It looks like things are heating up again in crypto. Between rising institutional flows, meme coins going viral, and friendlier regulation, it’s feeling like the early stages of something bigger. It’s too soon to say whether this is the start of a bull market – but there’s definitely movement.
If you’re looking for the top altcoins to watch this summer, a few names are beginning to stand out. One is a meme coin that pays you in Bitcoin, while another is a DeFi protocol rethinking stablecoins. And the third is building a whole new market around future yield.
When was the last time holding a meme coin earned you real Bitcoin? That’s the pitch behind BTC Bull Token (BTCBULL), and it’s got people paying attention. With under two weeks left in its presale and more than $7.2 million raised, it’s already landed a “next 100x” crypto prediction from Umar Khan at 99Bitcoins.
Here’s how it works: BTC Bull Token rewards holders when Bitcoin hits three big milestones. If BTC reaches $150,000, $200,000, or $250,000, presale investors will receive real Bitcoin. But only presale buyers qualify, and once you sell, you lose access to those rewards.
That setup means most presale buyers are planning to hold, which could create serious supply pressure once BTCBULL lists on exchanges. On top of that, the team will burn a chunk of the supply at every $75,000 BTC milestone, starting at $125,000 – another lever to drive scarcity as demand ramps up.
If you’re into passive income, staking is live too, with an APY set at 57% (though that will drop as more tokens get locked). Still, that hasn’t stopped investors from locking up over 1.8 billion BTCBULL, so interest is clearly there.
Even the timing is interesting. Bitcoin ETFs are setting records, firms like Metaplanet are accumulating BTC, and market sentiment is turning bullish. If even a fraction of that capital flows into Bitcoin-themed altcoins, BTCBULL could be in a strong spot. Visit BTC Bull Token Presale.
Sky Protocol (SKY) might not be making headlines like the meme coins, but it’s pulling off one of the more ambitious DeFi pivots we’ve seen lately. It’s the next phase of MakerDAO – a full-on rebrand with upgraded governance, a new stablecoin (USDS), and a revamped token model.
The swap from MKR to SKY is well underway. Early holders get 24,000 SKY per MKR, but come September, that conversion rate drops to 0.78 SKY per MKR if you haven’t switched. This setup has encouraged holders to make the move now.
Once converted, SKY holders can stake their tokens and earn USDS – basically letting you generate a stable yield while shaping protocol decisions. And USDS itself is doing well. There’s over $7 billion in supply, thanks in large part to institutional partnerships,
USDS is already running cross-chain on Ethereum, Arbitrum, and Optimism. Sky is even rolling out censorship-resistant data layers and prepping for an AI-driven automation push. So, if you’re into governance, yield, and DeFi, Sky deserves a look in June.
If DeFi has a “power user” corner, Pendle (PENDLE) is definitely in it. The protocol has been around since 2021, quietly building a platform where you can split up your yield-bearing assets and trade the future yield separately. It’s essentially turning staking rewards into their own market.
You deposit something like stETH, and Pendle splits it into two tokens: one holds the principal (PT), and the other allows you to trade the yield (YT). That opens up all sorts of possibilities, whether you’re hedging or trying to squeeze extra gains out of market moves.
Pendle’s tech is solid. Their AMM is specifically designed for time-decaying assets, making it more capital-efficient and reducing the usual impermanent loss issues. Governance happens through vePENDLE – you stake it, vote on proposals, and earn protocol fees.
The team is making moves right now as well. They’ve opened up to community-created yield markets, expanded into RWAs, and launched a cbBTC yield product on Base. The PENDLE token is sitting at $3.88 at the moment, 48% below its all-time high, giving traders a chance to get in at a decent price in June.
