5 Hidden Gem Altcoins Under $1 to Watch in 2025

• SEI Network’s institutional backing positions it for a potential parabolic rise in Q4 2025.
• ONDO Finance is bridging traditional securities with blockchain, and its acquisition of Oasis Pro boosts its U.S. market prospects.
• Meme coin Pengu is also gaining traction with real-world merchandise and institutional interest.

In a recent YouTube segment, Maddie, the host of Altcoin Buzz, shared five altcoins trading below $1 that have strong fundamentals and could make waves in Q4 2025. 

SEI Network: Financial App Chain Poised for Growth

Key Highlights:

• SEI Network is a financial app chain with a focus on speed, low costs, and scalability.
• Recently, global financial giants like BlackRock and Brevin Howard’s master fund have jumped on board, making SEI an exciting project to watch.
• SEI is targeting the rapidly expanding real-world assets (RWA) space, with over $4.5 billion in tokenized assets currently under management through its partnership with Securitize.

Despite the volatility in the market, SEI’s price remains below $1 (currently $0.188). With a solid foundation and institutional backing, Maddie believes SEI is gearing up for a significant price surge.

ONDO Finance: Bridge Between Traditional Securities and Crypto

Key Highlights:

• ONDO Finance’s recent launch of global markets on-chain is a game-changer. The project focuses on bridging the gap between traditional public securities and blockchain technology.
• ONDO recently acquired Oasis Pro, a licensed broker-dealer in the U.S., which strengthens its position in the capital markets.
• At a current price of $0.67, ONDO’s market cap sits at $2.4 billion, and with no token unlock until January 2026, the token’s price is expected to stabilize in the meantime.

ONO has big ambitions to integrate Wall Street with blockchain. Although the timing has been rocky due to recent market fluctuations, the project’s infrastructure and regulatory compliance make it a solid play in the world of RWAs. Many analysts believe ONDO is undervalued at current prices.

Pengu (Pudgy Penguins): Meme Coin with Real-World Momentum

Key Highlights:

• Pengu is a meme coin tied to the Pudgy Penguins NFT collection. It has already garnered significant attention through physical merchandise and a mobile game.
• With over 750,000 downloads of its mobile game and 2 million toys sold, Pengu is making waves in both the meme coin and NFT markets.
• The project is also receiving attention from institutional investors, with Canary Capital filing for an ETF centered around Pengu and the Pudgy Penguins NFT collection.

Despite being labeled a meme coin, Pengu has demonstrated impressive real-world utility and social media engagement. Its price currently hovers around $0.02, with a market cap of $1.47 billion. 

Key Highlights:

• Cronos (CRO) is the native token of Crypto.com’s Layer-1 blockchain. It has seen increased utility since the launch of Morphos’s lending vaults on the network.
• The recent collaboration with Trump Media Group, which bought 584 million CRO, has added more exposure to the project.
• Cronos’ current price sits around $0.16, well off its all-time high of nearly $1, making it an attractive entry point for long-term investors.

Related: Cronos (CRO) Price Prediction: Traders Eye Breakout as Open Interest Surges

While the price of CRO has dipped after the initial spike in October, its strong ties to Crypto.com and its growing ecosystem make it one to keep an eye on. 

Ethena Labs (ENA): A Unique Stablecoin Model with Huge Potential

Key Highlights:

• Ethena Labs’ native token, ENA, is part of a unique ecosystem that combines synthetic stablecoins with traditional blockchain structures. The project’s stablecoin, USDE, is backed by crypto assets and short futures positions.
• Ethena’s partnerships with Jupiter, a leading DEX on Solana, make its stablecoins an integral part of the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape.
• ENA’s current price is $0.400, with a market cap of $2.89 billion, and its token supply is nearing half of its total 15 billion token circulation.

Related: Ethena Secures $20M From UAE’s M2 Holdings as Synthetic Dollar Protocol Expands Market Reach

ENA’s integration with platforms like Jupiter could be a major boost, especially as the DeFi space continues to grow. Despite recent volatility, ENA offers unique opportunities for those interested in the synthetic stablecoin model. If the project delivers on its promises, ENA could see significant upside in the coming years.