The year 2019 was a pivotal chapter in the evolution of the cryptocurrency market. While Bitcoin remained a dominant force, several altcoins outperformed it by staggering margins, delivering life-changing returns to early adopters and savvy investors. This article explores the top-performing digital assets of 2019—many of which surged by hundreds of percent—offering insights into their growth trajectories, underlying technologies, and market dynamics.
From decentralized oracle networks to scalable blockchain ecosystems, these projects not only delivered impressive financial gains but also advanced the technical frontier of blockchain innovation.
Chainlink: Bridging Blockchains and Real-World Data
Chainlink emerged as one of the standout performers of 2019, capturing the attention of both developers and investors. As a decentralized oracle network, Chainlink connects smart contracts with real-world data sources, enabling trustless, tamper-proof data feeds for applications across finance, insurance, and supply chain.
At the beginning of 2019, LINK traded around $0.31. Growth was steady through the first half of the year, reaching just over $0.45 by May. However, momentum accelerated dramatically in July, with LINK peaking at an all-time high of $3.74 during the first week. Although it pulled back in the following months, it stabilized above $1.90 by year-end.
This represented a gain of over 500% against the U.S. dollar and more than 300% against Bitcoin. Chainlink’s success was fueled by growing institutional interest and increasing adoption in DeFi (decentralized finance) protocols that rely on accurate external data.
Binance Coin (BNB): Utility-Driven Growth
Binance Coin (BNB), originally launched in 2017 as part of the Binance exchange ecosystem, continued its strong performance in 2019. Designed primarily for paying trading fees on the Binance platform, BNB also powers various utility functions such as participating in token sales and accessing premium services.
Starting the year at approximately $6, BNB surged to $35.20 by late May—an increase of over 450% in just five months. The third quarter saw a correction, dropping to $15.79 due to broader market volatility. However, it stabilized near $14 by December.
Despite the pullback, BNB delivered a solid 140% return for the year. Its resilience stemmed from consistent utility within one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges and periodic buybacks funded by company profits.
Tezos (XTZ): On-Chain Governance Gains Traction
Tezos distinguishes itself with its self-amending blockchain architecture and on-chain governance model. By allowing stakeholders to vote on protocol upgrades without hard forks, Tezos offers a more sustainable path for long-term development.
XTZ began 2019 at $0.47 and quickly gained momentum, rising to $1.06 by the end of Q1. It reached its annual peak of $1.88 on May 19 before settling between $1.00 and $1.20 during Q3. A late-year rally pushed XTZ back up to $1.51 by December.
This translated into a 190% increase in value against the USD. The combination of staking rewards and active developer engagement helped maintain investor confidence throughout the year.
Synthetix Network Token (SNX): Powering Synthetic Assets
Synthetix is a decentralized platform that enables the creation of synthetic assets (Synths), which track the price of real-world assets like gold, stocks, and fiat currencies—all on-chain.
SNX started 2019 below $0.07 but began a sustained climb from May onward. Despite a market-wide correction on November 26, SNX maintained upward momentum and reached $1.33 by year-end—a gain of over 200%.
The surge was driven by expanding Synth offerings, increased liquidity mining incentives, and growing demand for decentralized exposure to traditional financial instruments.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH): Modest Gains Amid Scaling Debates
Bitcoin Cash, a hard fork of Bitcoin designed for faster and cheaper transactions, posted a more modest performance in 2019. It began the year at $135 and climbed steadily to over $300 by early April.
On June 26, BCH hit its annual high of **$479.96**, boosted by seasonal speculation and anticipation around upcoming protocol upgrades. However, it declined in Q4, trading around $195 by December.
Overall, BCH delivered a 30% return for the year—solid but underwhelming compared to other altcoins.
Cosmos (ATOM): Interoperability Takes Center Stage
Cosmos positioned itself as the “Internet of Blockchains” in 2019, aiming to solve one of crypto’s biggest challenges: interoperability. Its proof-of-stake network allows independent blockchains to communicate and transact seamlessly.
