If you’re looking for cryptos to buy, it is still not too late. As I’ve said many times over the past year, the crypto bull run was likely going to kick off in 2024. It’s now clear we’re in the midst of it, thanks to three key catalysts aligning in crypto’s favor.

The first is the launch of Bitcoin (BTC-USD) spot ETFs, which have already attracted billions of dollars flowing into BTC. The second is the upcoming Bitcoin halving this April, which will cut mining rewards in half. And the third is impending rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, with up to three expected this year. That kind of monetary loosening could give cryptos a significant boost.

Bitcoin has already hit a new high with just one of these catalysts in play — the spot ETFs. But I believe there’s plenty more upside ahead once the halving happens and rate cuts provide more fuel. This bull run is unique because Bitcoin reached a new all-time high before its halving event. To me, that’s an extremely bullish sign that we could see even bigger gains later on.

This is a rare opportunity to capitalize on multiple catalysts all hitting the crypto market at once. Bitcoin has already blasted off, but many altcoins remain undervalued. The gains we’ll see over the next year have the potential to be truly life-changing. The most obvious picks will go first, and then we’ll move on to more niche altcoins. Let’s take a look!

Bitcoin (BTC-USD)

The excitement around Bitcoin seems to be wearing off as the king of crypto has been trading sideways around $70,000 per coin for a while now. Yes, it hit a new all-time high less than a month ago, but people already appear to be getting cold feet. However, don’t let this near-term price action fool you! I firmly believe Bitcoin has legs to run to $100,000 or higher.

While we may still see some bearish price action in the near future — Bitcoin has historically undergone a correction just before or right after the halving if we look at previous bull runs — the months following the halving is where the real fireworks begin. Moreover, Bitcoin could just continue its upward march in the short term too. Anyone who’s been through a previous bull run knows that the dips and cooldowns are prime opportunities to accumulate.

This logic only applies to major crypto projects like Bitcoin, which will inevitably keep climbing higher due to its built-in scarcity. With the halving only weeks away now, you shouldn’t hesitate to add more Bitcoin to your portfolio for the long haul. Bitcoin should always be your core holding unless you’re swinging for the fences and targeting oversized gains.

Ethereum (ETH-USD)

Ethereum (ETH-USD) is another core holding that you should keep in your crypto portfolio if you want to maintain balance. Bitcoin and Ethereum are two of the safest investments you can make in crypto. What sets Ethereum apart from Bitcoin is that its blockchain supports all the fancy Web 3.0 stuff.

Ethereum is essentially at the forefront of Web 3.0 development. When you hear about smart contracts, NFTs and decentralized apps (dApps) that run on the blockchain, they’re usually running on Ethereum’s blockchain. That’s because, unlike Bitcoin’s blockchain, Ethereum has smart contract support.

Another unique aspect of Ethereum is its proof-of-stake model. This means Ethereum doesn’t rely on mining to create more supply, like Bitcoin does. While this may seem like a negative since it implies Ethereum is less scarce than Bitcoin, it’s actually the opposite right now. Ethereum’s switch from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake caused a drop in supply and turned it deflationary, with annual supply inflation of -2%.

I’m very bullish on Ethereum in the long run, as it’s the center of most blockchain development. The most bullish factor is that many top cryptos to buy are actually based on Ethereum and depend on its blockchain. These ERC20 tokens require ETH for transactions, and that creates even more demand for ETH. What makes me the most bullish is that Ethereum could see its own spot ETFs go live soon, which could send it soaring.

Solana (SOL-USD)

Speaking of Ethereum and smart contracts, Solana (SOL-USD) is another cryptocurrency that supports smart contracts. So what makes Solana unique? Essentially, speed and cost (or lack of cost!). Solana’s blockchain is lightning-fast, capable of handling thousands of transactions for mere pennies. It also supports smart contracts just like Ethereum.

Solana has been steadily chipping away at Ethereum’s NFT market share, as many users find Ethereum’s blockchain too expensive to use. Gas fees on Ethereum can be downright prohibitive for smaller transactions, whereas Solana’s fees are negligible in comparison. This has led to an explosion of NFT activity on Solana, with new marketplaces and projects popping up left and right.

