Get Institutions to "Pump" Your Shitcoin Bags: The Gray Scale Fund and Coin50 Index You Must Watch During This Bull Run
At a time when almost everyone was FUD-ing about the lack of an alt season, the market finally emerged from nearly six months of "garbage time," and the alt season arrived as expected. According to data, out of the 388 tradable crypto assets on Binance, 299 saw a price increase of over 50% in the past 30 days, 98 saw an increase of over 100%, and only 10 assets had no price change.
However, in this "money-grabbing time" during the overall rise, mastering the art of selecting tokens with high price increases to maximize profits has become crucial. Which altcoins should you buy to outperform the market? Instead of following KOLs' buy calls, why not let Grayscale and Coinbase do the work for you?
Leading the Market: Grayscale Funds
In the previous bull market, the Grayscale concept was everywhere. In this ongoing bull market, the Grayscale concept continues to dominate the crypto sphere.
Mainstream Coin Funds
Around the top 20 market cap coins, Grayscale has launched a series of funds, such as BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, AVAX, SUI, BCH, LINK, XLM, LTC, and other funds. Some leading coins are also part of the lineup, such as STX, BAT, ZEC, MKR, ZEN.
In addition to single-asset trust funds, Grayscale's bundled coin combination funds still hold significant reference value.
Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund
This bundled decentralized AI fund includes assets like Near, Filecoin, Bittensor, Render, Graph, and other AI targets. These assets have performed well this month, with the NAV per share surging from $6 to $14. The fund currently manages $2.2 million in assets.

Left Image: Decentralized AI Fund Holdings; Right Image: NAV per Share
It is worth noting that Near, FIL, Bittensor, and Livepeer, which are in the same category, all have separate Grayscale funds.
Grayscale DeFi Fund
The Grayscale Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Fund is one of the first securities to individually invest in a basket of decentralized finance applications and derive value from them, including targets like UNI, AAVE, LDO, MKR, SNX. The fund has performed well in the past month, with the NAV per share rising from $13 to $35. The fund currently manages $8 million in assets.

Left Image: Decentralized AI Fund Position; Right Image: NAV per Share
It is worth noting that Grayscale also has a separate AAVE fund.
In addition to the above funds, Grayscale is expected to add new fund currencies in various tracks:
There are a total of 7 currencies in the DeFi track, namely: Jupiter (JUP), Ondo Finance (ONDO), Ethena (ENA), Core (CORE), THORChain (RUNE), Aerodrome (AERO), Pendle (PENDLE);
There are a total of 6 currencies in the Infrastructure track, namely: Celestia (TIA), Pyth Network (PYTH), Cosmos (ATOM), Akash (AKT), UMA Project (UMA), Neon (NEON);
There are a total of 9 currencies in the Layer 1 track, namely: Toncoin (TON), TRON (TRX), Aptos (APT), Aptos (APT), Injective Protocol (INJ), Internet Computer (ICP), Kaspa (KAS), VeChain (VET), Mantra (OM), Celo (CELO);
There are a total of 8 currencies in the Layer 2 track, namely: Optimism (OP), Arbitrum (ARB), Sei (SEI), Starknet (STRK), Polygon (POL, formerly MATIC), Mantle (MNT), Immutable (IMX), Metis (METIS);
There are a total of 2 currencies in the DePIN track, namely: Arweave (AR), Helium (HNT);
There are a total of 2 currencies in the AI+ track, namely: Fetch.ai (FET), Worldcoin (WLD);
There is 1 currency in the Meme track: Dogecoin (DOGE)
Among the above-mentioned Grayscale concept coins, almost all of them have outperformed the bull market rise average. In addition to the essential bull market selection by Grayscale, the Coin50 Index established by Coinbase is also a good reference standard.
Coin50: The Nasdaq of the Crypto World
What Is the Coin50 Index
It is often said that "first-class companies set standards, second-class companies establish brands, and third-class companies make products." Benchmarking against the S&P and Nasdaq, Coinbase selects the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization to create COIN50, a digital asset benchmark index weighted by a certain criteria, establishing a world-class digital asset benchmark index. COIN50 aims to provide investors with a transparent and reliable tool to better understand and evaluate the performance of the cryptocurrency market.
How Does Coin50 Perform
From the perspective of weighted composition, BTC, ETH, and SOL remain the most important assets in crypto, with BTC accounting for 50%, ETH for 28.8%, and SOL for 6.4%.
The top five also include XRP and DOGE, accounting for 2.9% and 1.4% respectively, while the remaining cryptocurrencies in the index make up 10.4% of the weight.
COIN50 has achieved a 68.30% return rate in the past 30 days, while the 90-day return rate is 99.64%. Even with BTC and ETH accounting for 70% of the weight, such an impressive return rate can still be achieved. This highlights how exaggerated the return rates of other cryptocurrencies in the index apart from BTC and ETH, which are large-cap coins, can be.
It is worth noting that the COIN50 index is not constant and unchanging; every quarter, an evaluation based on token fundamentals will be conducted to add or remove tokens. Recently, tokens such as AXS, BLUR, JASMY, KSM, and EGLD have all been included in the COIN50 index.

