Thomas Daniels
Investor interest in altcoins—particularly Ethereum—has surged to multi-year highs. According to Google Trends, searches for “altcoin” have reached their highest level since 2021, while “Ethereum” queries are at a two-year peak. This renewed curiosity coincides with a flurry of altcoin-related ETF filings and a notable shift in corporate treasury strategies that increasingly extend beyond Bitcoin.
Retail Curiosity Reignites
Historically, spikes in searches for “altcoin” have aligned with market-wide rallies. In 2018, attention soared in the aftermath of Bitcoin’s late-2017 peak and the wave of ICOs. In early 2021, altcoin interest reached record levels during the DeFi and NFT boom, driven by tokens like Ether, Cardano, and BNB. While Google Trends does not provide specific volumes or predict market direction, it remains a valuable signal for rising retail engagement.
Altcoin ETFs Gain Institutional Traction
Institutional demand for altcoins is broadening. In the first half of 2025 alone, U.S. regulators received no fewer than 31 altcoin ETF proposals. Among the most notable: Canary Capital submitted a spot ETF application for SUI, which was followed by a listing request from Cboe BZX. Nasdaq also filed for 21Shares’ spot SUI ETF, triggering the SEC’s formal review process.
Bloomberg Intelligence analysts are highly optimistic about ETF approvals. They estimate a 95% approval probability for Solana (SOL), XRP, and Litecoin (LTC), and up to 90% for ETFs tied to Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT), Hedera (HBAR), and Avalanche (AVAX).
Corporate Treasuries Look Beyond Bitcoin
The composition of corporate digital treasuries is evolving. Ether has emerged as a preferred reserve asset for firms like Metaplanet, BitMine, and SharpLink Gaming, with combined ETH holdings worth billions. Many of these companies also stake their assets to generate yield.
Interest is not limited to Ethereum. Solana is gaining ground as well: DeFi Development Corp. holds nearly one million SOL (valued at roughly $200 million) and actively stakes the tokens. In July, Upexi increased its SOL holdings to two million, with most of the position being staked.
Meanwhile, Chainlink has entered the conversation with the launch of Chainlink Reserve on August 7. The mechanism converts usage fees and enterprise payments into LINK tokens to enhance long-term network sustainability.
Altcoin Market Shows Strength
Altcoins have seen steady price appreciation in recent weeks. Ether has climbed 30% over the past seven days and is up 78% year-to-date, currently trading at approximately $4,722—just shy of its all-time high of $4,878.26 from November 2021.
Other leading altcoins have also registered gains over the past week, including XRP (+10%), SOL (+19.3%), SUI (+15%), and LINK (+43%).
