Crypto exchange Gemini has unveiled the biggest losers in the altcoin space for 2026 so far, as many of the crypto world’s biggest digital currencies have been seeing massive double-digit price plunges.
Crypto exchange Gemini recently shared a list of 10 cryptocurrencies that have seen particularly brutal losses since the start of 2026 in a post on the X social media platform.
Topping Gemini’s list of the biggest losers for this year is Bitcoin Cash (BCH), which has crashed a shocking 61.76% year-to-date.
Coming in second is Polkadot (DOT), with a 53.03% price decline, while Cardano (ADA) holds third place after shedding 48.04% of its value.
Ripple-related XRP and the top meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin (DOGE) are next in line, with losses of 43.43% and 42.38%, respectively.
Several other major cryptocurrencies are also seeing considerable losses, such as Sui (SUI), which has fallen 42.08%, Hedera (HBAR), which has dropped 38.13%, Solana (SOL), down 34.02%, Avalanche (AVAX), which has lost 33.40%, and Kaspa (KAS), which has gone down 30.75%.
Declining liquidity in the market, weakening speculative interest, lackluster institutional interest and general macroeconomic conditions are all major factors causing most major altcoins to underperform so far.
But for some, other issues within their ecosystems are also proving troublesome.
For instance, in the case of Cardano, the platform is seeing limited decentralized finance activity. As of Nov. 9, the total value locked in its DeFi ecosystem reportedly dropped below $50 million.
For XRP, things are a bit different.
While Ripple continues its expansion in the institutional payments sector, stablecoin and tokenization areas, this hasn’t necessarily led to sustained buying interest in XRP.
In fact, spot trading volume for XRP fell 53.5%, while perpetual futures trading volume dropped 44%.
Dogecoin, on the other hand, has been contending with waning speculative interest in meme cryptocurrencies.
Its institutional investment narrative also hasn’t really caught on yet, with Bitwise announcing in September the shutdown of its Dogecoin ETF as the product failed to draw investor interest.
Bitcoin Cash tops losers as altcoin liquidity drops
Bitcoin Cash has been seeing particularly sharp declines as it is now experiencing a reversal of its stellar 2025 performance, when the cryptocurrency soared around 38%.
Selling pressure picked up in May and June 2026 as BCH saw back-to-back monthly drops of over 30%.
A rebound could be seen in September after CME Group announced Bitcoin Cash futures, but this proved insufficient to stop the ongoing downtrend.
