Across the mid-cap segment of the market, a group of sub-$50 tokens tied to exchanges and high-throughput networks has continued to attract trading flows.
These assets tend to sit at the intersection of liquidity, infrastructure and speculation, offering exposure to core pieces of crypto market plumbing without the high unit prices of large-cap coins. Hyperliquid’s HYPE, Avalanche’s AVAX, Uniswap’s UNI and KuCoin’s KCS each link directly to venues where spot and derivatives volumes remain active. Together they form a basket of tokens whose value is closely tied to exchange activity, DeFi adoption and broader risk appetite in digital assets.
HYPE (Hyperliquid)
HYPE is the ecosystem token of the Hyperliquid perpetuals DEX, giving it direct leverage to on-chain derivatives volumes. The project positions itself as a high-performance, order-book style exchange, seeking to replicate the experience of centralized venues while preserving self-custody. As more volume migrates from CEXs into on-chain perps, fee flows and incentive programs around HYPE can become a key driver of demand. The token remains highly sensitive to trading activity and protocol growth, making it a high-beta play on the structural shift toward decentralized derivatives.
Avalanche (AVAX)
AVAX underpins Avalanche’s subnet architecture, which allows projects to deploy dedicated blockchains while sharing a common security and tooling stack. The token is used for staking and transaction fees across the network, tying its value to developer traction and DeFi/NFT usage. Avalanche has carved out a niche among gaming, institutional and app-specific chain deployments, with AVAX often reacting strongly to new subnet launches or liquidity campaigns. Trading below the $50 mark keeps it in focus for investors seeking scalable layer-1 exposure at a mid-range price point.
Uniswap (UNI)
UNI is the governance token of Uniswap, the dominant automated market maker on Ethereum and several layer-2 networks. While UNI does not currently entitle holders to protocol fees, it anchors control over upgrade decisions, fee switches and cross-chain deployments. The token’s performance is closely watched as a proxy for DEX market share and the health of on-chain spot trading. With Uniswap continuing to expand to new rollups and chains, UNI offers liquid, large-venue exposure to DeFi infrastructure within a sub-$50 valuation range.
KuCoin Token (KCS)
KCS is the native token of the KuCoin centralized exchange, used for trading-fee discounts, token sales and periodic buyback-and-burn programs. Its value is directly linked to the platform’s spot and derivatives volumes, as well as to the breadth of listings and retail activity on the venue. Historically, strong bull-market volumes have translated into higher demand for KCS as traders seek fee reductions and staking yields. Positioned below $50, KCS provides leveraged exposure to centralized exchange revenues while remaining more accessible than many large-cap exchange tokens.
Recently we wrote that AVAX One executed a $110 million AVAX token acquisition and initiated a $40 million share buyback program, reflecting increased institutional engagement and confidence in the ecosystem.
