Gold and silver prices soared in 2025, beating the S&P 500 and significantly outperforming top cryptocurrencies. The iShares Silver Trust (SLV 1.83%) gained more than 162% during the past year, more than double the rise for the comparable gold exchange-traded fund (ETF). Last year, it benefited from increased demand, as well as a swing toward safer assets. In addition to jewelry, silver has industrial uses, including in electric vehicles and solar panels.
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Silver may well continue rising in 2026, but that level of growth may prove unsustainable, particularly if industrial demand starts to fade -- manufacturers are already looking for cheaper alternatives. The challenge for investors, especially those choosing between cryptocurrencies and precious metals, is that both are volatile, unpredictable, and susceptible to global distress -- although not necessarily in the same ways.
If you're looking for the next big thing, keep programmable cryptocurrencies on your radar. These are the blockchains where stablecoins -- tokenized versions of traditional currencies and other assets -- get issued. This year, stablecoin adoption may give those cryptos the same boost that industrial demand and worried investors gave silver last year.
1. Ethereum
Ethereum (ETH +3.34%) was the first cryptocurrency to introduce smart contracts. These are pieces of self-executing blockchain code that allow applications and other cryptos to run on its network. And they are taking off.
CRYPTO: ETH
Key Data Points
Citigroup's best-case scenario is that the stablecoin market could soar more than 1,200% from about $300 billion today to $4 trillion by 2030. That forecast was issued in September and would have been influenced by the initial optimism after congressional passage of U.S. stablecoin legislation.
Nonetheless, stablecoins are an appealing choice for global payments and money transfers. Blockchain processing is faster and transaction costs are lower, according to research from The Motley Fool.
Ethereum accounts for about half of today's decentralized finance (DeFi) activity and stablecoin circulation. Historically, there's a close correlation between funds on the network, transaction volume, and price. As such, even if stablecoin volumes only double or triple, it could still boost Ethereum's price.
For investors, this presents an opportunity, particularly as Ethereum trades for about $2,100, down almost 60% from last year's all-time high. I think it could not only retake that high but also reach the $10,000 mark in the next few years.
As the stablecoin market grows, the biggest potential headwind will be the extent to which Ethereum can retain market share. As major financial institutions adopt blockchains, keep an eye on which networks they use. For example, JPMorgan Chase built its tokenized money fund on Ethereum, but it also is part of a group of institutions developing their own ledger.
2. Solana
Increasing blockchain adoption will also benefit Solana (SOL +3.56%). Although Ethereum has a first-mover advantage, Solana is capable of processing more transactions per second at lower cost. It is second only to Ethereum in terms of the amount of funds on its network and the number of developers working on its blockchain. It is also a major contender in the stablecoin and tokenization, or converting ownership of real-world assets in tradeable cryptos.
CRYPTO: SOL
Key Data Points
In recent years, Solana has put technical issues, including outages, behind it. The chain has since emerged as a resilient player, able to handle rocketing transaction numbers. As with Ethereum, that potential is not reflected at the moment in its price, which has fallen about 55% during the past six months. It won't escape the continuing crypto slump, but it is a prime contender for growth once confidence returns.
