2 Unstoppable Cryptocurrencies Poised for Massive Gains This Year
2026-10-12 03:20
•Alex Carchidi •The Motley Fool
••••• • Axe Cap view
Cryptos with Promise, but Local Investors Should Be Cautious
Ethena and NEAR Protocol offer growth potential, yet South African investors must weigh currency risks and limited local exposure.
Two cryptocurrencies, Ethena (ENA) and NEAR Protocol (NEAR), are attracting attention for their innovative revenue models and institutional endorsements. Ethena’s USDe stablecoin pays high reserve yields with planned buybacks, while NEAR’s cross-chain tech draws big-ticket investors, even spawning a NEAR ETF in the US. However, South African investors face two major challenges. First, direct access to these tokens is limited on the JSE, meaning exposure might come through funds like BITQ, which add an extra layer of fees and tracking error. Second, currency risk is very real. The rand can be volatile against the dollar, and these tokens are priced in USD, so gains overseas could be eroded locally. Given the rand’s recent strength against the dollar and global crypto uncertainties, stepping in now demands patience. If NEAR or Ethena fail to deliver on growth or regulatory headwinds mount, the downside could be steep. this is just our opinion and not financial advice
Prefer watching BITQ for now rather than direct exposure; if crypto adoption accelerates and the rand weakens, a position in BITQ could be trimmed higher. Avoid speculative direct buys until more JSE trading options emerge.
- BITQ
- USD/ZAR
- Crypto regulatory crackdown
- Rand appreciation eroding dollar-based crypto gains
5/10
Ethena (ENA) and NEAR Protocol (NEAR) are positioned for significant growth in 2026 and beyond. Ethena's synthetic dollar token USDe generates substantial reserve yields and has approved revenue buybacks once supply reaches $7.5B, with analyst price targets of $0.42 by end-2026 and $2 by end-2028. NEAR's Intents protocol enables efficient cross-chain asset swapping, generating $1.9M in protocol revenue monthly, and has attracted institutional interest with Bitwise launching a NEAR ETF and forecasting a 2030 base case of $155 per token.
Our take is based on reporting first published by The Motley Fool.