XRP leads top undervalued altcoins to watch in 2026. Despite months of weak price action across the crypto market, some analysts believe several large-cap altcoins are trading below their long-term value. The analysis highlights Solana (SOL), Chainlink (LINK), and XRP, citing continued development, institutional interest, and growing network activity despite the broader market downturn. Solana still drawing institutional demand. Among the three, Solana is viewed as the strongest recovery candidate. SOL remains about 75% below its all-time high and has returned to price levels last seen in late 2023. Its monthly momentum has also weakened to its lowest level on record. Despite the decline, U.S.-listed Solana investment funds, launched in October 2025, recorded inflows on every trading day last month. The funds now manage about $1 billion in assets, with nearly half held by institutional investors, including hedge funds and investment advisers. Another key development is Alpenglow, Solana's largest network upgrade to date. Once fully deployed later this year, transaction finality is expected to improve from 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds, significantly reducing settlement times. However, challenges remain. Solana's daily network revenue has fallen from about $1.5 million to $314,000, a decline of nearly 80%, as memecoin trading activity slowed. Retail participation has also weakened. According to on-chain analyst Ali Martinez, wallets holding at least 0.1 SOL declined from 11.84 million to 11.26 million over the past two weeks, a drop of about 5%. Chainlink builds while price lags. Chainlink is another project the analysis identifies as undervalued. LINK continues to trade more than 80% below its all-time high, even as its infrastructure expands across traditional finance. The network enables banks and financial institutions to connect with blockchain networks without replacing their existing systems. Its partners include SWIFT, which connects about 11,000 financial institutions, along with firms such as UBS and Euroclear. During the first quarter, Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) processed more than $18 billion in cross-chain transaction value. Institutional access has also expanded through investment products from Grayscale and Bitwise. In addition, roughly 75% of LINK's total supply is already in circulation, reducing future token dilution. However, one key challenge remains. Financial institutions can use Chainlink's infrastructure without directly purchasing LINK tokens. The project also faces growing competition from interoperability networks such as LayerZero and Wormhole -two competing altcoins. XRP benefits from legal clarity. The analysis also highlights XRP despite its price decline. XRP price is down nearly 43% this year but continues to see broader adoption. Sagar Shah, Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, said XRP's long-term value lies in its role in cross-border payments, liquidity, and tokenized assets. According to Shah, adoption - not short-term price movements - will determine the asset's long-term value. With the SEC lawsuit largely resolved, XRP now has seven U.S.-listed investment funds, which have attracted nearly $1.5 billion in cumulative inflows since launch. Ripple's stablecoin RLUSD has also grown to about $1.6 billion in supply. More RLUSD is now issued on the XRP Ledger than on Ethereum following its expansion into Japan through SBI Holdings. Meanwhile, daily transactions on the XRP Ledger have risen to around 3 million, roughly three times the level seen in mid-2025. However, RLUSD has also sparked debate within the XRP community. Stablecoins can perform many of the cross-border payment functions that XRP was originally designed to support, potentially reducing demand for the token. While XRP continues to serve as a bridge asset for currencies without direct trading pairs, its long-term utility will depend on how Ripple positions XRP alongside RLUSD.

