, TRX moved through several market phases. The price rose to €0.1127 in November 2021, then fell 61.13% to €0.04381 in November 2022 before recovering. The earlier bear market peak has now been regained; the all-time high in the series is €0.3936. Over three years, the return is 263.13%, and historical performance is not an indication of future price action.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Tron:

• Token functionality: TRX is needed for transaction fees, access to smart contract resources, staking, governance, and as collateral within DeFi.
• Staking and network resources: Staking provides Bandwidth or Energy, voting power, and rewards, and makes it possible to delegate network resources to applications and users.
• Fee burning: Burning transaction fees can offset the issuance of new tokens when network activity is higher than the rewards.
• TRC-20 ecosystem: The established TRC-20 ecosystem and the network’s own resource model can support demand for TRX as Tron usage grows.

Updates and developments that could affect Tron

Tron has developed into an important settlement layer for stablecoins, with USDT as the main use case. According to an analysis, the network processes roughly €131 billion to €167 billion in stablecoin transfers each week, while the stablecoin supply on the network was around €78 billion. This development is further supported by TRON’s connection to Polygon’s Open Money Stack, which lets companies handle stablecoin payments and cross-border transfers through one integration.

Long-term price prediction for Tron

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Tron could reach €0.4048 in one year, €0.6669 in three years, €0.8303 in five years, and €1.48 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

5. Ripple (XRP)

What is Ripple?

Ripple is a blockchain-based payment network that uses the XRP Ledger. XRP is the native cryptocurrency for transactions on the network, which focuses on fast and low-cost cross-border payments and crypto liquidity for financial institutions. Through RippleNet, Ripple aims to connect banks and other parties as an alternative to traditional systems like SWIFT.

Ripple price performance

Starting in October 2021, XRP initially rose to a bear market peak of €1.17, after which the price fell to €0.2738 in June 2022. The price then recovered partially and eventually fully regained the earlier bear market peak. The all-time high is €3.30087; historical price performance offers no certainty about future developments.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Ripple:

• Limited maximum supply: XRP has a maximum supply of 100 billion tokens, and transaction fees are permanently destroyed, without ongoing mining issuance.
• Bridge currency within XRPL: XRP is used for payments, settlement, the built-in decentralized exchange, and liquidity between different currencies.
• Fast settlement: The XRP Ledger offers fast, predictable settlement and built-in features for exchange, escrow, and payments, based on the described properties.
• Network security without mining: An open validator network provides security and finality without requiring XRP staking.

Updates and developments that could affect Ripple

The XRP Ledger is preparing to activate Batch V1.1, a feature that allows up to eight transactions to be bundled into one operation. The all-or-nothing mode can support delivery-versus-payment, payments, and the simultaneous processing of service fees, among other things. After a security review and a rebuild of the earlier version, the upgrade has been included in the planned Batch V1.1 upgrade; activation still depends on validator votes.

Long-term price prediction for Ripple

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Ripple could reach €1.94 in one year, €3.62 in three years, €3.87 in five years, and €7.02 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

6. Solana (SOL)

What is Solana?

Solana is a blockchain for fast and low-cost transactions. The network uses Proof-of-History, among other things, to process transactions efficiently and supports applications such as smart contracts. The native cryptocurrency SOL is needed for transaction fees and participation in the ecosystem.

Solana price performance

Since the first measurement point on October 17, 2021, SOL has shown a highly volatile price path. The price initially rose to €230.83 on November 22, 2021, but then fell 96.74% to €7.526 on December 29, 2022. Recovery followed, although 44.66% of the move toward the earlier bear market peak has been regained. The historical trend therefore shows both a sharp decline and a partial recovery.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Solana:

• Transaction fees: SOL is needed to pay for transactions on Solana, giving the token a direct function within the protocol.
• Burn mechanism: Half of the base transaction fees are burned, which offsets part of the issuance as network usage grows.
• Staking and security: Staking SOL supports consensus and rewards participants who delegate their tokens, creating an economically bonded security layer.
• Scalable network: Solana’s architecture is designed for high throughput and low costs, which can strengthen network effects as applications, liquidity, and users continue to concentrate on the blockchain.

