Update as of October 17, 2026
The race still has surprises in store as the end of the year approaches. Osmosis delivers the strongest weekly rebound in our selection, Algorand takes third place in CAT 1, and ATOM, despite a sharp decline, remains slightly ahead of Bitcoin when rewards are included.
At the front, Akash maintains a comfortable lead over Bittensor. In the second category, Nolus remains the only asset in positive territory.
The objective remains the same: track the assets in our selection and see which ones can beat Bitcoin by the end of the year, with and without the returns included in the Crypto Race.
CAT 1 — Akash leads, Algorand takes a podium spot
| Asset | Without staking | With staking |
|---|---|---|
| AKT | +64.78% | +79.66% |
| TAO | +10.18% | +14.15% |
| ALGO | −8.79% | −4.68% |
| ATOM | −18.10% | −7.85% |
| BTC | −9.34% | −8.66% |
| OSMO | −20.48% | −17.42% |
| ETH | −22.62% | −20.77% |
| AVAX | −27.86% | −24.97% |
Table ranked by performance with staking. Without staking, Bitcoin ranks ahead of ATOM.
Akash maintains a substantial lead
Despite a 4.13% price decline between October 10 and October 17, Akash remains comfortably in first place. Its cumulative return stands at +64.78% without staking and +79.66% with rewards.
Its lead over TAO remains considerable. Bittensor had an almost flat week, slipping just 0.15%, and retains second place at +10.18% without staking and +14.15% with staking.
AKT and TAO remain the only two CAT 1 assets with positive returns in both scenarios.
Algorand takes third place
Algorand gained 2.56% over the week, securing third place with and without staking.
Without rewards, ALGO stands at −8.79%, slightly ahead of Bitcoin at −9.34%. The gap is only 0.55 percentage points, but it is enough to change the ranking.
Including rewards, Algorand reaches −4.68%. It remains below its starting value while outperforming Bitcoin in both scenarios.
Osmosis delivers the rebound of the week
With a 20.75% gain between the two snapshots, OSMO records the strongest weekly increase in our selection.
Its cumulative return without staking improves from −34.14% to −20.48%. This rebound allows it to overtake Ethereum and Avalanche in that ranking. With rewards included, its return reaches −17.42%.
There is still a long way to go before breaking even. But this week is a reminder that an asset which has struggled for months can still change its position in the race significantly.
ATOM falls but retains a narrow lead over Bitcoin with staking
After reaching the podium in the previous edition, ATOM had a difficult week. Its price fell 14.51%, taking its cumulative return without staking to −18.10%.
The rewards included in our tracking cushion the decline: with staking, its return stands at −7.85%, compared with −8.66% for the Bitcoin scenario including yield.
ATOM therefore retains a 0.81-percentage-point lead over BTC in this version of the ranking. That margin is narrow and does not erase the week’s decline, but it illustrates the effect of rewards accumulated over several months.
Ethereum and Avalanche occupy the final two places in CAT 1, at −20.77% and −24.97%, respectively, in the staking scenario.
CAT 2 — Nolus stays positive, Flux holds second place with rewards
| Asset | Without staking | With staking |
|---|---|---|
| NLS | +2.30% | +5.57% |
| FLUX | −27.88% | −9.41% |
| GNO | −15.40% | −12.01% |
| BAND | −32.71% | −21.26% |
| CTK | −55.49% | −42.31% |
| LAVA | −91.64% | −91.37% |
Table ranked by performance with staking. Without staking, Gnosis ranks ahead of Flux.
Nolus holds the lead
Nolus slipped 0.52% over the week but remains the only CAT 2 asset with a positive return since the start: +2.30% without staking and +5.57% with staking.
Its lead over the other assets in the category remains clear. NLS also stays ahead of Bitcoin in both tracked scenarios.
Flux: rewards change the ranking
Flux fell 7.11% over the week. Its cumulative return excluding rewards stands at −27.88%, behind Gnosis at −15.40%.
Including rewards reverses the order: Flux stands at −9.41%, compared with −12.01% for Gnosis, retaining second place in CAT 2.
The gap between Flux’s two results reaches 18.46 percentage points. Rewards are not enough to bring its return back into positive territory, but they substantially reduce the loss in our tracking.
BAND, CTK and LAVA remain behind
BAND saw little movement over the week, slipping 0.34%, while CTK fell 6.12%. Their cumulative returns with staking stand at −21.26% and −42.31%, respectively.
LAVA posted a small weekly gain of 0.25%, with little change to its overall position: its cumulative return remains close to −92%.
Who is outperforming Bitcoin?
As of October 17, among the assets tracked:
- Without staking, AKT, TAO, ALGO and NLS are outperforming Bitcoin.
- With the tracked returns included, ATOM joins that group.
- Flux remains just behind BTC, trailing by 0.75 percentage points in the scenario including yield.
However, two objectives need to be distinguished: beating Bitcoin and finishing in positive territory. ALGO and ATOM show that it is possible to outperform the benchmark while still posting a negative return.
Are all altcoins out of the race? The figures in our selection show very different trajectories: Akash remains firmly positive, Nolus holds the lead in CAT 2, Algorand takes a podium spot, and Osmosis delivers a sharp rebound.
With just over two months until the finish, several contenders remain ahead of Bitcoin. The question is which ones will hold that lead through the final snapshot of the year.
Methodology: cumulative returns from the January 3, 2026 snapshot through October 17. Weekly changes compare prices on October 10 and October 17. The BTC scenario including yield does not refer to native Bitcoin staking.