While Solana is still a distant second to Ethereum in terms of overall adoption and market cap, it’s been one of the fastest-growing blockchain ecosystems over the past year. Its native token, SOL, has seen tremendous price appreciation as a result. I believe Solana will continue to gain ground on Ethereum, especially as more developers and users flock to its fast and cheap blockchain. If you’re looking for a high-potential altcoin to add to your portfolio, Solana should definitely be on your radar.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH-USD), Nano (XNO-USD)

Bitcoin Cash (BCH-USD) and Nano (XNO-USD) are two altcoins that aim to solve Bitcoin’s scalability issues, albeit in different ways. BCH is a hard fork of Bitcoin that increased the block size limit, allowing for faster and cheaper transactions. Nano, on the other hand, uses a unique block-lattice structure that enables near-instant, feeless transactions.

Both of these projects have struggled to gain widespread adoption. Bitcoin Cash has been controversial due to Craig Wright, who falsely claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto. On the other hand, Nano has failed to gain traction as well. I blame Nano’s failure on its team not doing any marketing.

That being said, I believe both of these coins could see significant upside during the upcoming altcoin season. Bitcoin Cash still has a large and dedicated community, and its faster, cheaper transactions could be appealing to users fed up with Bitcoin’s high fees. Nano’s instant and free transactions are a major selling point, and the project could gain steam if it secures some high-profile partnerships or exchange listings. BCH has a lot more merchants that accept it, and it is compatible with Coingate and Coinbase. Nano is still very under-the-radar.

Bittensor (TAO-USD)

Bittensor (TAO-USD) and other AI cryptos to buy have been absolutely crushing it in recent months. They’ve been the top-performing altcoin projects, delivering multibagger returns before the altcoin season has even kicked into high gear. I believe they have a lot more room to run in the long term.

It’s an open-source protocol that powers a decentralized, blockchain-based machine-learning network. Machine learning models train collaboratively and are rewarded in TAO based on the value they provide to the network. TAO also allows external access, enabling users to extract information from the network while tuning its activities to their needs.

TAO has gone through a bit of a cooldown recently, but I’m confident it can still rise significantly in the long run. AI is one of the hottest sectors right now, and the intersection of AI and blockchain technology is particularly exciting. As more developers build on top of Bittensor and more users tap into its network.

Fetch.ai (FET-USD), PAAL AI (PAAL-USD)

Fetch.ai (FET-USD) and PAAL AI (PAAL-USD) are two smaller AI crypto projects that have also been putting up impressive numbers. I’m heavily bullish on both of these coins heading into the altcoin season, as I expect the AI hype to fully spill over into the crypto space.

Fetch.ai is focused on building a decentralized machine-learning network that can coordinate autonomous agents in the real world. The potential applications are vast, ranging from supply-chain optimization to decentralized ride-sharing. With a market cap of $2.5 billion, Fetch.ai is the larger of the two projects.

PAAL, on the other hand, is an “advanced chatbot built on AI and machine learning technologies.” It’s designed to streamline tasks that typically require human intelligence. PAAL’s market cap is smaller at $550 million.

Both Fetch.ai and PAAL have gone parabolic over the past month, but I believe they still have massive upside potential in the long run. The AI revolution is just getting started, and these projects are at the forefront of applying AI to real-world use cases. I called out PAAL in late January. I also called out FET in December. Both turned out to be 5-baggers!

Openfabric AI (OFN-USD) and Tatsu (TAT-USD)

Openfabric (OFN-USD) and Tatsu (TAT-USD) are two more new AI projects that have caught my eye recently. As I’ve been saying, AI and related crypto projects have been the biggest winners in percentage terms this year, and I firmly believe their disproportionate outperformance will continue in the coming months, especially as the eagerly awaited Altseason arrives.

Openfabric is positioning itself as a decentralized, layer-1 blockchain protocol specialized for AI applications. Its goal is to “democratize access to powerful AI capabilities” for all users at low cost. Many developers are already building exciting next-gen AI applications on its platform. Tatsu is very similar.

Both OFN and TAT have cooled off a bit from their recent highs, but I wouldn’t count them out just yet. They still have the potential to deliver multibagger returns during the next leg up. With Openfabric AI’s market cap at just $34 million and Tatsu’s at a mere $31 million as of writing, the upside could indeed be massive once these under-the-radar AI plays come into the spotlight and get listed on more top exchanges.

Injective (INJ-USD)

Injective (INJ-USD) has been the standout performer among DeFi cryptos this cycle, and I believe it still has plenty of room to run. INJ currently sits at a respectable market capitalization of $3.3 billion, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit $10 billion or more once the Altseason kicks into high gear.