Updates and developments that could affect Solana

The Solana Foundation has launched Solana DvP for institutional settlement. The open-source program combines payment and delivery in a single on-chain transaction and is aimed at faster trade settlement and possible use cases for tokenized assets. In addition, the Alpenglow upgrade is being tested on public testnets; it is meant to significantly shorten finality, although there is still no fixed launch date for the live network.

Long-term price prediction for Solana

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Solana could reach €136.08 in one year, €226.50 in three years, €217.88 in five years, and €332.80 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

7. Ethereum (ETH)

What is Ethereum?

Ethereum is an open-source blockchain where developers can build decentralized applications and new protocols. The associated cryptocurrency ETH is used for transactions and gas fees, while staking helps secure the network. The ecosystem includes applications such as Uniswap, 1inch, and OpenSea.

Ethereum price performance

From the first available price in October 2021, Ethereum initially rose to €4,249.53 in November of that year. That was followed by a decline of 78.74% to a bottom of €903.45 in June 2022. Since then, the price has partially recovered; according to the current recovery measure, 44.63% of the move toward the earlier bear market peak has been regained. The historical price trend therefore shows both strong growth and large swings, without indicating future performance.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Ethereum:

• ETH protocol utility: ETH is needed to pay for transactions and actions on Ethereum, giving the token a direct function within the network.
• Burn mechanism: EIP-1559 burns base fees, while proof-of-stake has significantly reduced issuance and network activity can offset that issuance.
• Security through staking: Staked ETH supports consensus by rewarding validators and making attacks economically costly.
• Rollup-focused architecture: Ethereum can expand network effects across different applications and layer-2 networks as a settlement and data layer.

Updates and developments that could affect Ethereum

Ethereum is testing the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Sepolia testnet with a block gas limit of nearly 200 million gas per block. The test is examining whether the network can handle more activity before pressure on transaction fees increases. The upgrade also adjusts gas costs for certain tasks, so a higher limit does not automatically mean Ethereum will process proportionally more transactions.

Long-term price prediction for Ethereum

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Ethereum could reach €2,617.96 in one year, €3,415.56 in three years, €3,168.81 in five years, and €3,794.46 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

8. Stellar (XLM)

What is Stellar?

Stellar is a decentralized, open-source crypto platform for cross-border transactions with both crypto and traditional currencies. The network focuses on financial access and provides financial institutions with infrastructure for fast and low-cost international payments.

Stellar price performance

Since the first available price in October 2021, XLM saw a sharp decline: from the bear market peak of €0.3824, the price fell to €0.06595 in December 2022, a drop of 82.75%. After that, the price recovered partially, but the earlier peak has not yet been regained. Over the past three years, the return came to 74.44%, while the five-year trend remained negative.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Stellar:

• Limited supply: All tokens were created at launch, inflation stopped in 2019, and inaccessible balances are permanently destroyed.
• XLM protocol utility: XLM is needed for transaction fees, account reserves, and the use of resources within Soroban smart contracts.
• Payment infrastructure: Stellar combines fast, low-cost settlement with built-in features for issuing, trading, and using assets, which can support network effects.
• Efficient consensus: The Stellar Consensus Protocol works without staking or mining and enables fast consensus and broad validator participation.

Updates and developments that could affect Stellar

Stellar was integrated into BVNK’s stablecoin payment platform, giving business customers access to the network’s payment infrastructure through a single API. According to the article, these rails are used for cross-border payments, payouts, remittances, and treasury transfers in more than 130 markets.

Long-term price prediction for Stellar

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Stellar could reach €0.2593 in one year, €0.4391 in three years, €0.4558 in five years, and €0.7478 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

9. Quant (QNT)

What is Quant?

Quant (QNT) is a crypto project that uses the Overledger network to connect different blockchains, distributed ledger technology, and traditional software systems. Instead of using its own blockchain, the project uses a blockchain operating system that is meant to enable interoperability between blockchains, banks, and government software, among others.