Where Are the Opportunities?
By consolidating the crypto assets of COIN50 and Grayscale Trust Funds, some highly overlapping assets can be identified. Aside from BTC, ETH, SOL, etc., coins such as XRP, XLM, SUI, AVAX, AAVE, LINK, LPT, etc., have all experienced "index-level" growth in the past 60 days. Moreover, the main source of funding driving the growth of these assets is from U.S. institutions, capable of accommodating large funds.

At the same time, many people think this is a case of hindsight bias. "What you are talking about has already seen its peak, where is the opportunity?"
However, a bull market is where those who were early prepared make big money, those who were somewhat prepared make money, and those who were unprepared experience making money.
After understanding the power of Coin50 and Grayscale Holdings, there are still many "Wealth Codes" surrounding this theme that can help those who are "somewhat prepared" make money.
For example:
(1) You can mine for projects that will catch up. Not all coins in the above list surged at the same time but experienced a certain degree of "sector rotation." After SOL and SUI cooled down, it was XRP and XLM's turn, followed by blue-chip Defi projects, and then hot spot projects like LPT. You can position yourself in projects that are poised for a surge, such as APE, BLUR, ZEC, and others.
(2) In the traditional financial market, let's take the example of US stocks. In 1993, the first US ETF, the Standard & Poor's Depository Receipts (SPDR S&P 500 ETF), was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. From 2000 to 2009, the US ETF market rapidly expanded, forming a diversified asset class including broad-based, industry-themed, Smart Beta, fixed income, and commodities ETFs. The crypto market is still in its early stages compared to the mature traditional financial market.
ETFs for household names such as BTC, ETH, and SOL have already been approved, with a high probability of an XRP ETF being approved soon. Once these leading ETFs are launched, there will certainly be a suite of ETFs based on various niche sectors in the future. For example, DeFi ETFs, AI ETFs, Meme ETFs, and so on.
The compound growth rate of US ETFs from 2010 to 2021 was 19.7%. It is foreseeable that there will be plenty of growth opportunities for crypto asset ETFs in the future.
You may also like

CLARITY Act Stalled: How Coinbase's Revolt Against U.S. Crypto Rules Could Freeze the Crypto Market (2026 Update)
Jan 2026: The CLARITY Act imploded when Coinbase opposed Senate's stablecoin yield ban. Explore the 3 'poison pills' that froze crypto regulation and moved markets.