I’m quite bullish on DeFi cryptos in general, as they stand to benefit tremendously from the higher trading volumes that are sure to come in the next few months. Sure, crypto volumes are already high by traditional standards, but the real surge will arrive with the Altseason. Most people are ultimately trading cryptos to make money. I wouldn’t ignore DeFi plays.

Injective’s provides a fully decentralized, MEV-resistant on-chain order book and the ability to trade all manner of financial instruments — spot, perpetual futures, options — fully on-chain.

The platform also boasts decentralized cross-chain bridging compatible with Ethereum, IBC-enabled blockchains and even non-AVM chains like Solana. Add in a next-gen interoperable smart contract platform with advanced interchain capabilities, and you have a DeFi powerhouse in the making. It is one of the best DeFi cryptos to buy, though the upside may be a bit limited.

Woo (WOO-USD) and SmarDex (SDEX-USD)

If Injective’s multi-billion dollar valuation gives you pause, Woo (WOO-USD) and SmarDex (SDEX-USD) might be more your speed. Both are solid DeFi cryptos to buy, as they have already delivered multibagger returns since I last wrote about them. But in my view, they’re still very attractive bets before the Altseason mania hits in earnest.

Woo is a dApp offering swaps, perpetuals, staking and yield-generating pools. It bills itself as “the easiest way to DeFi” and is already deployed on 10+ mainstream networks.

SmarDex, on the other hand, is a protocol that claims to optimize impermanent loss using proprietary tech — and, in some cases, even generate impermanent gains. It’s taking direct aim at DeFi giants like Uniswap (UNI-USD), betting that its superior tech will win out.

Both WOO and SDEX have posted very bullish trends and outperformed the broader DeFi market’s gains. But much like the overall crypto market, they’ve cooled down a bit recently. I view this as an excellent buying opportunity.

Woo’s market cap of $850 million is nothing to sneeze at, but SmarDex’s current $150 million valuation makes me think it has more potential upside in the long run.

Avalanche (AVAX-USD), Algorand (ALGO-USD), Tectum (TET-USD)

Avalanche (AVAX-USD), Algorand (ALGO-USD) and Tectum (TET-USD) all belong to the same category of cryptos to buy — layer-1 blockchains. Yes, I’ve discussed other layer-1 plays before, but these are much smaller names that are still trading at a discount compared to their larger peers.

I’m convinced that these alternative layer-1 cryptos to buy can deliver outsized returns come Altseason. Ethereum is congested and expensive right now, but it’s far from where it can be when the Altseason arrives and transaction volumes go through the roof. This causes many people — developers included — to jump ship to other crypto ecosystems.

Ethereum has layer-2 scaling solutions, but they aren’t exactly user-friendly. Many devs and users would rather just take the path of least resistance and use a different chain altogether. That’s where Avalanche, Algorand and Tectum come in.

Avalanche and Algorand are more established names that have proven their mettle, performing very well during the last cycle. I expect more of the same this time around.

Tectum, however, is a bit of a dark horse with a market cap of just $155 million. It was listed on CoinMarketCap last July. TET has been consolidating since January, but I suspect a breakout could be close.

Kaspa (KAS-USD)

Kaspa (KAS-USD) has been one of the standout performers when it comes to new blockchain tech. It uses blockDAG technology to enable parallel transaction processing akin to a peer-to-peer mesh network. This allows information to be sent directly to its destination, in contrast with the traditional blockchain model of node-based consensus for transaction confirmation.

It’s no wonder KAS has skyrocketed 270% over the past year. I firmly believe Kaspa’s market cap could soar past $10 billion if this Altseason lives up to the hype. However, I do have one bone to pick with Kaspa — the lack of smart contract functionality. By focusing solely on transactions, the developers risk limiting Kaspa’s differentiation from chains like Nano and BCH. As such, Kaspa is one of the high-risk, high-reward cryptos to buy, at least in my book. If you are willing to roll the dice, the potential payoff could be massive.

Alephium (ALPH-USD) and Pyrin (PYI-USD)

Alephium (ALPH-USD) and Pyrin (PYI-USD) are two projects that are very similar to Kaspa. The first one, Alephium, has already posted impressive gains in the recent market surge, but I’m convinced the lion’s share of the upside is yet to come. If Alephium can follow in Kaspa’s footsteps, early investors could be laughing all the way to the bank. Like Kaspa, Alephium supports mining and boasts a feature-rich blockchain. Transaction speeds are in the same ballpark, though Alephium’s 4-second confirmation time lags slightly behind Kaspa’s 1-second benchmark.

