Execution Over Hype: BlockDAG’s $405M Presale Leaves Stellar and Hyperliquid in the Shadows

The crypto market in 2025 is delivering two very different stories. On one side, Stellar (XLM) is struggling to break out of a tight range. On the other hand, Hyperliquid (HYPE) is putting up record numbers but showing cracks beneath the surface. And then there’s BlockDAG (BDAG), a project that’s quietly turned execution into firepower, hitting milestones that echo the early growth days of Bitcoin and establishing itself as a credible, dominant force among competitors.

The question for investors is simple: in a market that thrives on hype, which projects are actually building staying power? Let’s break down the signals.

Stellar Under Pressure: Heavy Selling, Institutional Clues

Stellar’s XLM token has been caught in a tug-of-war. Over the last day, it swung between $0.34 and $0.36, a modest 5% range that speaks volumes about investor caution. Trading volume jumped to more than 70 million tokens, with heavy midnight selling pushing prices down to $0.34 before buyers tried, and failed, to sustain a rebound above $0.36.

Adding to the pressure, South Korean exchange Bithumb confirmed it will suspend deposits on September 3 for Stellar’s pending network upgrades. At the same time, Ripple’s successful bank integrations have kept the spotlight on payments, tightening the competitive field Stellar operates.

Still, institutional traders seem to be circling. Analysts point to longer-term targets of $0.62–$0.95 if accumulation holds. For now, though, Stellar looks like it’s waiting for its next catalyst, with its fate hanging on whether it can prove relevance in a crowded payments race.

Hyperliquid’s Record Revenue Meets Speculation Concerns

If Stellar is struggling for attention, Hyperliquid is the opposite. The decentralized derivatives exchange reported a record $106M in revenue for August, up 23% from July. Trading activity surged to nearly $400B in perpetual contracts, giving it a commanding 70% market share over rivals like Jupiter and Orderly Network.

Its success isn’t accidental. Hyperliquid runs on HyperEVM, a custom Layer-1 blockchain optimized for speed and low costs. That technical edge has lured in serious players, including 21Shares, which launched an exchange-traded product tied to Hyperliquid on the Swiss SIX exchange.

But growth has brought its share of headaches. Last month, manipulation of Hyperliquid’s XPL token futures wiped out traders in minutes, raising alarms about how speculation and high leverage can destabilize even the strongest platforms. In response, the team rolled out new guardrails, including tighter price deviation limits and external data checks.

For investors, Hyperliquid looks like a paradox: one of DeFi’s most lucrative platforms, yet still vulnerable to the very speculation that fuels its success.

BlockDAG: Quiet Delivery, Bitcoin-Like Echoes

While Stellar fights for relevance and Hyperliquid manages speculation, BlockDAG has taken a different path: executing steadily without relying on noise. The project has already raised $405M, sold 26.2B coins, and signed up 325K holders. More than 3M mobile miners now use the X1 app daily, and 19,800 ASIC miners have shipped across 130 countries, generating $7.9M in hardware sales.

That adoption curve isn’t just about numbers; it’s about strategy. Rather than flooding headlines with big promises, BlockDAG has followed a playbook closer to Bitcoin’s early days: let usage and adoption tell the story. Each presale batch is another marker of traction, and at today’s presale price of $0.0013, the asymmetric upside is hard to ignore.

Early buyers at $0.001 are already sitting on 2,900% ROI, while those who entered at $0.0016 secured 1175% gains. With a confirmed listing price of $0.05 and long-term analyst projections pointing to $1, the potential runway looks massive, nearly 77,000% upside from the current entry point.

Whales have noticed too, with multi-million-dollar buys cementing confidence. Unlike many projects that scramble post-listing, BlockDAG will hit exchanges with infrastructure and adoption already in motion.

Why BlockDAG Steals the Spotlight

Stellar shows what happens when a project has strong roots but struggles to differentiate in a competitive niche. Hyperliquid highlights how even successful platforms can wobble when speculation outpaces safeguards. Both have roles in the market, but neither offers the clear asymmetric entry point that BlockDAG does.

BlockDAG’s difference is visibility backed by proof: $405M raised, 26.2B coins sold, 325K holders, millions of miners already engaged, and whales voting with their wallets. Its leadership transparency and a structured roadmap, 45 batches toward a $600M goal, give it a credibility most presales lack.

For those asking what the best crypto to buy right now might be, BlockDAG’s $0.0013 presale price could be remembered the way Bitcoin’s early cents once were: as the entry point that defined a generation of returns.

Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network

Website: https://blockdag.network

Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial

Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu