January 14’s Top Crypto Picks: Why XRP, PEPE, and Internet Computer Are Surging Into 2026

The digital asset hunt is on. Forget the noise—three names are cutting through the static as 2026 kicks off, each representing a distinct bet on crypto's fragmented future.

XRP: The Institutional Bridge

It's the perennial courtroom warrior turned potential settlement layer. While regulators chase their tails, XRP's network keeps moving value—fast and cheap. It's a direct play on the boring, multi-trillion-dollar world of institutional transfers finally embracing blockchain rails. A bet on utility over hype.

PEPE: The Meme Coin That Refuses to Die

Pure, unadulterated speculative energy. PEPE's volatility isn't a bug; it's the feature. It trades on sentiment, social momentum, and the collective id of crypto Twitter. Not for the faint of heart, it's a leveraged bet on market froth and the enduring power of internet culture—a reminder that sometimes, the 'dumb money' moves first.

Internet Computer: The Ambitious Upstart

This one aims to bypass the cloud giants entirely. It wants to host the next generation of social media and enterprise software on its own decentralized network. Ambitious? Wildly. The tech promises a web where applications run autonomously on-chain. It's a high-risk, high-conviction bet on a full-stack alternative to the current internet—a vision so big it either revolutionizes everything or becomes a cautionary tale.

Three assets, three theses: regulatory clarity, meme-powered momentum, and architectural ambition. In a market still obsessed with overnight moonshots, these picks represent something more—specific narratives with the potential to define the next cycle. Just remember, in crypto, today's visionary infrastructure play can quickly become tomorrow's 'what were we thinking?' footnote. Choose your narrative wisely.

XRP (XRP): Payments-Focused Blockchain Eyes New Q1 Breakout

With a market capitalization over $130 billion, Ripple’s XRP ($XRP) is the largest cryptocurrency dedicated to cross-border payments, offering near-instant settlement and minimal transaction costs.

Designed primarily for banks and financial institutions, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) provides a modern alternative to legacy payment rails such as SWIFT, which are slower and more expensive.

Ripple’s technology has also been referenced by organizations including the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the WHITE House, reinforcing its growing relevance among the world’s biggest organizations and institutions.

XRP reached a record high of $3.65 in mid-2025 following the resolution of Ripple’s prolonged legal dispute with the SEC. Since that seven-year peak, the token has shed approximately 41% amidst a prolonged crypto bear market and is currently trading NEAR $2.15 having risen 4% overnight.

Momentum is accelerating this month thanks to the launch of several spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), products which give TradFi investors a regulated onramp into crypto.

Further ETF approvals and improving macroeconomic conditions could push XRP toward $5 by Q2, with a lmove toward $10 possible later in the year if fostered by key developments in regulation, the macro-economic outlook and the Ripple ecosystem.

Pepe (PEPE): You’ve Met Doge Multiple Times, Now Meet Froge

Since debuting in April 2023, Pepe ($PEPE) has climbed to become the third-largest meme coin by market value thanks to the enduring online popularity of Matt Furie’s iconic Pepe the Frog character.

With a capitalization around $2.8 billion, PEPE is the biggest non-doge meme coin in the world. Speculation around Elon Musk’s involvement briefly surged after he used a Pepe-themed profile image on X, sparking debate across crypto social media about whether he held the token.

PEPE is currently trading near $0.00000665 after rallying 12% overnight. Still, today’s price represents a decline of roughly 76% from its late-2024 all-time high of $0.00002803, following a muted summer and a lackluster close to 2025.

The token’s relative strength index (RSI) is now at 67, a sign that it could soon be overbought. This signal typically triggers a wave of profit taking, but Pepe enjoys strong support at $0.000005, so it’s unlikely to lose much of its recent gains.

Pepe rallied 69% between December 30 and January 6, which indicates that in bullish times, it still behaves like a meme coin. Meme coin volatility often exaggerates wider market movements, multiplying both gains and losses.

Internet Computer (ICP): ChatGPT Forecasts 6x Upside in Market Recovery

Internet Computer (ICP) is a blockchain designed to host decentralized applications directly on the internet, removing reliance on centralized servers and traditional cloud infrastructure.

The network’s native ICP token underpins governance, transaction fees, and network participation, enabling developers to build everything from social media platforms to enterprise-grade software in a fully decentralized environment.

Its architecture supports a censorship-resistant and scalable internet where applications operate entirely on-chain, expanding the role of both blockchain and web technologies.

In a Q1 bull market, ICP could increase fivefold to around $20 from its current price of $3.82, especially if investors attention circles altcoins.

Over the past 24 hours, ICP surged a staggering 18%, capping gains of 35% in the last fortnight, so investors appear to be majorly bullish on it. Back in November, the token jumped 53% from $3.87 to $5.92 following an announcement from Dfinity introducing Caffeine, an AI system capable of generating applications from scratch.

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER): It looks like a meme coin; it’s really a high-performance Bitcoin upgrade.

Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is a bitcoin layer-2 project that blends cartoon aesthetics with ambitious technical objectives, aiming to deliver faster transactions, lower fees, and competitive smart contract capabilities to Bitcoin.

Built on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), Bitcoin Hyper features decentralized governance and includes a Canonical Bridge designed to enable seamless cross-chain transfers involving Bitcoin.

The project’s presale has already secured around $30.5 million, and analysts believe the token could see significant upside once it hits exchanges. A recent audit by Coinsult found no critical security issues in the smart contract.

The HYPER token serves multiple purposes, including transaction fees, governance participation, and staking incentives.

Those who buy during the presale can currently access staking rewards of up to 38% APY, though yields decrease as the staking pool grows.

With a full launch targeted for 2026, Bitcoin Hyper serves as a gateway for both long-term Bitcoin holders and newcomers into the next iteration of Bitcoin.

Visit the official presale website or follow Bitcoin Hyper on X and Telegram for more information.