Best Crypto To Buy As Bitcoin Shrugs Off US Strikes On Venezuela: These Coins Are Next To Explode

The large-scale US strikes on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolas Maduro have failed to stop the crypto bull run of 2026. 

The Bitcoin price temporarily dipped to $86,700 on Saturday, before reclaiming the $90,000 level at press time. Ethereum defended the $3,000 support level and is trading at $3,100 at the time of the release. 

The US-Venezuela conflict failed to put a dent in the altcoin rally, as experts continued to back them as the best crypto to buy. When bad news fails to trigger any lasting selling pressure, it’s one of the clearest signs that the bull market is real.

Why Is Crypto Up Today Despite US Strikes On Venezuela?

The United States launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, with President Donald Trump announcing that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.

Maduro’s government condemned the action as “military aggression”, while U.S. officials framed the operation in the context of long-running tensions over narcotics trafficking, migration and political legitimacy.

Geopolitical events, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Iran conflict, have previously served as major roadblocks for stocks and cryptocurrencies. 

However, despite Venezuela’s large oil reserves, crypto prices remain largely unaffected by Saturday’s US military strikes, largely because investors aren’t expecting any serious retaliation from Venezuela. 

In fact, the market is reacting positively to President Trump’s comments that he will be “very much involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry, which is expected to decrease energy prices and ease risks of high inflation. 

This is decidedly bullish for risk assets, paving the way for an explosive crypto market rally. 

Best Crypto To Buy: 5 Coins That Could Explode Next

Solana (SOL)

Solana (SOL) is once again being tipped by experts as the best crypto to buy in the 2026 bull run. 

The SOL price successfully defended the $124 monthly support level last month, despite tremendous selling pressure. This is a strong sign that the bottom is now in for the Ethereum killer, and a new rally is on the horizon. 

Popular trader and influencer Captain Faibik highlights that Solana has broken out of a multi-month falling wedge, which could pave the way for a 50% rally to the $180 resistance. 

Meanwhile, the bulls are hoping to breach the $208 monthly resistance level in January, which would invalidate the potentially bearish head-and-shoulders formation. This would guarantee a new all-time high in the first quarter.

The strong institutional demand, as well as the buying pressure from ETFs, has positioned Solana as one of the best large-cap cryptos to buy.

There is a reason why traders Don and Borovik on the social media platform X project that the Solana price will hit $413 and $500 in 2026, respectively. 

Sui (SUI)

A new Sui (SUI) bull run has started. 

The Sui crypto price has now formed 3 straight daily green candles, surging by nearly 5% on Thursday, over 9% on Friday and 2% on Saturday, despite the US strikes on Venezuela. It is trading at $1.65 at press time. 

SUI is shaping up as one of the strongest institutional Layer-1 plays heading into 2026. Spot ETF filings signal growing institutional interest, while a rapidly expanding stablecoin ecosystem points to real on-chain demand. 

Sui also has partnerships with Microsoft and Google, which strengthen its enterprise credibility. Meanwhile. Walrus storage adds differentiated infrastructure utility, and ongoing RWA and gaming rollouts position SUI for both institutional adoption and mainstream consumer growth.

Notably, the onchain indicators also support a massive SUI rally in the first quarter. Crucially, the Tom DeMark indicator has flashed a “buy” signal in the bi-weekly timeframe. The last two times this signal flashed, the SUI price saw a 388% and 617% rally. 

Sei (SEI)

Layer-1 projects will continue to outperform in 2026 as well, and Sei is another excellent bet for outsized returns. 

SEI is showing renewed strength after reclaiming its 21-Day moving average, a technical level that often marks the start of a fresh uptrend. 

Beyond price action, the network has been quietly expanding its ecosystem, recently ranking as the most active EVM chain in December with over 1 million active accounts.

Its blockchain ecosystem boasts excellent fundamentals as well. Initiatives like the Wyoming WYST stablecoin pilot, AI-to-blockchain integration via MCP, and partnerships with Yei Finance and DragonSwap have made SEI one of the best crypto to buy. 

All eyes are now on whether the SEI price is able to breach its 50-week Simple Moving Average, which would trigger an explosive rally. 

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

Virtuals Protocol, one of the leading AI agent projects in crypto, appears well-positioned to emerge as a top-performing asset in the market.

The blockchain platform lets users create, deploy and monetize autonomous AI agents that can interact, transact and generate revenue on-chain without coding skills. 

It tokenizes these AI agents so they can be co-owned and managed by the community, expanding use cases from gaming to social media and virtual interactions.

VIRTUAL is already among the top crypto gainers on Saturday, up 13% over the past 24 hours. 

Captain Faibik highlights that the token price has broken out of a falling wedge and has already surged by 30% since. However, it still has significant upside potential. 

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER)

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) is the best low-cap crypto to buy for outsized returns in 2026. 

There is a strong demand for small-cap assets with high upside potential, and HYPER is a standout choice. 

Being a new layer-2 scaling solution within the Bitcoin ecosystem, Bitcoin Hyper offers unique in-demand utility. There is a reason why Stacks, another BTC layer-2 coin, is among the top performers in the ongoing bull run. 

However, while STX is a mid-cap asset with limited upside, HYPER is a true low-cap gem.

Bitcoin Hyper has a strong likelihood of becoming a key infrastructure within the BTC ecosystem. With its promise of excellent performance, exponential scalability and easy programmability, it could soon become a launching pad for DeFi apps and payment protocols. 

Unsurprisingly, HYPER has already raised over $30 million in its ongoing Initial Coin Offering. 

Several whales have already secured high six-figure allocations, eyeing 10x potential or more in the ongoing bull run. Indeed, Stacks reached a $5 billion valuation during the 2023 Bitcoin bull run. 

Check out our extended best crypto to buy guide for high-upside plays in the ongoing bull market.