Top Tokens for Passive Income in 2025

Introduction

In the ever-evolving world of crypto, select tokens offer more than speculative value—they provide actual passive income opportunities. In this guide, we explore five prominent tokens—XRP, IOTA, Bitcoin, VeChain, and Chainlink—and walk through various earning strategies such as staking, lending, liquidity provision, node operation, and innovative DeFi integrations. This article explores Top Tokens for Passive Income in 2025:

1. XRP (Ripple)

Although XRP can’t be “staked” on its native XRP Ledger due to its Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA), there are several creative passive income avenues available.

a) Lending & Yield Accounts

Platforms like Nexo, YouHodler, Kraken, Binance, Bybit, and WhiteBIT offer varying rates—from around 1% APY (Kraken) to up to 12% (YouHodler tiers, WhiteBIT locked) CoinCodex nexofly.com CryptoManiaksNFT Evening.
Terms range from flexible (withdraw anytime) to fixed (30–360 days).

b) DeFi Liquidity (AMMs & Wrapped XRP)

XRPL supports Automated Market Makers (AMMs): you can pair XRP with another token and earn a share of trading fees—typically low single digits to ~10% APR XRP Authority CryptoManiaks.
Wrapped XRP (wXRP) opens paths to Ethereum DeFi: lending, yield farming, staking in DeFi protocols XRP AuthorityCryptoManiaks Datawallet.

c) Real-World Asset (RWA) Yield

XRP is increasingly being used as collateral or liquidity in RWA tokenization on XRPL—think tokenized real estate or lending pools—yielding income tied to real-world economic activity Datawallet.

d) Validator Nodes & Liquidity Provision

Running an XRP validator node contributes to network integrity—but requires technical skill and XRP collateral XRP Authority.
Providing liquidity to centralized or decentralized exchanges also earns fees—but comes with standard market/impermanent loss risks XRP Authority Investopedia.

e) Rewards & Play-to-Earn

XRP cashback programs, NFT marketplaces, and play-to-earn games on XRPL can generate small but consistent income streams XRP Authority.

2. IOTA

IOTA’s unique DAG-based model and focus on Microtransactions and IoT use cases yield some interesting earning methods—but rewards remain limited.

a) Staking via DPoS-style Delegation (Staking-like)

Some sources suggest simplified staking via validator delegation—but official evidence is currently weak. The IOTA wallet Meria claims a DPoS-like staking flow—but this may not reflect widespread or secure adoption Meria.

b) Node Operation & Mana Leasing

With IOTA 2.0, “Mana” (a reputation metric) may be leaseable. Node operators could earn by leasing Mana, though markets are yet to mature Reddit+1.

c) Gamified Liquidity Contributions

IOTA Heroes, an RPG game on IOTA EVM, rewards liquidity contributions with gameplay advantages and exclusive loot drops Reddit.

Bottom line: IOTA passive income remains experimental—early movers via Mana leasing or gamified DeFi could benefit, but be cautious.

3. Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin itself doesn’t produce yield—but several growing pathways allow holders to earn returns on idle BTC.

a) Lending & Savings Platforms

Services like Nexo, Ledn, CoinLoan, Atomic Finance, Crypto.com, and Celsius offer interest rates from ~3% to 16% APY, depending on loyalty tiers and payout frequency Blockchain Council Traders Union.

b) Institutional-Regulated Real Yield (e.g., IXS)

Innovators like IXS Real Yield are created under regulation, allowing BTC holders to earn 4–10% APY via tokenized fixed-income instruments (e.g., Treasuries) without selling BTC exposure ixs.finance.

c) Wrapped/Staked BTC in DeFi

Wrapped BTC (WBTC, renBTC) enables staking and liquidity provision in DeFi—though users must take on smart contract and custodian risks ixs.finance tokensplash.io.

d) Yield-Farming DeFi & Liquid Staking Innovations

DeFi platforms—Yearn, Beefy, Aave, Curve—accept BTC or wrapped BTC for yield farming.
Liquid staking, restaking, and LSTs allow you to keep BTC liquidity while earning multiple rewards arXiv.

e) Lightning Network Node Running

Operating a Lightning node earns routing fees (~1% annual return) while maintaining custody of BTC—plus low cost entry via Raspberry Pi setups Reddit.

f) Covered Call Strategies

Hold BTC and sell call options to earn premiums. Caps upside but delivers streaming income ixs.finance.

g) Yield-bearing Tokens (e.g., SolvBTC)

Innovations like SolvBTC or $yBTC allow yield income (5–30%) by holding BTC in multichain yield-bearing tokens Reddit.

h) Lending via Decentralized Platforms (e.g., Zest Protocol)

P2P lending platforms like Zest offer decentralized Bitcoin lending with passive income potential—backed by VC interest Reuters.

4. VeChain (VET & VTHO)

VeChain uses a dual-token model where simply holding VET generates VTHO—which is used to pay for network gas and can be considered passive income.

a) VTHO Yield from Holding VET

VET holders receive VTHO regularly through VeChain’s PoA-based VeChainThor blockchain. The VTHO can be sold or used to pay fees—a built-in yield mechanism Investopedia.

b) Economic & X Nodes

Holding specific thresholds of VET qualifies you as an Economic Node (on-chain governance) or X-node (earn VTHO per VET held) Investopedia.

c) Wallet Staking Tools

Wallets like Exodus allow passive VET staking to accumulate VTHO, simplifying the process for non-technical users YouTube+1.

d) Enterprise Integrations

VeChain’s real-world usage in supply chain, IoT, and enterprise (PwC, Microsoft, Renault) increases demand for VET—indirectly supporting long-term holders Investopedia.

5. Chainlink (LINK)

Chainlink doesn’t offer staking yet—but several evolving models may eventually support passive earnings.

a) Future Staking & Node Operation

Chainlink is working toward staking of LINK to secure oracles—thus expected to provide future staking rewards.

b) Long-Term Holding (HODL)

As Chainlink adoption grows, LINK’s value may appreciate. Holding rather than trading can generate passive gains.

c) Yield via Wrapped LINK & DeFi

Wrapped LINK enables participation in DeFi lending or liquidity pools—though returns and risks are similar to other DeFi-wrapped assets.

Summary Table

Token	Passive Income Methods	Key Risks
XRP	CeFi interest, AMMs, wXRP DeFi, RWA yield, validator nodes	Counterparty, impermanent loss, wrap risks
IOTA	Mana leasing, gaming incentives, node operation	Immature ecosystem, uncertain returns
Bitcoin	Lending, regulated yield, wrapped staking, Lightning nodes, covered calls, yield-bearing tokens	Custodial, smart contract, regulatory risk
VeChain	Holding VET → VTHO, node rewards, enterprise use	Low VTHO yield, network centralization
Chainlink	Future staking, DeFi farming via wrapped LINK, HODLing	No current yield, smart contract risks

Final Thoughts

XRP: Best for passive yield via CeFi or exploring RWA and DeFi via wrapped tokens.
IOTA: Experimental—gaming and Mana strategies may pay off long term.
Bitcoin: Diverse options—including regulated yield products—makes BTC a surprisingly active income asset.
VeChain: Built-in gas yield from VTHO is simple and steady, though low.
Chainlink: HODL now, staking later—potential upside via oracle network growth.