In a year where Bitcoin and Ethereum dominated headlines with institutional inflows and regulatory milestones, a quieter player has managed to outperform both by a wide margin: XDC Network’s native token, XDC.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Over the past 12 months:
XDC surged by roughly 206%, climbing from under $0.03 to nearly $0.08, as various RWA worth billions came on XDC, accelerating the ecosystem’s growth.
Bitcoin gained around 109%, doubling in value as spot ETFs and macro trends renewed institutional interest.
Ethereum advanced approximately 93%, buoyed by ETF approvals and steady adoption across DeFi and NFTs.
This performance positions XDC as one of the most overlooked winners of the year, quietly surpassing the returns of crypto’s two largest players.
Why Did XDC Outperform?
Unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are entrenched as digital gold and decentralized finance infrastructure, respectively, XDC has carved a niche in the real-world assets (RWA) and trade finance sector.
Enterprise Adoption: XDC is designed for tokenizing real-world assets, enabling faster settlements and streamlining global trade, areas with trillion-dollar potential.
Cost Efficiency: With near-zero gas fees and energy-efficient consensus, it provides an attractive alternative to Ethereum’s high transaction costs.
Native USDC + CCTP V2 coming to XDC: On Aug. 26, 2025, Circle announced that USDC and CCTP V2 are coming to the XDC Network, providing a regulated, on-chain dollar for RWA, trade, and DeFi flows on XDC.
U.S. Access Expanded: Kraken & Binance. US. Kraken listed XDC on September 2, 2025, and Binance.US lists XDC (XDC/USDT), providing U.S. users with straightforward, regulated access to buy and trade XDC.
XDC operates on Delegated Proof-of-Stake (XDPoS), which the project documents as being orders of magnitude less energy-intensive than proof-of-work networks, with seconds-level finality and negligible fees. These attributes align with ESG-screened mandates and large institutions seeking to reduce the environmental footprint of on-chain activity.
21Shares launched an XDC ETP on the SIX Swiss Exchange in August 2025, now managing over $30 million in assets under management (AUM). This move opened regulated institutional exposure to XDC and bolstered its legitimacy.
Long-Term Analysis & Bull Case
Some analysts envision a 12x rally if the broader crypto bull cycle returns, leveraging XDC’s hybrid architecture, enterprise focus, and regulatory alignment as key growth levers.
This blend of utility and strategic positioning in a growing market segment has fueled XDC’s price momentum.
BTC and ETH Still Dominate Headlines
Despite XDC’s standout growth, Bitcoin and Ethereum remain the undisputed anchors of the digital asset ecosystem.
Bitcoin’s ETF milestone has legitimized its role as a macro hedge for institutions.
Ethereum’s roadmap toward scaling (Danksharding, Layer-2 growth) reinforces its dominance in decentralized applications.
Yet, these well-established giants saw lower relative returns than XDC, underscoring how smaller networks can sometimes deliver outsized gains.
The Investor Angle
For investors, the lesson is clear: while Bitcoin and Ethereum remain essential for stability and liquidity, emerging layer-1 networks like XDC can deliver asymmetric upside, particularly when backed by real-world adoption.
Analysts suggest that XDC’s performance may not be an isolated event but rather the start of broader recognition for blockchain projects focused on enterprise-grade solutions. As of today, XDC trades at around $0.079–$0.080 and is available on major venues, including Kraken, Binance US, KuCoin, Bybit, Gate.io, MEXC, Bitget, HTX, Bitrue, and many more.
The past year has reminded investors that crypto is more than just Bitcoin and Ethereum. XDC’s 200% rally demonstrates how overlooked assets with strong fundamentals can quietly outperform market leaders.
