With the second half of 2025 fast approaching, Finbold probed OpenAI’s ChatGPT to uncover which cryptocurrencies it believes could deliver outsized returns in the year ahead.
The brief was ambitious but clear: identify assets that could realistically turn a $100 investment into $1,000 by 2026.
While a 900% return in 8 months is a high bar, and naturally involves considerable risk, ChatGPT narrowed its picks to two altcoins it believes offer the strongest blend of narrative, adoption potential, and real-world catalysts.
The AI’s reasoning leaned on macro trends, upcoming regulatory shifts, and ongoing institutional interest, especially in areas with growing infrastructure and enterprise-grade use cases.
XRP is pick number 1
The first pick is XRP, currently trading at $2.31. ChatGPT pointed to XRP’s continued traction with international financial institutions and the potential for a U.S.-based spot ETF approval as major upside drivers.
A $50 investment today buys approximately 21.6 XRP tokens, and the model suggests a plausible target of around $11.50 by 2026, a fivefold increase. This would value that initial $50 stake at $250. The bullish case rests on a scenario where regulatory clarity boosts institutional inflows, particularly in payments infrastructure.
The AI emphasized that XRP has already been integrated into cross-border transactions and settlement pipelines globally, positioning it as a “realistic, strong catalyst” pick.
Avalanche is pick number 2
The second pick is Avalanche (AVAX) , a smart contract platform and Ethereum competitor known for its high transaction throughput and modular subnetwork architecture. At a current price of $23.59, a $50 allocation nets about 2.12 AVAX. If the token reaches $118, that investment could grow to $250.
ChatGPT highlighted Avalanche’s rapidly expanding DeFi ecosystem and corporate partnerships as reasons why the coin has “moderate risk but high-growth potential.” With a much lower market cap relative to competitors like Solana, ChatGPT sees AVAX as well-positioned for strong upside if momentum turns bullish through 2025.
The model was also asked why it excluded more obvious candidates like Bitcoin, Solana, or meme coins like Pepe. It noted that while Bitcoin remains a foundational asset ($109,000 at press time), expecting a 5x move in under a year, to over half a million dollars, would require a major global shock, not just bullish momentum.
Solana, trading around $174, would need to climb to approximately $870 for the same return, which, while not impossible, is a much steeper hill compared to AVAX’s lower base. Pepe, on the other hand, was dismissed as being more driven by hype cycles than by fundamentals, making it an unreliable 5x target.
Featured image via Shutterstock
