Only a Few Altcoins Will Survive the 2026 Shakeout

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While bearish on most altcoins, Michaël van de Poppe says a small group of projects may survive and thrive. His focus is on tokens where price performance is weak, but on-chain fundamentals are improving.

He points to indicators like rising transaction volumes, growing total value locked (TVL), higher fee generation, and increasing user activity. Projects such as Arbitrum, Aave, and NEAR stand out, with ecosystem growth continuing despite falling token prices.

Van de Poppe argues that as institutions enter crypto, competition will intensify — benefiting strong platforms while pushing weaker projects out. The next cycle, he says, won’t lift all altcoins equally.