Quant price performance

Since the first measurement point on October 17, 2021, QNT moved from €283.65 to a bottom of €36.46 on June 30, 2022. That meant a decline of 87.15%, after which the price recovered partially. The most recent price in the series was €235.83, while the recovery from the bottom amounted to 80.65% of the move toward the earlier bear market peak. The highest recorded price is €368.45.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Quant:

• Limited supply: After an on-chain burn, about 24.16 million QNT remain, and no ongoing issuance has been documented, which limits future supply.
• Platform usage: QNT is used for Overledger subscriptions, licenses, and transactions, giving the token utility within the platform’s use.
• Staking function: In the newer Overledger architecture, QNT is described as the native token and as a staking mechanism for nodes that process transactions.
• Interoperability: Overledger connects blockchains, traditional systems, and tokenized assets through APIs, which can support network effects across more networks, applications, and business users.

Updates and developments that could affect Quant

In September 2026, Quant was tied to several initiatives around tokenized deposits. The partnership with U.S. and U.K. banks included a planned network from The Clearing House and live customer transactions through a U.K. platform for tokenized deposits. Quant provides software for interoperability, orchestration, and transaction management, with links to existing payment infrastructure.

Long-term price prediction for Quant

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Quant could reach €419.63 in one year, €1,071.07 in three years, €1,333.71 in five years, and €3,692.96 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

10. Near Protocol (NEAR)

What is Near Protocol?

Near Protocol is a sustainable Layer 1 blockchain where developers can build smart contracts and decentralized applications. Thanks to Nightshade, a sharding technique, the network focuses on scalability, fast transactions, security, and ease of use. The Near Blockchain Operating System is meant to make dApp development more accessible, including across different blockchains.

Near Protocol price performance

Since the first price data in October 2021, NEAR saw a strong rise to a bear market peak of €15.10 in December 2021. That was followed by a sharp drop to €1.169 in December 2022, a decline of more than 92%. The price then recovered partially, but the most recent price of €4.5022 is still clearly below the earlier peak. The historical price trend therefore shows both a strong upward phase and a long correction with incomplete recovery.

Fundamentals

These are the key fundamentals of Near Protocol:

• Protocol utility: NEAR is needed for transaction fees, storage, staking, and validator security, giving the token a direct function within the network.
• Token burning: Transaction fees are burned, and governance changes can permanently burn a larger share of gas fees, which can offset token supply.
• Proof-of-stake: Staking ties capital to validator participation and thus contributes to the network’s economic security.
• Scalable infrastructure: Nightshade sharding, stateless validation, low costs, and fast finality can support network usage and long-term adoption if activity continues to grow.

Updates and developments that could affect Near Protocol

The U.S. market got a new institutional access route to the token with Bitwise’s launch of the first spot ETF for NEAR. In the launch of the first U.S. NEAR ETF, NEAR was also positioned as infrastructure for AI agents that can act, pay, and swap on behalf of users. The fund can also stake the underlying NEAR, making staking part of this listed structure.

Long-term price prediction for Near Protocol

According to our prediction model, in a neutral scenario, the price of Near Protocol could reach €7.49 in one year, €17.06 in three years, €18.66 in five years, and €41.42 in ten years. The further into the future a prediction looks, the greater the uncertainty. These scenarios are based on historical data and do not guarantee future prices.

Risks of holding cryptocurrencies for the long term

Even projects with a long track record, high market capitalization, and strong fundamentals can lose value. The crypto market remains volatile, and technological, economic, and regulatory developments can significantly affect the value of a cryptocurrency.

Key long-term risks include changing regulations, competition between blockchains and protocols, declining network activity, technical vulnerabilities, changes in tokenomics, and a lack of real-world adoption.

Strong historical price performance or a positive prediction scenario therefore does not mean a cryptocurrency will perform well again in the future.

Conclusion

A good cryptocurrency for the long term is not simply one that has risen sharply in the past. For this ranking, we combine a project's age and size with historical price performance, recovery after major declines, and current market share.

The ten cryptocurrencies on this list also meet our additional prediction criterion for 1, 3, 5, and 10 years. This makes them worth researching further, but it remains important to consider each project's specific fundamentals and risks.

Always do your own research and keep in mind that you could lose some or all of your investment.