Levi Rietveld, a well-known crypto entrepreneur and founder of Blaze Token (BLZE), has recently shared his top three altcoin picks—HBAR, XRP, and KASPA—in a public post that has sparked growing interest within the cryptocurrency community. While Rietveld emphasized that this list reflects personal preference and not financial advice, the projects he highlighted are gaining attention for their unique technologies, market resilience, and long-term potential.
This article explores each of these three crypto projects in depth, analyzing their fundamentals, price performance, and future outlook based on expert insights and on-chain developments.
Why These Altcoins Stand Out in 2025
As the crypto market continues to evolve in 2025, investors are increasingly seeking digital assets with real-world utility, strong development teams, and sustainable growth trajectories. Rietveld’s selections align closely with these criteria. Each project—Hedera Hashgraph, XRP Ledger, and Kaspa Network—offers distinct innovations in scalability, transaction speed, and decentralized infrastructure.
Let’s dive into each one.
Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR): Powering Enterprise-Grade dApps
At the top of Levi Rietveld’s list is Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), a high-performance distributed ledger technology designed for enterprise use cases. Unlike traditional blockchain systems that rely on linear chains of blocks, Hedera uses a hashgraph consensus algorithm, enabling faster transaction finality and greater scalability.
Key Features of HBAR
- High throughput: Capable of processing thousands of transactions per second (TPS).
- Low fees: Near-zero transaction costs make it ideal for micropayments and DeFi applications.
- Governance by council: Backed by a decentralized governing council including Google, IBM, and Boeing, ensuring stability and trust.
HBAR launched via an ICO in 2018 and went live on mainnet in September 2019. Today, it ranks among the top 30 cryptocurrencies by market cap, currently sitting at $3.96 billion**. Despite hitting an all-time high of **$0.57 in September 2021, the token has seen a decline to around $0.11, representing an 80.6% drop from its peak.
However, momentum is building again. Year-to-date, HBAR has gained 29.3%, and over the past 12 months, it's up 104.32%—signaling renewed investor confidence.
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Experts at Changelly project that HBAR could retest its all-time high by February 2029, driven by increasing adoption in supply chain management, tokenization of assets, and CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) integrations.
XRP (XRP): The Cross-Border Payment Pioneer
Coming in second on Rietveld’s list is XRP, the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger (XRPL)—an open-source, decentralized blockchain launched in 2013. XRP was designed to revolutionize cross-border payments by serving as a bridge currency between fiat systems.
How XRP Works
- RippleNet integration: Used by financial institutions through Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL), now known as Ripple Payments.
- Near-instant settlements: Transactions settle in under 4 seconds with minimal fees.
- Energy-efficient: No mining required; uses a unique consensus mechanism.
Despite its technological strengths, XRP has faced significant regulatory headwinds due to the ongoing SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit, which began in 2020. This legal battle prevented XRP from participating fully in the 2021 bull run, leaving its price well below its $3.84 all-time high reached in January 2018.
Currently trading at $0.5176, XRP remains down about 86.5% from its peak. However, recent developments suggest light at the end of the tunnel. The case is nearing resolution, with Ripple executives indicating a favorable outcome may be imminent.
With clearer regulatory positioning expected soon, analysts believe XRP could surge during this bull cycle. Some forecasts suggest a potential rise to $5.20—a gain of over 900%—if historical patterns repeat post-Bitcoin halving.
At present, XRP holds the 7th-largest market cap in the crypto space at $28.65 billion, underscoring strong institutional and retail interest.
Kaspa Network (KASPA): The Future of Proof-of-Work?
Completing Rietveld’s trio is Kaspa Network (KASPA), a next-generation proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain launched in November 2021. What sets Kaspa apart is its use of BlockDAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) architecture instead of a traditional linear blockchain.
What Makes KASPA Unique?
- Ultra-fast block times: Processes one block per second (1 BPS), among the fastest PoW networks.
- Scalability roadmap: Development team aims for 10–100 blocks per second in future upgrades.
- Decentralized mining: Supports ASIC and GPU mining with fair distribution principles.
KASPA’s native token reached an all-time high of $0.189 in February 2025**, but has since pulled back to around **$0.131, reflecting a 30.55% correction. Still, its market cap ranks it 38th globally, showing strong community support.
Analysts from Changelly predict KASPA could reach $0.412 by September 2024, representing a potential 214% upside from current levels. This optimism stems from growing adoption in decentralized storage, Layer-2 solutions, and interest from miners seeking alternatives to Bitcoin’s slower confirmation times.
Kaspa represents a compelling fusion of classic PoW security with modern scalability—a rare combination in today’s crypto landscape.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is Levi Rietveld’s altcoin list considered investment advice?
No. Rietveld has stated that his picks reflect personal interest and should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Always conduct your own research before investing.
Q: Why did HBAR drop so significantly after 2021?
Like many altcoins, HBAR was affected by broader market downturns and macroeconomic factors such as rising interest rates and reduced venture funding in crypto. However, its enterprise partnerships continue to grow.
Q: Can XRP recover despite past legal issues?
Yes. With increasing clarity around U.S. crypto regulations and Ripple making progress in court, many experts believe XRP is poised for a strong rebound during this bull market cycle.
Q: What gives KASPA an edge over other PoW coins?
KASPA combines fast block times (1 BPS) with true decentralization—something Bitcoin and Litecoin can’t match due to slower confirmation speeds—making it ideal for real-time applications.
Q: Are HBAR, XRP, and KASPA good long-term holds?
Each project offers unique value propositions: HBAR for enterprise use, XRP for global payments, and KASPA for scalable PoW innovation. Their long-term viability depends on adoption, regulatory clarity, and technological execution.
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Final Thoughts
Levi Rietveld’s selection of HBAR, XRP, and KASPA highlights a strategic focus on projects combining real utility, robust technology, and resilience amid market volatility. While none of these assets are without challenges—whether regulatory scrutiny or price corrections—they each occupy important niches in the evolving blockchain ecosystem.
As we move deeper into 2025, these altcoins may play increasingly vital roles in shaping decentralized finance, global remittances, and scalable infrastructure solutions.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The views expressed are based on public statements and market analysis, not official recommendations. Readers should perform independent research before making any investment decisions. No liability is assumed for losses incurred from reliance on this content.
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