Best Crypto to Buy Now in January 2026 as Altcoins Gain Momentum

Best Crypto to Buy Now in January 2026 Backed by AI, NFTs, and Binance

The crypto market is slowly getting stronger again as we move deeper into January 2026. In the last 24 hours, the market rose nearly 1%, while weekly gains crossed 3.7%. This may not look huge at first, but it shows that buyers are coming back. Many investors are now searching for the best crypto to buy now, especially as altcoins start showing fresh momentum.

Several important events are shaping the market today. Binance is back in focus after gaining regulatory clarity and expanding in Asia. XRP has flipped BNB to become the third-largest cryptocurrency, which clearly shows that money is rotating into altcoins. At the same time, derivatives trading has exploded, with open interest crossing $843 billion. This has caused short squeezes, pushing prices higher. All these signals suggest that the market mood is slowly turning positive.

MYX Finance (MYX)

MYX Finance shocked the market after jumping nearly 87% in just one day. This rally did not come out of nowhere. For months, MYX was trading in a tight range, which usually means sellers are getting tired. Once the price broke above key levels, buyers rushed in.

A big reason for the surge was heavy activity on Binance Futures. More than $56 million worth of short positions were liquidated. This means traders who expected the price to fall were forced to buy back, pushing the price even higher. On the chart, MYX moved above its long-term averages, showing that the trend has clearly changed.

Right now, MYX looks strong, but it is also a bit overheated. A short pullback is possible. Still, with resistance near $7.45 and strong market attention, MYX is being watched as a possible next crypto to 100x, especially if the overall market stays bullish.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

Virtuals Protocol gained over 13% in one day, thanks to strong excitement around AI tokens. The biggest trigger was Nvidia’s massive $20 billion AI licensing deal with Groq. This news pushed investors back toward AI and blockchain projects.

VIRTUAL is often seen as an AI token with real use, not just hype. Technically, it broke out of a falling pattern that had been holding it down for weeks. This breakout usually signals the start of a new upward move. Traders are now watching the $0.96 level as a possible next target.

Trading volume also jumped sharply, showing strong interest from the market. On top of that, the project is expanding through robotics and AI partnerships with OpenMind. For investors looking for the top crypto to invest in the AI space, VIRTUAL is gaining serious attention.

ZORA (ZORA)

ZORA surprised many people by rising nearly 20% even after a large token unlock. On December 30, more than 166 million ZORA tokens entered the market. Normally, this kind of event causes prices to drop because of extra supply.

This time, the price held up well. Many believe the selling already happened earlier, when ZORA fell about 30% over the past month. New buyers stepped in and absorbed the supply. Trading volume was strong and much higher than the value of the unlocked tokens.

From a technical view, ZORA moved back above an important price level and showed signs of recovery. It also benefits from being part of the Base ecosystem and growing interest in creator-focused platforms. While it is still risky, ZORA is clearly one of the top trending cryptocurrencies today.

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)

Pudgy Penguins rose just over 5% in the last 24 hours, beating the broader market. This move adds to its solid weekly gains, even though it is still below its recent highs.

The main boost came from the NFT market. Bitcoin-based NFTs saw a sharp rise in activity, and this helped lift major NFT projects across chains. Pudgy Penguins NFT sales also increased, which supported the PENGU token since both are closely connected.

Another reason behind this is short liquidations. The traders shorting the PENGU user tokens found it necessary to close their trades due to a short squeeze and thus increased purchasing. The coin technically crossed its first resistance level. Moreover, it clearly appears that sales have decreased. This is excellent news for all NFT enthusiasts out there; a listing such as PENGU is definitely a top performer in cryptocurrencies.

Magma Finance (MAGMA)

The market closed lower due to Bitcoin Cash's decline. However, Magma Finance had a relatively lower performance, recording around 2.5% growth. The strength of Magma Finance is its stability. Most coins vary drastically. MAGMA has been managing well even in a poor market.

The main reason is exchange support. Binance introduced MAGMA futures with high leverage, and Phemex offered trading incentives. This attracted attention and trading volume. Consequently, supporters protected the critical support area at $0.138 to $0.140.

Another encouraging factor is the token claim period, which is constantly ongoing and will last until March 2026. This is a great motivator for the community to stay engaged with the project. MAGMA may not move quickly, but it is a much quieter alternative in the best crypto to buy now.

Final Thoughts

Today’s crypto market is being driven by Binance’s comeback, rising derivatives activity, and growing interest in altcoins. XRP flipping BNB, strong futures volume, and repeated short squeezes show that traders are willing to take risks again.

Tokens like MYX, VIRTUAL, ZORA, PENGU, and MAGMA are not moving on hype alone. Each one is reacting to real events, whether it is AI deals, NFT growth, exchange listings, or strong technical signals.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, kindly do your own research before investing in crypto markets.