ATOM launched in early 2019 at less than $0.001 per token during its initial exchange offering. By December, it was trading above **$4.20**, representing astronomical growth—though exact percentage gains depend on acquisition timing.
The project gained traction due to its innovative Tendermint consensus mechanism and growing ecosystem of connected zones and hubs.
Litecoin (LTC): Reliable Performance with Limited Upside
Created by Charlie Lee as a lighter alternative to Bitcoin, Litecoin maintained its reputation as a stable digital payment method in 2019.
It started the year at $32 and soared to an intra-year high of **$141.73** on June 22 amid Bitcoin rally spillover effects. However, it gave up most of those gains and settled around $43 by December.
This resulted in a 40% annual increase, reflecting moderate investor interest ahead of its 2023 halving event.
Basic Attention Token (BAT): Reinventing Digital Advertising
BAT powers Brave Browser, a privacy-focused web browser that rewards users for viewing ads with tokens. Created by Brendan Eich, co-founder of Mozilla, Brave offers a compelling alternative to traditional ad-supported models.
BAT opened 2019 at $0.13, climbed to $0.44 in April, dipped during summer, then rebounded to $0.27 in November. By December, it stabilized near **$1.70, marking a 35% gain**.
User adoption grew steadily, with millions joining the Brave ecosystem—validating its vision of user-centric digital advertising.
Ethereum (ETH): The Backbone of DeFi
Ethereum remained the leading smart contract platform in 2019 and served as the foundation for most DeFi innovations. It started the year at $116 and rose steadily to an annual high of **$334.66** on June 26.
Although prices retreated afterward, ETH held between $130 and $150 by year-end—a 20% increase overall.
Its performance was supported by growing dApp activity, enterprise interest via the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, and anticipation around Ethereum 2.0 upgrades.
EOS: Scalability with Mixed Results
EOS aimed to offer high-speed transaction processing through delegated proof-of-stake consensus. In early January, EOS traded at $2.23 and rose to **$8.54** by May 31—a strong start.
However, momentum faded in H2 2019, with prices fluctuating between $3 and $3.80 before ending near $2.55—a modest 10% gain for the year.
While technically capable, EOS faced criticism over centralization concerns and slower-than-expected dApp adoption.
Bitcoin: Still a Strong Contender
Bitcoin began 2019 around $3,500**, remained stable through Q1, then surged to nearly **$14,000 in June—its highest level since early 2018. It pulled back in H2 but held above $7,000 by year-end.
This represented a doubling in value, reinforcing Bitcoin’s role as a store of value amid global economic uncertainty. With its strong network effect and upcoming 2020 halving event, BTC remained one of the most attractive investments despite not leading in percentage gains.
Core Keywords:
- Best performing cryptocurrencies 2019
- Altcoin gains
- Crypto market trends
- High-return digital assets
- Blockchain innovation
- Decentralized finance (DeFi)
- Cryptocurrency investment
- Market volatility
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which cryptocurrency had the highest return in 2019?
A: Chainlink (LINK) led the pack with over a 500% increase in value against the U.S. dollar during 2019.
Q: Why did some altcoins outperform Bitcoin in 2019?
A: Many altcoins benefited from specific use cases like DeFi (e.g., SNX), interoperability (e.g., ATOM), or ecosystem utility (e.g., BNB), attracting targeted investor interest beyond general market sentiment.
Q: Is past performance indicative of future results in crypto?
A: Not necessarily. While strong fundamentals can support long-term growth, cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and influenced by regulatory changes, technological shifts, and macroeconomic factors.
Q: What role did DeFi play in 2019’s crypto rally?
A: DeFi laid the foundation for many top performers like Synthetix and Chainlink by creating demand for secure oracles and synthetic assets—key infrastructure components built largely on Ethereum.
Q: How important is utility in determining a crypto’s value?
A: Extremely important. Tokens with clear use cases—such as fee payments (BNB), staking (XTZ), or powering dApps (EOS)—tend to maintain stronger valuations than speculative assets.
Q: Should I invest based on previous year performance?
A: Past performance should inform but not dictate investment decisions. Always conduct thorough research into technology, team credibility, tokenomics, and market conditions before investing.