Ethereum and Bitcoin lead market attention as Santiment highlights trending coins amid divergent on-chain metrics

The global crypto market is showing modest signs of improvement after a volatile period amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions. As the weekend nears its end, Santiment highlighted a list of coins trending, including major assets and select altcoins.

Ethereum and Bitcoin steal the spotlight

Ethereum [ETH] led the list of trending coins, showing stronger traction than other assets. Santiment pointed to increased attention around Ethereum accounts being examined for “quantum-computing risks to ECDSA signatures.” The report also referenced the Ethereum Foundation staking thousands in ETH, alongside community focus on Vitalik Buterin’s work.

Bitcoin [BTC] was also trending, supported by discussion tied to its “Google Quantum AI whitepaper” and broader media coverage. This has fueled debate around “Bitcoin’s long-term exposure to quantum attacks.” In addition, BTC’s current price action—linked to Middle East tensions—contributed to the growing chatter.

Other altcoins trending and the reasons

Chainlink [LINK] appeared on the trending list due to large on-chain movements and a recent “quarterly unlock of roughly 19M,” which drew investor attention.

Despite the rise in trends, Santiment noted that active address mapping for BTC, LINK, and ETH showed a major drop in retail activity. The implication was that while interest is increasing, on-chain participation metrics remain weak and investors appear cautious.

Solana [SOL] also trended, but for a negative catalyst. The report cited the Drift Protocol exploit, which drained about $270–286 million and affected over 20 Solana projects.

Meanwhile, mentions of Pippin [PIPPIN] were rising, but the report characterized the momentum as driven by “community hype rather than traditional fundamentals.” It also referenced social volume metrics for both tokens declining, aligning with that assessment.

Who is ruling the stablecoin market

In stablecoins, Circle’s USDC was trending. However, the report noted there have been about 15 incidents where large USDC transfers were tied to hacks or exploits. Even so, USDC transaction volume continues to outpace Tether’s USDT and other competitors.

Market impact and outlook

Taken together, the developments present a mixed picture in which market sentiment and key metrics do not appear aligned. The report concluded by noting that Coinbase analysts flagged an additional risk to the crypto market ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s April deadline on the Iran deal.