Altcoin Survival Hinges on Real Revenue, Ki Young Ju Says

CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju has weighed in on the current state of altcoins, stating that while they are not dead, narrative-only tokens no longer carry weight.

In a recent Twitter thread, Ju argued that the era of making money just by issuing a token is over. He believes that altcoins tied to real businesses and broader financial trends will be more likely to survive in the long term.

Ju pointed to global internet companies with tokenized market layers, such as BNB from Binance and GRAM (formerly TON) from Telegram, as examples of tokens linked to large internet businesses. He noted that these networks have real revenue, long-term commitment, and strong execution.

Ju also highlighted DeFi protocols that produce real revenue, such as decentralized exchanges like Hyperliquid, which has drawn attention for its large perpetual futures volume, open interest, fee generation, and protocol revenue model.