“A hundred horses” (referring to 100 virtual currencies in the Year of the Fire Horse) is far too modest; in reality, the virtual currency market has more than that. The latest statistics as of early 2026 reveal that the virtual currency world harbors an unimaginable number of over 10 million different tokens and digital currencies (collectively known as cryptocurrencies).
It’s gotten to the point where people joke that nowadays, if they sneeze without being careful, a new coin is born. Data from BDC Consulting estimates there are 40,000-50,000 new tokens daily, and during memecoin fevers, this can reach up to 100,000 tokens/day, meaning during vibrant market periods, a new token is born every second.
In such a forest of tens of millions of tokens, which is a true warhorse, and which is merely paper goods? According to data up to the end of 2025, the success rate of virtual currency tokens is only about 1 in 1,000; meaning out of the 10 million tokens issued, over 99.9 percent are “trash.”
These are crypto projects painted with a magnificent exterior facade, using grandiose terms about decentralization or payment revolutions, but the programming teams have long since “whipped their horses and fled” after dumping all their tokens on the heads of naive late-arriving investors.
Among the millions of tokens, there are virtual currencies that are truly “golden horses.” The hat should be first tipped to the “founding father,” Bitcoin. Despite being criticized by the public as old, slow-as-a-turtle technology that consumes horrific amounts of electricity, Bitcoin still stands tall as an inviolable monument.
In 2025, although Bitcoin’s price also went through a cycle of strong fluctuations, clearly reflecting the characteristic “hot and cold” nature of the digital currency market, it still holds a very high value, at around US$88,000/coin. Bitcoin is truly “digital gold” in every sense.
It is no longer a tool to multiply buyers’ account by 10 or 100 overnight, but a safe haven for the wealthy when inflation lurks or when the outside world experiences severe political turbulence.
Another long-standing “golden horse” is Ethereum. Despite being threatened by younger, agile subordinates like Solana or Layer 2 blockchains looking to usurp its throne, Ethereum still holds the most important key: the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ecosystem.
Ethereum is likened to the Wall Street of the virtual world, being expensive, attractive, and with transaction fees that sometimes make people wince, but everyone wants to squeeze in because that is where the liquidity and real cash flow are.
Those are the two monuments of virtual currency. But it would be a major omission not to mention the young, maturing steeds waiting to gallop and become true warhorses. Among them, the most prominent and seductive today is the “marriage” between AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Blockchain.
To put it simply, imagine AI as a transcendent brain that needs to feed on data and requires computing power to survive and develop. Meanwhile, Blockchain is a massive network of computers scattered worldwide, transparent and unalterable. When these two meet, they create coins tasked with providing “food” (data) and “muscle” (GPUs) for AI.
This is no longer science fiction in Hollywood movies; it’s a real-life bread-and-butter issue happening right before buyers’ eyes. Projects following the AI infrastructure niche are attracting massive cash flows, regardless of how bleak the overall market might be. Insiders whisper that this is the “main artery” of 2026, where smart money is quietly accumulating assets.
Conversely, investors are warned to be extremely careful with outdated trends. They shouldn’t look at past glory and dive headlong into old-style “grinding” play-to-earn games. The days of sitting and clicking a mouse all day to earn a few pennies are over; games today must be fair and beautiful.
The same goes for NFTs; if they are just mindless pictures of monkeys and apes (JPEGs), throw them away. NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens, meaning unique and irreplaceable tokens) today must be high-society club membership tickets, ownership rights to in-game assets, or something with genuine use value, not just items to show off on social media.
As the saying goes “for every measure, there is a countermeasure”, the situation between virtual currency investors and digital criminals is exactly the same. Today, scammers are armed to the teeth with AI, and amidst the forest of cryptocurrencies born every second, this chaos is their feeding ground.
Therefore, investors need only one second of inattention to have their virtual wallets drained and fall off their horses mid-journey. Deepfake technology today can help scammers make video calls perfectly masquerading as relatives or friends. So, if one day a close friend or family member video calls to invite investors to contribute capital to a newly minted virtual currency project, they are warned to stay alert.
The year of the Fire Horse symbolizes endurance, speed, and loyalty in Asian culture. However, a horse can also become unruly if the person holding the reins lacks bravery. Investing in the digital currency market in 2026 is like taming a warhorse. It requires investors not only to have the courage to seize opportunities but also to equip themselves with solid “armor of knowledge” and a disciplined, cool head.
The current legal framework in Vietnam still does not recognize virtual currency as money, nor is it a legal means of payment. It remains in an ambiguous gray area where the light of the law has not yet shined. All transactions and investments are entirely civil agreements, under the principle of “reap the profits, bear the losses.”