But here’s where Alephium truly shines — smart contract support and sharding capabilities. With the potential to achieve 10,000+ TPS through sharding, Alephium seems grossly undervalued compared to Kaspa’s 20x higher market cap. Pyrin, a Kaspa fork, is another compelling contender. It combines BlockDAG and GhostDAG with smart contracts and ASIC resistance. With a mere $24.3 million market cap versus Alephium’s $169 million, Pyrin also offers an attractive risk-reward profile.

Render Token (RNDR-USD)

Render Token (RNDR-USD) is another option among cryptos to buy that’s delivered jaw-dropping returns since I first put it on your radar when it was trading around $1.30. Fast forward to today, and RNDR has rocketed past the $10 mark.

Render Token’s decentralized platform allows users to lend their GPU computing power in exchange for RNDR while enabling others to tap into that power via the blockchain. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

With the impending rise of resource-hungry text-to-video models like Sora, Render is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the surging demand for GPU power. By allowing global GPU power sharing. If text-based AI models are already pushing computing demand to new heights, the Render Token ecosystem is poised for explosive growth in the coming years once Sora goes live.

iExec RLC (RLC-USD)

iExec RLC (RLC-USD) is another crypto cloud computing project.

The primary use case for iExec RLC is providing computational resources for blockchain applications. DApps can tap into iExec’s decentralized infrastructure to execute complex computations.

While Render focuses specifically on providing rendering power, iExec RLC caters to a broader range of computational needs. Nonetheless, I believe both projects fall under the umbrella of cloud-computing cryptos to buy — a segment that is poised for explosive growth as the demand for blockchain-based computing power-sharing becomes more mainstream, particularly among institutions.

With a market capitalization of around $270 million at the time of writing, iExec RLC has plenty of room for growth. As more DApps seek out decentralized computing solutions, RLC could very well be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Golem (GLM-USD)

Golem (GLM-USD) is another project in the same vein as iExec RLC, which has also been experiencing a surge in price action lately. Golem’s focus is on creating a “decentralized supercomputer network” by using idle computing resources from individual users.

What sets Golem apart is that it allows all sorts of computing. Render specializes in rendering and RLC specializes in computing. Golem’s general-purpose approach could make it appealing to a broader user base. And with a market cap of $570 million, Golem has the potential to soar past the $2 billion mark if the Altseason kicks into high gear.

Dogecoin (DOGE-USD)

Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) is the OG meme coin that just won’t quit. The Dogecoin community’s unwavering support and Elon Musk’s occasional shout outs have kept the DOGE train chugging along, fueling its recent price action. Unlike most meme coins, Dogecoin boasts its own blockchain and allows mining, setting it apart from the pack.

I’ve got a hunch that DOGE could finally smash through the $1 barrier this time around, a feat it narrowly missed during the last bull run. With whispers of an impending “meme season” growing louder by the day, Dogecoin is primed to be a top dog (pun intended) among the meme crypto contenders.

However, I’ll admit that I’m not as bullish on meme cryptos as I am about projects with solid fundamentals. Meme coins are more akin to shots in the dark. That said, we can still make educated guesses based on past bull market trends. So, if the stars align and the crypto bulls keep running, don’t be surprised to see DOGE fetching $1 or more per coin. Definitely one of the safest meme cryptos to buy — as safe as meme coins can go, anyways.

Banano (BAN-USD) and Myro (MYRO-USD)

Banano (BAN-USD) and Myro (MYRO-USD) are two more meme cryptos to buy — for the risk-tolerant investor seeking outsized returns. The first one, Banano, in particular, piques my interest due to its real-world use cases. Users can contribute their computing power to healthcare research in exchange for more Banano. It is built on the same tech as Nano, and Banano’s $13 million market cap leaves plenty of room for growth.

Myro, on the other hand, is a bigger dog in the meme crypto fight. This Solana-based project takes its name from the Solana developer’s own dog. I’m bullish on Myro because of the explosive growth across the entire Solana ecosystem. As Solana continues rising, it’s lifting all the projects in its ecosystem. Myro is well-positioned to benefit from this trend.

On the date of publication, Omor Ibne Ehsan did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.