Altcoin Index rises to 64 as revenue tokens lead gains; trader ties altseason to XRP
CoinMarketCap's Quarterly Altcoin Index rose to 64 from 48 as revenue tokens led 30-day gains, while trader Cryptollica said an altseason needs XRP.
Why it matters
The index has not crossed the 75-point threshold CoinMarketCap uses to confirm an altcoin quarter, and the gains sit in a handful of DeFi, launchpad, AI and privacy tokens rather than across the altcoin market. The same tape supports two readings, a rotation toward cash-generating projects and continued speculation, and nothing in the reporting settles which one is right.
Where the sources disagree
Whether an altseason has started
Altseason may not be officially here
Cointelegraph
Altcoin season is now starting
The Crypto Basic, Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Cointelegraph describes the altseason as not officially here, while The Crypto Basic and Crypto News report Cryptollica saying it is starting now.
Whether the rotation is driven by fundamentals
Index rise signals a shift from speculative trading to projects that generate income
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Not all about fundamentals
Cointelegraph
Crypto News reads the index move as a shift from speculation to income-generating projects, while Cointelegraph reports Sergej Kunz saying the rally is not all about fundamentals.
Key facts
CoinMarketCap's Quarterly Altcoin Index rose from 48 a week earlier to 64.
64 pointsReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
The index stayed below the 75-point threshold used to confirm an altcoin quarter.
75 pointsReported by Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Over 30 days PONS rose more than 350%, ARB more than 150%, NEAR about 180% and UNI more than 110%.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Zcash traded above $1,600 last week, which Cointelegraph described as a record high and Crypto News as a brief move above that level.
1,600 USDReported by Cointelegraph
David Hoffman told Cointelegraph that the big gainers ARB, UNI, JUP and ONDO share a trait, that they make money and print revenue.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Only two of the top 20 gainers last week were memecoins, and Cointelegraph reported 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz disputing a purely fundamentals-based reading of the rally.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Cryptollica said in an X post that an altseason is starting and that there is no altseason without XRP.
Reported by The Crypto Basic
What happened
CoinMarketCap's Quarterly Altcoin Index rose to 64 from 48 a week earlier as revenue-generating tokens led 30-day gains, and the reading remains below the 75-point line used to confirm an altcoin quarter. Cointelegraph put those 30-day moves at more than 350% for PONS, over 150% for ARB, about 180% for NEAR and more than 110% for UNI, with Zcash trading above $1,600 last week, and Crypto News reported the same figures from CoinMarketCap data. Bankless podcast host David Hoffman told Cointelegraph that the leading gainers share one trait, that they make money and print revenue. Cointelegraph also carried 1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz disputing a purely fundamentals-based reading, noting that only two of the top 20 gainers last week were memecoins, and described the altseason as not yet officially here. On the other side of that question, veteran trader Cryptollica said in an X post quoted by The Crypto Basic and Crypto News that an altseason is starting now and that there is no altseason without XRP, attaching a long-term XRP/USD chart whose projected path ends near $15, roughly ten times current levels. The XRP case rests on that single post, which Cointelegraph and Crypto News did not address, and no outlet confirmed the chart projection.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Cointelegraph
Altseason is coming — and traders are more discerning this time
- Update
Cointelegraph reports 30-day altcoin gains led by PONS, ARB, NEAR and UNI
The report quotes David Hoffman on revenue and carries Sergej Kunz saying the rally is not purely fundamental.
- Update
Crypto News reports the Quarterly Altcoin Index at 64, up from 48
The index remains below the 75-point confirmation threshold.
- Update
The Crypto Basic reports Cryptollica's 'no altseason without XRP' post
The same chart and quote appear in Crypto News. The Crypto Basic also put XRP near $1.24 on September 16 and around $1.66 on a later September date it did not specify.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 28 Sept 2026, 13:30 UTC: Cointelegraph — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 28 Sept 2026, 20:27 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 30 Sept 2026, 15:10 UTC: The Crypto Basic — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 30 Sept 2026, 19:35 UTC: Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Base, Cardano, Dogecoin, Hyperliquid, Monero
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | Altseason is coming — and traders are more discerning this time | Original | |
| The Crypto Basic Crypto media | Veteran Trader Says No Altseason Without XRP | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Certain Altcoins Have Seen a Rise Recently, and They Share a Common Trait | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Veteran Trader Says No Altseason Without XRP | Syndicated |
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