According to Maen Ftouni, CEO of CoinQuant, a company specializing in algorithmic trading tools, older cryptocurrencies with an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or those anticipated to acquire one will attract a significant portion of the capital invested in the upcoming altcoin season.
“Not every single coin will yield substantial returns; liquidity will concentrate in certain areas, with established coins being a prime example,” Ftouni stated during an interview with Cointelegraph at the Global Blockchain Congress 2025 in Dubai, UAE.
Ftouni noted that institutional investment will gravitate toward these “dinosaur” coins and pointed to the anticipated rally in older cryptocurrencies like XRP (XRP) and Cardano (ADA) in 2024 as evidence of this trend. He remarked:
“As capital flow predominantly stems from traditional finance and ETFs currently, investors are likely focusing on major cryptocurrencies, particularly those firmly established that have the potential for ETF approval, which explains the increase in these dinosaurs.”
This prediction emerges amid ongoing discussions among market analysts regarding the structure and dynamics of the crypto market and the implications for the onset of altseason—a prolonged uptrend in altcoin prices—during the current market cycle.
Related: Altcoins often drop sharply before altseason: Will history repeat itself?
Analysts ponder: When might altseason arrive, if at all?
There are over 26 million unique crypto tokens listed on CoinMarketCap—more than double the number of digital assets listed at the beginning of 2025.
“An overwhelming number of tokens, with many more on the horizon, indicates that token supply outstrips demand,” economist and trader Alex Kruger stated.
Kruger advised traders to temper their expectations, asserting that a sustained altseason characterized by a prolonged rise in asset prices is unlikely in the current market cycle due to altered dynamics.
Instead, traders should anticipate brief surges in altcoin prices affecting only select tokens, which may only last for a few weeks, Kruger added.
Magazine: Altcoin season 2025 is nearing… but the rules have shifted
