Exclusive: Michaël van de Poppe Names His Top Altcoin Picks for This Week
Altcoins are emerging from weeks of sluggish price action, and prominent market analyst Michaël van de Poppe believes the current momentum could signal more than just a temporary bounce.
In an exclusive interview with Coinpedia, van de Poppe—CIO and founder of MN Fund, MN Capital, and New Era Finance—outlined the altcoins he’s closely monitoring this week: ARB, UNI, AAVE, ETHFI, NEAR, ZEC, SOL, and SUI. Each asset, he noted, is being propelled by distinct catalysts ranging from DeFi adoption and privacy demand to renewed strength in Layer-1 infrastructure.
Robinhood Chain Fuels Ethereum Ecosystem Liquidity
Van de Poppe pointed to the recent launch of the Robinhood Chain as a pivotal development driving fresh liquidity into the Ethereum ecosystem. “The first narrative is surrounding the launch of the Robinhood Chain,” he said. “This attracted liquidity and trading volume towards the Ether ecosystem.”
According to van de Poppe, Arbitrum (ARB) and Uniswap (UNI) have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of this shift. “I don’t think that this will stall in the coming period,” he added. “Technically, they are looking great for more upside due to higher timeframe bullish divergences.”
DeFi and Privacy Narratives Gain Traction
Beyond Ethereum-related assets, van de Poppe emphasized the role of regulatory developments like the CLARITY Act in revitalizing interest in decentralized finance. “Ethereum is doing well on its own, and also other DeFi protocols like AAVE and Ether.fi have been seeing spikes of interest,” he noted.
Simultaneously, privacy-focused tokens are gaining ground. “The privacy narrative is an important one,” van de Poppe explained, highlighting NEAR and Zcash (ZEC) as the primary beneficiaries of growing demand for privacy-enhancing technologies.
Layer-1 Infrastructure Shows Early Recovery Signs
Infrastructure tokens are also showing signs of life. Van de Poppe described Solana (SOL) as “waking up,” while Sui (SUI) is exhibiting early indicators of recovery. “Infrastructure layers are performing better and better, and that signals that the markets are on the edge of turning around,” he said. “I expect other Layer-1s to be starting an uptrend.”
Market Context: Altcoin Season Index Rises
The broader market backdrop supports van de Poppe’s optimism. The Altcoin Season Index has climbed to 58, indicating a shift in momentum away from Bitcoin. Bitcoin dominance has declined from 58.12% to 56.3%—a move that historically precedes wider capital rotation into altcoins.
Institutional flows reflect this trend: while Bitcoin ETFs experience outflows, funds tracking Ethereum, XRP, and Solana are seeing inflows, suggesting diversification rather than retreat from crypto.
However, challenges remain. Approximately 40% of altcoins are still trading near all-time lows, underscoring the uneven nature of the current market cycle. Most tokens have yet to recover significantly from past highs, even as select large-cap assets demonstrate renewed strength.