Gold and silver are expected to outperform cryptocurrencies in 2025 returns... Expecting a DeFi rebound amid Bitcoin(BTC) sluggishness

Source: TokenPost Original Title: Gold and Silver Outperform Cryptocurrencies in 2025… Bitcoin(BTC) Underperforming, DeFi Rebound Expected Original Link: While gold and silver surged by 72% and 160% respectively in 2025, emerging as top assets, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin recorded modest returns. The market’s reevaluation of DeFi app-based tokens has become a potential opportunity factor for 2026.

Traditional Asset Super Rally

Gold and silver emerged as the top assets in 2025, outperforming cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Notably, gold prices rose approximately 72% from the beginning of the year, marking the best year since 1979, and silver prices soared nearly 160%, surprising investors.

Among traditional assets, gold surpassed $4,500 per ounce, setting a new all-time high. This represents the highest annual return since 1979, a dramatic increase compared to previous years. Silver prices rose even more steeply, climbing about 160% this year to reach $75 per ounce. In particular, in the past month alone, silver increased over 45%, drawing more attention than gold.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market, including Bitcoin, remained relatively sluggish. Bitcoin showed lower returns compared to stock market indices and contrasted sharply with gold and silver.

Undervalued DeFi, Is 2026 the Opportunity?

There are forecasts that some well-liquidity crypto tokens could rebound in the next market. Especially, decentralized finance(DeFi) projects are often trading near multi-year lows despite their technological maturity and growth potential.

A notable change is in the revenue generation structure of these projects. Until now, value was created primarily from blockchain infrastructure itself, but recently, revenue streams are shifting toward application-centric models. For example, on the Solana(SOL) network, current apps generate about three times more revenue than the network infrastructure itself. This indicates that the value of practical, user-based services is beginning to be valued higher than the infrastructure in the design phase.

Ultimately, the key variable is ‘when will the market price in this structural change?’ Currently, prices are low, but expected future returns are high. From an investor’s perspective, it is time to watch for new signals within this dispersed structure.