2025’s Crypto Powerhouses: BlockDAG, Aptos, Shiba Inu & Hyperliquid Defy Expectations

The crypto underdogs are now the market's alpha dogs—and Wall Street's still scrambling to explain why.

BlockDAG: The scalability dark horse that left Ethereum gas fees in the dust.

Aptos: Facebook's abandoned child now outpaces its Meta siblings in actual revenue generation.

Shiba Inu: The meme coin that morphed into a DeFi juggernaut while Bitcoin maximalists weren't looking.

Hyperliquid: Perpetuals trading at speeds that make CME look like dial-up.

Funny how the 'serious investors' who dismissed these projects in 2023 are now overpaying for positions. The market's memory is shorter than a Shiba Inu's attention span—but the profits are very real.

The crypto market is back in the spotlight as more coins start moving upward. But instead of chasing old favorites, many are watching names that are showing both real progress and price action. It’s not just about quick gains. From active upgrades to growing ecosystems, the focus has shifted to real delivery. This makes it a good time to explore the top trending crypto projects expected to shape the next few months.

This overview includes Aptos, Shiba Inu, and Hyperliquid, which each bring different strengths. Aptos is scaling with new features, Hyperliquid leads in DEX use, and SHIB is heading in a fresh direction. But at the center of this shift is BlockDAG, combining updates, network rollout, and pricing momentum in a way that stands out.

1. BlockDAG’s Setup Shows Full Ecosystem Build

BlockDAG is currently in Batch 29 of its presale, with pricing set at $0.0016 under the GLOBAL LAUNCH release until August 11. This matches its lowest price since Batch 1. So far, more than 23.6 billion BDAG have been sold, raising $331 million. It offers mobile mining through the X1 app, already used by 2 million people. Hardware miners, X30 and X100, ship on July 7, and X10 follows on August 15.

Audits by Halborn and CertiK are done. Listings are planned on exchanges like MEXC, LBANK, XT.com, CoinStore, and BitMart. The beta testnet is live too, offering contract tools, no-code features, and weekly rewards.  All of this supports a $0.05 listing goal, which could bring a 25x jump from the current price. These features and rollout plans explain why BlockDAG (BDAG) leads the top trending crypto watchlist.

2. Aptos Moves Forward with Real-World Use and TVL Climb

Aptos is holding steady in July, currently priced near $4.73 with a high of $4.84 and a low of $4.43. It recently crossed the $5.00–$5.06 resistance zone. If it holds this range, there’s potential to reach $5.35. Aptos is growing in more ways than one. Its real-world asset (RWA) share now stands above $540 million, ranking it among the top three chains in that category. On-chain action includes BlackRock-linked funds and PACT Protocol driving tokenized projects.

Aptos Labs is teaming up with Jump Crypto to roll out Shelby, a decentralized storage product that supports ethereum and Solana. Aptos remains the core layer in this multi-chain structure. Meanwhile, Echo Protocol is lifting DeFi traction with $878 million in total value locked. 

3. Shiba Inu Leans on Tech Updates and Strong Community

Shiba Inu is showing signs of recovery, trading at $0.0000119 with a 5.7% daily rise. The day’s high was $0.00001197 and the low was $0.00001132. Large wallet activity has jumped 40%, with over 1.45 million wallets now holding SHIB. Still, 66.7% of holders are currently in the red, leaving room for upside if the trend flips. A new campaign called “Jul-AI” could help, with AI-based roadmap updates planned this month.

Work continues on Shibarium scaling, ShibaSwap tools, token burns, and metaverse builds. While recent price action has been uneven, a breakout may happen if SHIB clears the $0.0000119–$0.000014 resistance.

4. Hyperliquid Pushes Ahead with Volume and Features

Hyperliquid is rebounding strongly, now trading between $39.80 and $40.60 after briefly dipping below $33. In June, its DEX volume reached $11.4 billion, nearly twice the April figure. TVL has also risen, now around $1.8 billion. The project leads in on-chain perpetual trading, beating peers like DYDX and GMX with faster speeds and lower fees. It can process up to 100,000 orders per second.

Large holders are showing support. HYLQ Strategy bought 3,600 HYPE at around $39.6, and Lion Group Holding committed $600 million to create a HYPE Treasury. Features like the CoreWriter tool and Leveraged trading via opt.fun are expected soon. 

Where the Strong Momentum Is Heading

Each of these projects is gaining attention in different ways. Aptos is building with real-world assets and solid infrastructure plans. shiba inu is adding new features while keeping its large community engaged. Hyperliquid is scaling with trading speed, volume, and tools that attract major users.

BlockDAG continues to lead with pricing, mining activity, and a structured rollout. Its $0.0016 presale rate, live until August 11 as part of its GLOBAL LAUNCH release, combined with over 2 million users and strong exchange plans, makes it a standout. With audit approval and a wide launch plan, it sets the tone for the top trending crypto space in 2025.