Top 5 altcoins to watch in August as major crypto catalysts approach. While the broader crypto market remains shaky, August is shaping up to be one of the busiest months of the year. Several blockchain upgrades, ETF developments, and product launches are scheduled over the coming weeks. According to one analyst, these events could put a handful of altcoins in focus before the next major market move. Solana heads into major network upgrade. Solana tops the list as the lowest-risk pick for August. The network will begin rolling out the Agave 4.2 client from the week of August 17, bringing faster block times, a 90% reduction in rent costs, larger transaction sizes, and higher block capacity. Solana has also started testing Alpenglow, a new consensus system targeting transaction finality of around 150 milliseconds. On the flip side, on-chain analyst Ali Martinez reported that the number of wallets holding at least 0.1 SOL has dropped 5% over the past two weeks, falling from 11.84 million to 11.26 million, signaling weaker participation from smaller Solana holders. However, upgrades in August could further strengthen Solana's position across DeFi, payments, and on-chain trading. Bittensor enters ETF decision window. Bittensor (TAO) was ranked second due to growing institutional interest in decentralized AI. Both Grayscale and Bitwise have ETF filings tied to TAO under SEC review. While no official approval date has been announced, analysts view August as an important period for updates. The analyst says any progress on these filings could increase institutional exposure to the AI-focused blockchain sector. According to Michaël van de Poppe, Bittensor (TAO) has broken above its daily moving averages and expects it to rally above $250 within the next 4-6 weeks. Cardano's ETF clock starts this month. Next on the list is Cardano which is also approaching a key regulatory milestone. August 9 marks six months since CME Cardano futures launched, allowing exchanges to pursue a spot ADA ETF under the SEC's streamlined framework. Grayscale's ETF application remains under review. Besides the ETF timeline, Cardano continues testing its Leios scalability upgrade ahead of mainnet deployment later this year. Stacks brings Bitcoin yield closer. Stacks was shown for introducing one of Bitcoin's biggest utility upgrades. Following the activation of PoX 5, the network plans to launch its Genesis Bond later this month. The system is designed to let users earn Bitcoin-denominated rewards while maintaining self-custody of their BTC. The analyst says this could expand Bitcoin's use beyond simply holding the asset. Avantis bets on real-world asset trading. Avantis rounds out the list as the highest-risk opportunity. Its Version 2 launches on August 12, introducing new trading features while expanding toward more than 500 real-world assets. The platform has already processed over $93 billion in trading volume and generated roughly $24 million in fees. The analyst expects perpetual decentralized exchanges focused on real-world assets to become one of crypto's biggest narratives in the next market cycle, making Avantis one of the projects to watch this month.

KSNet Solana MOU targets AI crypto funds. KSNet, a South Korean cost and settlement firm with 26 years of service provider expertise, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Solana Basis on July 30, 2026, launching the KSNet Solana partnership to construct blockchain-based cost infrastructure for retailers and AI brokers. The deal covers two proof-of-concept tasks: linking the Solana Pay commonplace to KSNet's current point-of-sale community, and testing x402, a protocol that lets software program brokers pay routinely with out card particulars or logins. KSNet signed the settlement at its Seoul headquarters, its first public transfer into blockchain settlement. Contained in the KSNet Solana pilot packages. The primary section of the KSNet Solana pilot facilities on Solana Pay. KSNet plans to attach the usual to the service provider programs it has constructed over 26 years, layering in home anti-money laundering checks meant to dam irregular fund flows. The corporate additionally plans settlement safeguards to restrict the foreign money and liquidity threat that may seem when digital property settle in opposition to South Korea's Received community, based on Maeil Enterprise Newspaper. The second section of the KSNet Solana rollout checks x402, which makes use of the HTTP 402 "cost required" standing code to let AI brokers pay for API entry with out organising an account. KSNet framed the pilot round a particular limitation of card networks: multi-layered charge constructions make dealing with a single-won cost impractical. Park Han-han, KSNet's chief govt, mentioned the corporate desires to use its settlement expertise towards constructing safer cost infrastructure for customers, per the identical report. What the KSNet Solana deal means for retailers and AI builders. For KSNet's service provider base, nothing adjustments at checkout but. That is testing, not a launch. The bigger sign is {that a} 26-year-old processor is now prepared to experiment with blockchain settlement moderately than counting on card rails alone. The KSNet Solana pilot is a part of a broader wave of partnerships CryptoVideos monitor in crypto information, alongside associated protection of Solana's growth throughout Asia. For AI builders, this pilot presents an early home take a look at of whether or not machine-to-machine funds can work in a regulated market. The timeline behind the KSNet Solana rollout. KSNet has not printed a date for shifting from testing to a stay product. Its announcement describes solely a gradual path towards commercialization. That mirrors Toss Financial institution's personal Solana pilot. The Block reported on June 25, 2026 that Toss Financial institution was nonetheless in early testing months after signing its MOU, with no launch date confirmed. Based mostly on that sample, the KSNet Solana pilots are prone to keep in testing by way of the remainder of 2026 earlier than reaching retailers immediately. What this means for you. This MOU doesn't change the way you pay at Korean retailers as CryptoVideos speak, and no stablecoin checkout exists but at any KSNet-connected enterprise. The KSNet Solana pilot indicators {that a} main Korean cost processor now sees blockchain settlement and AI-driven micropayments as value testing alongside its current card community, not as a alternative for it. In case you construct AI brokers, watch x402: it's designed to let software program pay for API entry in fractions of a cent, and KSNet's pilot is among the first Korean checks of that mannequin in a regulated setting. This text is for informational functions solely and doesn't represent monetary recommendation. Do your individual analysis earlier than making any funding choices.