Michaël van de Poppe Names ZEC, HYPE, VVV, LIT and NEAR as Leading Altcoin Narratives
Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe says a new group of altcoin narratives is beginning to stand out as liquidity returns to the digital asset market. In a recent post, he identified Zcash, Hyperliquid, Venice Token, Lighter and NEAR as the assets currently leading the market’s narrative rotation.
Five Altcoins Stand Out
Van de Poppe pointed to ZEC, HYPE, VVV, LIT and NEAR as the current leaders, arguing that narrative strength is building as more liquidity moves into crypto. His comments focus on market rotation rather than a claim that the five assets will continue outperforming.
Zcash has been particularly visible in recent trading. Market data shows ZEC moving from a September 15 close near $1,111 to above $1,500 on September 18, highlighting the scale of the recent move.
Lighter has also attracted attention. LIT gained roughly 18% over a recent 24-hour period, with coverage pointing to factors including Circle Arc integration, whale activity and a technical breakout. The move has placed Lighter among the smaller group of altcoins receiving significant market attention.
Venice Token has recorded similarly strong short-term price movement. VVV rose from about $21.33 on September 15 to above $25 by September 18, although its price has also experienced sharp daily swings during that period.
NEAR and HYPE complete the group identified by Van de Poppe. Their inclusion is notable because the five assets represent different areas of the crypto market, including privacy, decentralized exchanges, AI-related infrastructure and layer-1 blockchain ecosystems.
The combination suggests that the current rotation is not concentrated around a single sector. Instead, traders are paying attention to several separate narratives at the same time, which can happen when market participants begin searching beyond the largest cryptocurrencies for assets showing stronger momentum.
Van de Poppe also warned that investors should not overlook narratives that are only beginning to develop. His view is that the market may already be forming its next group of themes before a broader altcoin rotation becomes obvious.
DeFi Moves Onto the Watchlist
The analyst specifically mentioned Arbitrum, Uniswap and Aave as assets he is monitoring alongside the broader DeFi sector. That shift is important because it points toward a possible second layer of market rotation beyond the five tokens currently receiving the most attention.
The DeFi names represent established protocols rather than newer narrative-driven assets. Arbitrum is associated with Ethereum scaling, Uniswap with decentralized trading and Aave with decentralized lending, giving traders several different ways to express a renewed interest in on-chain financial activity.
Liquidity will remain an important variable. A strong move in one or two tokens does not necessarily indicate a broad-based altcoin market, particularly when gains are concentrated among a relatively small number of assets.
Recent market data illustrates that selective strength is already visible. LIT, for example, has been supported by renewed trading activity and network developments, while VVV and ZEC have also posted substantial recent moves.
The bigger question is whether capital continues rotating into additional sectors. If DeFi tokens begin attracting sustained liquidity alongside the current leaders, the market structure could look different from a rally driven by only a handful of individual coins.
For now, Van de Poppe’s comments provide a snapshot of where one prominent market analyst sees emerging strength. ZEC, HYPE, VVV, LIT and NEAR are currently on his radar, while ARB, UNI, AAVE and DeFi are being watched for signs that the next group of crypto narratives is starting to form.
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