2024 Breakouts: 5 Cryptos That Climbed Into the Top 100

Key Takeaways

• MATIC token’s relaunch to POL was outside the top 400 cryptos at the start of the year but is now ranked 34.
• Bittensor’s TAO and Worldcoin (WLD) also made it into the top 100 this year.
• JasmyCoin and Flare (FLR) reentered the biggest 100 cryptos by market cap.

Some major newcomers entered the crypto market in 2024, but it wasn’t just the debutants who caught the eye of investors and traders.

Indeed, some cryptos were outside the top 100 coins and tokens by market cap at the end of 2023 , and that shot up this year. Let’s look at five of the biggest breakout cryptocurrencies in 2024.

Polygon (POL) 

Polygon’s rebrand to POL is the successor token to MATIC. Upon launch, the swap period was slow, and people were allowed to swap their MATIC for POL earlier this year; the old crypto was still very much the biggest.

Indeed, at the end of 2023, POL wasn’t even in the top 200 cryptos by market cap, while MATIC closed the year as the 13th-biggest crypto. 

Things have changed, though. Depending on how one looks at it, the former Polygon Ecosystem Token has either had a bad time in 2024 or a good time.

Let’s be bullish, though, and consider how a token that was outside the top 400 cryptos, with a market cap of less than $75 million, at the start of the year was, on Dec. 24, the 34th-largest crypto with a market cap of $4.22 billion. 

Bittensor (TAO) 

In 2024, Bittensor was the market eye-catcher among cryptos that work with artificial intelligence.

Starting the year outside the top 100, TAO seized the hype and excitement surrounding the sector and crashed its way into the biggest cryptocurrencies. 

Although it hasn’t yet managed to beat its April 2024 all-time high of $767.68, TAO is still making the headlines.

Launching both subnets and EVM compatibility keeps both the market and developers interested.

On Jan. 1, 2024, TAO was just outside the top 100. By Dec. 24, however, it was the 40th-largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $3.60 billion.

Worldcoin (WLD)

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Worldcoin came out in the summer of 2023. However, it didn’t have the easiest launch for such a hyped-up product.

Considering what kinds of coins can debut in or hit the top 100 soon after coming out, WLD’s position outside the top 100 with a market cap of $387 billion made it feel like a damp squib. 

Despite many regulatory challenges, though, it did better in 2024. By Dec. 20, Worldcoin was the 65th-biggest cryptocurrency with a market cap of $1.85 billion. 

JasmyCoin (JASMY)

The crypto that likes to call itself Japan’s Bitcoin had a good 2024 after a relatively long spell of mediocrity.

With interest in the token spurred by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praising the potential of Web3, it returned to the top 100 cryptos after a fair bit of time away. 

Starting the year with a market cap of $337 million, it cashed in on a rising market to end up with a market cap of $1.71 billion on Dec. 24, making it the 67th-largest cryptocurrency. 

Flare (FLR) 

When FLR finally emerged in January 2023, it marked the end of nearly three years of build-up.

Flare was one of the most highly anticipated projects, but the reality did not match the expectations, and it soon plummeted.

In 2024, however, Flare continued to recover from its late 2024 nadir.  

The coin started 2024 outside the top 100 with a market cap of $576 million. By Dec. 24, however, it scored a market cap of $1.48 billion, making it the 69th-largest crypto.