Older altcoins, especially those with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or expected ETF approvals, are poised to attract the bulk of institutional investment during the upcoming altcoin season, according to Maen Ftouni, CEO of CoinQuant. Speaking at the Global Blockchain Congress 2025 in Dubai, Ftouni emphasized that institutional funds flowing from traditional finance and ETFs are likely to concentrate on well-established cryptocurrencies, which he refers to as “dinosaur” coins. This focus helps explain the 2024 surge in older cryptos such as XRP and Cardano. Ftouni highlighted, “Since the flow of funds is coming mostly from traditional finance and ETFs at the moment, those people are probably looking at these major coins, all the coins established that have the potential of getting an ETF, and this is why we’re seeing this rise in these dinosaurs.”
This perspective emerges amidst ongoing discussions on how the evolving crypto market structure will impact the onset of altseason, characterized by significant altcoin price rallies. With over 26 million crypto tokens now listed on CoinMarketCap—more than double the count at the start of 2025—economist and trader Alex Kruger warns that the oversupply exceeds demand. Kruger suggests that instead of a prolonged altseason, traders should prepare for short-lived bursts of price increases affecting only select altcoins in the current market cycle.
As the market landscape shifts, institutional interest appears to be zeroing in on established altcoins poised for ETF integration, marking a strategic capital influx into these “dinosaur” cryptos.
Read more: https://cointelegraph.com/news/dino-crypto-soak-institutional-capital-bound-altcoins