Another sharp downturn hit the crypto market over the weekend, dragging Bitcoin below the $80,000 mark and triggering steep losses across nearly all major asset classes. The sell-off appears to have been driven by risk-off sentiment, sparked by escalating U.S. rhetoric surrounding potential military action against Iran and Greenland. Even so, progress on U.S. cryptocurrency regulation continues behind closed doors. Meanwhile, Bitcoin dominance has been trending lower since summer . Still, the latest drawdown highlights a familiar reality: the broader crypto ecosystem remains heavily dependent on Bitcoin’s price action. Once U.S. legislation is finalized, capital rotation is expected to accelerate, encouraging broader diversification. That shift could place altcoins such as XRP, Pepe, Dogecoin, and emerging Bitcoin Layer-2 projects in a strong position to benefit. XRP (XRP): Payments-Focused Blockchain Eyes a Push Toward $5 XRP ($XRP) is the largest cryptocurrency dedicated to payments, boasting a market capitalization exceeding $100 billion. Its prominence stems from its role as a leading solution for fast, low-cost cross-border transactions. Ripple developed the XRP Ledger (XRPL) to upgrade legacy international payment systems used by banks and financial institutions, with ambitions of replacing SWIFT. XRPL has attracted attention from influential global bodies, including the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House, reinforcing XRP’s credibility as a crypto with a game-changing use case. Following a landmark legal win last year that concluded a five-year case brought by the former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, XRP rallied to a fresh all-time high (ATH) of $3.65 in mid-2025. Since then, macro weakness across crypto markets has wiped out roughly 55% of those gains, with XRP now trading near $1.64. A major recent milestone was the approval of spot XRP ETFs in the U.S., granting institutional and retail investors regulated exposure to the asset. As more exchange-traded products come online and regulatory clarity improves, these factors could provide significant upside momentum, potentially driving XRP toward the $5 level in Q2. Pepe (PEPE): From Internet Comic to One of Crypto’s Most Imitated Meme Coins Launched in April 2023, Pepe ($PEPE) has rapidly risen to become the third-largest meme coin, powered by the endearing popularity of Matt Furie’s viral Pepe the Frog webcomic. With a market capitalization of $1.8 billion, PEPE is the largest non–Shiba Inu–themed meme token. Interest spiked when Elon Musk briefly used a Pepe image as his X profile picture, fueling speculation about his possible PEPE holdings. PEPE currently trades around $0.0000042. Its current price represents an 85% collapse from its late-2024 ATH of $0.00002803 after sluggish summer markets and an underwhelming end of 2025. The token’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is uptrending from 35, indicating growing buying momentum could soon raise the price out of discount territory. Should a broader bull market materialize in Q1, PEPE could post a new ATH before the quarter ends. A dramatic 69% rally between December 30 and January 6 highlighted PEPE’s trademark meme-coin volatility, magnifying both upside surges and downside corrections. Dogecoin (DOGE): Is the Path to $1 Still Alive? First introduced in 2013, Dogecoin ($DOGE) remains the original and largest meme cryptocurrency. Supported by one of the most loyal communities in the space, DOGE now carries a market cap of around $18 billion. Its explosive ascent during the 2021 bull market, boosted by high-profile supporters such as Elon Musk, Snoop Dogg, and Gene Simmons, transformed Dogecoin into a mainstream cultural icon. While its origins were lighthearted, Dogecoin’s size and liquidity help dampen the extreme volatility typical of smaller meme tokens. As a result, DOGE often tracks price movements in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP. “Dogecoin to $1” continues to be a rallying cry among holders, though reaching that milestone by 2026 may be difficult without substantial advances in U.S. regulatory clarity. In a favorable market environment, DOGE could climb from its current $0.12 level and challenge its 2021 all-time high of $0.7316 later in the bull cycle. Real-world usage is expanding steadily. Tesla accepts DOGE for select products, while payment platforms such as PayPal and Revolut have added support for Dogecoin transactions. Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER): A Meme-Inspired Bitcoin Layer-2 With Real-World Use Cases Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is a Bitcoin Layer-2 solution that dramatically improves transaction throughput, reduces fees, and brings advanced smart contract capabilities to the Bitcoin network. Core components of the project include Solana Virtual Machine compatibility, decentralized governance, and a Canonical Bridge that allows Bitcoin to move seamlessly across multiple blockchains. The ongoing pre-launch token sale has already raised more than $31.2 million, with some market observers projecting potential returns of 10x to 100x once public trading begins. A recent Coinsult audit found no critical issues in the project’s smart contracts. The HYPER token underpins the entire ecosystem, serving as the medium for transaction fees, governance voting, and staking rewards. Presale investors can currently stake tokens for yields of up to 38% APY, though these rates decline as the staking pool expands. With centralized exchange listings expected later this year, Bitcoin Hyper’s presale offers early access to a project that could significantly enhance Bitcoin’s scalability and on-chain functionality. Visit the official website or follow Bitcoin Hyper on X and Telegram for more information. Visit the Official Website Here The post Best Crypto to Buy Now February 3 – XRP, PEPE, Dogecoin appeared first on Cryptonews .
