With only two weeks remaining before the halfway point, the Crypto Race 2026 is finally showing more movement.
After the sharp correction recorded at the previous checkpoint, several competitors have launched a counterattack. OSMO, ATOM, GNO and TAO all posted significant rebounds.
However, this recovery has not yet changed the overall hierarchy.
AKT maintains a considerable lead, while Bitcoin remains deeply negative since the beginning of the year.
The question is therefore no longer simply who performed best this week.
It is who can genuinely recover from the losses accumulated since January.
CAT 1 — OSMO and ATOM Launch the Counterattack
OSMO recorded the strongest weekly performance, climbing +26.2%.
ATOM followed with an +18.4% rebound, while TAO recovered +7.8%. AKT also gained +5.8%, further consolidating its position at the top.
Bitcoin posted a more modest +3.1% recovery.
Not every competitor benefited from the movement, however. ALGO fell −7.1%, while AVAX lost another −3.5%.
Results Without Staking
| Rank | Asset | 2026 Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKT | +44.9% |
| 2 | ATOM | −8.9% |
| 3 | OSMO | −11.4% |
| 4 | TAO | −14.6% |
| 5 | BTC | −29.6% |
| 6 | ALGO | −31.4% |
| 7 | ETH | −47.0% |
| 8 | AVAX | −52.5% |
AKT remains the only asset in the category still comfortably positive since the beginning of the race.
Behind it, ATOM has reclaimed second place ahead of OSMO and TAO. All three remain negative, but they continue to perform significantly better than Bitcoin.
BTC maintains a narrow lead over ALGO, while ETH and AVAX remain stuck at the bottom of the ranking.
With Staking — ATOM Moves Closer to Break-Even
Staking continues to improve the results gradually, particularly for ATOM.
Thanks to its simulated rewards, ATOM has recovered to just −2.7% since the beginning of the year. It is now less than three percentage points away from recovering its initial capital.
OSMO has also moved back above the −10% threshold, while TAO has limited its decline to −12.9%.
Results With Staking
| Rank | Asset | 2026 Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKT | +52.1% |
| 2 | ATOM | −2.7% |
| 3 | OSMO | −9.5% |
| 4 | TAO | −12.9% |
| 5 | BTC | −29.3% |
| 6 | ALGO | −29.7% |
| 7 | ETH | −46.3% |
| 8 | AVAX | −51.4% |
The battle between BTC and ALGO is becoming particularly close.
With staking included, only 0.4 percentage points now separate them. A relatively small weekly movement could therefore reverse their positions at the next checkpoint.
Who Is Really Beating Bitcoin?
Bitcoin currently shows a −29.3% performance with simulated yield.
Four CAT 1 assets continue to outperform it:
| Asset | With Staking | Gap vs BTC |
|---|---|---|
| AKT | +52.1% | +81.4 pts |
| ATOM | −2.7% | +26.6 pts |
| OSMO | −9.5% | +19.8 pts |
| TAO | −12.9% | +16.4 pts |
| ALGO | −29.7% | −0.4 pt |
| ETH | −46.3% | −17.0 pts |
| AVAX | −51.4% | −22.1 pts |
AKT is still competing in a race of its own.
ATOM, OSMO and TAO maintain significant leads over the benchmark, while ALGO remains almost perfectly aligned with Bitcoin.
CAT 2 — NLS Holds Firm as GNO Awakens
CAT 2 also benefited from the market rebound, although the recovery was highly uneven.
GNO recorded the strongest week in the category with a +13.5% gain. LAVA climbed +6.5%, but failed to reduce its enormous deficit significantly.
NLS advanced slightly by +0.6%, symbolically returning to positive territory since the beginning of the race.
BAND, CTK and FLUX, meanwhile, remain under pressure.
Results Without Staking
| Rank | Asset | 2026 Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLS | +0.0% |
| 2 | GNO | −23.3% |
| 3 | BAND | −52.3% |
| 4 | FLUX | −52.3% |
| 5 | CTK | −54.8% |
| 6 | LAVA | −87.8% |
NLS has almost returned to its starting point and remains the only CAT 2 asset without a significant loss.
GNO has reduced its deficit considerably and is once again outperforming Bitcoin for the year.
Behind them, BAND and FLUX are almost perfectly tied, separated by only a few thousandths of a percentage point.
Staking Tightens the Middle of the Ranking
Staking rewards have a greater impact on the positions of CTK, BAND and FLUX.
Thanks to its higher simulated APR, CTK overtakes both competitors when staking is included, despite its weaker price performance.
Results With Staking
| Rank | Asset | 2026 Performance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NLS | +1.8% |
| 2 | GNO | −21.6% |
| 3 | CTK | −47.7% |
| 4 | BAND | −47.9% |
| 5 | FLUX | −48.1% |
| 6 | LAVA | −87.6% |
Only 0.5 percentage points separate CTK, BAND and FLUX.
In this part of the ranking, staking is not yet enough to compensate for the decline in prices, but its contribution has become significant enough to change the finishing order.
CAT 2 vs Bitcoin
| Asset | With Staking | Gap vs BTC |
|---|---|---|
| NLS | +1.8% | +31.1 pts |
| GNO | −21.6% | +7.7 pts |
| CTK | −47.7% | −18.4 pts |
| BAND | −47.9% | −18.6 pts |
| FLUX | −48.1% | −18.8 pts |
| LAVA | −87.6% | −58.2 pts |
NLS and GNO are now the only CAT 2 assets outperforming Bitcoin.
For CTK, BAND and FLUX, the gap against the benchmark remains close to 19 percentage points. LAVA is still far behind despite its weekly rebound.
What This Week Tells Us
The market rebounded, but the recovery remains highly selective.
OSMO and ATOM delivered an impressive week. GNO also regained momentum, while NLS symbolically returned to positive territory.
Even so, the overall direction of the Crypto Race has not changed yet.
AKT remains far ahead and alone at the front. Several assets are outperforming Bitcoin, but they are still negative since January. A large part of the peloton continues to carry losses of between 45% and 55%.
Staking continues to improve the results gradually. It brings ATOM closer to break-even and reshuffles the positions of CTK, BAND and FLUX.
But it cannot immediately turn a severe price decline into a victory.
With two weeks remaining before the halfway point, some competitors finally appear to have recovered enough energy to attack.
The question is whether this marks the beginning of a genuine comeback...
or simply a brief plateau before the next climb.
Methodology
The Crypto Race 2026 simulates an initial investment of $1,000 per asset on January 3, 2026.
Performance with staking includes estimated average rewards compounded daily. Bitcoin serves as the benchmark, and only projects monitored within the Snow-Fall.io ecosystem participate in the race.