Bitcoin Surges Past Key Levels—Potential Liquidations Loom
Key Takeaways Bitcoin could trigger $1.71 billion in short liquidation on major CEXs if it surpasses $92,262. Conversely,…

Bitcoin Faces Rare Fourth Consecutive Monthly Decline
Key Takeaways Bitcoin is on the brink of its fourth consecutive monthly decline, a situation unseen since the…

Penguin Token Sells Off Amid Market Fluctuations
Key Takeaways A significant PENGUIN token holder has started liquidating their holdings, resulting in $40,000 worth of tokens…

Insider Whale Acquires Additional 22,000 ETH
Key Takeaways The “1011 Insider Whale” has added another 22,000 ETH to their holdings. The ETH purchase is…

OWL Tokens Transferred in Potential Sell-off Alert
Key Takeaways $2.1 million in OWL tokens were moved from a team’s wallet, raising concerns about a possible…

Ethereum Price Fluctuations Could Trigger Massive Liquidations
Key Takeaways If Ethereum’s price falls below $2,754, significant liquidation of long positions totaling $1.361 billion is anticipated…

Major Whale Amplifies Short Position on xyz:SILVER Contract
Key Takeaways A significant player, termed “Silver Iron Head Short Army,” has increased their short position on the…

Fed’s January Rate Decision and Bitcoin’s Outlook
Key Takeaways The Federal Reserve is anticipated to announce its first interest rate decision for 2026, with market…

Cardano Faces Downside Risks as Market Seeks Support at $0.27
Key Takeaways Cardano’s price has seen a significant decline, retreating to $0.34 following a three-week correction period since…

Cathie Wood Boosts Investment in Cryptocurrency Stocks
Key Takeaways Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has significantly increased its investment in Coinbase, Circle, and Bullish to the…

USD Weakens as DXY Falls Below 97, Boosting Bitcoin Prospects
Key Takeaways The US Dollar Index (DXY) dropped below 97, reaching its lowest level since September of the…

Global Risks Influence Bitcoin Fluctuations: QCP Asia’s Insight
Key Takeaways Persistent macroeconomic uncertainties cause global markets to retreat into risk-off mode. Japanese bond yields surge to…

Dormant Ethereum Whale Transfers 50,000 ETH to Gemini, Market Reacts
Key Takeaways A significant dormant Ethereum whale transferred 50,000 ETH, valued at approximately $145 million, to the Gemini…

Digital Asset Fund Outflows Lead to Market Volatility
Key Takeaways Digital asset funds experienced net outflows of $1.73 billion last week, the largest since mid-November last…

Ethereum Whales Signal Possible Market Surge with Bold Moves
Key Takeaways Ethereum whales are actively participating in the market with divergent strategies, buying in bulk and selling…

XRP Price Shows Potential for Rebound as Market Conditions Shift
Key Takeaways XRP’s price is under pressure but shows signs of a potential rebound driven by technical indicators…

Whale Leverages a 2x Long Position on 3,436 ETH
Key Takeaways A crypto whale utilized 2x leverage to go long on 3,436 ETH with an average entry…
CLARITY Act Stalled: How Coinbase's Revolt Against U.S. Crypto Rules Could Freeze the Crypto Market (2026 Update)
Jan 2026: The CLARITY Act imploded when Coinbase opposed Senate's stablecoin yield ban. Explore the 3 'poison pills' that froze crypto regulation and moved markets.
Bitcoin Surges Past Key Levels—Potential Liquidations Loom
Key Takeaways Bitcoin could trigger $1.71 billion in short liquidation on major CEXs if it surpasses $92,262. Conversely,…
Bitcoin Faces Rare Fourth Consecutive Monthly Decline
Key Takeaways Bitcoin is on the brink of its fourth consecutive monthly decline, a situation unseen since the…
Penguin Token Sells Off Amid Market Fluctuations
Key Takeaways A significant PENGUIN token holder has started liquidating their holdings, resulting in $40,000 worth of tokens…
Insider Whale Acquires Additional 22,000 ETH
Key Takeaways The “1011 Insider Whale” has added another 22,000 ETH to their holdings. The ETH purchase is…
OWL Tokens Transferred in Potential Sell-off Alert
Key Takeaways $2.1 million in OWL tokens were moved from a team’s wallet, raising concerns about a possible…