The crypto market is likely to enter 2026 under a cloud of caution, with Bitcoin trading just above the $85,000 level. Investor sentiment is poor due to weakening macroeconomic readouts, while the Bank of Japan’s interest rate hike erased one of the crypto market’s easiest and cheapest sources of fresh capital.
Meanwhile, most altcoins are struggling to maintain relevance. Even some of the hottest tokens, like Hyperliquid (HYPE), which enjoyed near-unanimous status among investors as a top altcoin to buy during the summer, are under heavy selling pressure.
In this risk-averse climate, investors should consider rotating some of their portfolio into projects with tangible use cases. One example is Digitap ($TAP), the crypto presale project behind the world’s first “omni-bank” platform, aiming to bridge crypto and traditional banking. Digitap’s banking-stack fintech approach makes it one of the few defensive cryptos to buy during a bearish market.
Digitap’s Banking Stack Appeals To Best Crypto To Buy Hunters
Bitcoin is closing 2025 with elevated volatility and low conviction. This is a big problem for altcoins, as the group tends to underperform Bitcoin during periods of market stress and risk aversion. That pattern seems poised to hold in 2026, as projects that saw their token soar on hype, memes, or speculative narratives struggle to attract buyers when fear is high.
As such, investors should seek out altcoins to buy that provide a defensive standout in an otherwise bleak landscape. Digitap’s core offering is a full banking stack that merges cryptocurrency with traditional financial services in one platform. Users can send, receive, store, save, invest, and spend both forms of capital seamlessly together.
A recent partnership with Visa introduced the globally recognized card network to power Digitap’s prepaid debit card. Users can even fund their Visa card with crypto, and Digitap’s app will swap crypto to fiat at the time of purchase.
An optional no-KYC signup process means Digitap can directly target the more than one billion adults worldwide who are underbanked or unbanked. Many of these adults live in countries where access to identification is not possible. Essentially, Digitap is on a mission to onboard the next one billion crypto users.
Why Digitap’s Presale Structure Acts As A Portfolio Hedge
Digitap’s crypto presale of its native $TAP token kicked off in late summer at an initial price of $0.0125. As part of a presale structured in stages, the price of $TAP inches higher after each round concludes. Early investors have seen the value of their $TAP move higher to $0.0371, implying a roughly 200% paper profit.
Digitap has now raised nearly $2.7 million in its presale, as its tiered and predictable structure provided a timely near-term hedge. Even a small allocation to $TAP during the crypto market selloff helped offset heavy losses.
For example, a diversified $100,000 portfolio of altcoins that lost 30% in value since October would be worth $70,000 today. But even a small 10% exposure to $TAP at $0.0125 would have changed the outcome materially, bringing the portfolio value to $89,600 instead of $70,000.
Just in time for the holidays, Digitap is rewarding new and existing investors with a Christmas-themed sale event. Through January 2, Digitap is offering daily deals on its presale widget that include bonus $TAP add-ons, platform fee rebates, and more. Investors need to act quickly, as once a deal expires, it is gone for good.
How Bitcoin’s Store-Of-Value Pitch Differs From Digitap’s Bank
Bitcoin’s investment narrative as a decentralized, fixed-supply asset is its main strength for a large class of investors. Purists argue it is the one and only crypto to buy for those worried about fiat debasement or seeking an uncorrelated store of value.
However, the same group of investors would agree that Bitcoin’s use case is narrow. It isn’t designed to facilitate high-throughput transactions, and the network is built specifically to be slow in moving money. Digitap is taking a completely opposite approach by integrating directly with the existing financial system to increase crypto’s usefulness in the near term.
For example, Digitap is built to move money across borders within seconds at a cost of less than 1% versus an industry average of around 6.2% at money remitters. Bitcoin, on the other hand, averages around seven transactions per second, with new blocks added roughly every 10 minutes.
When comparing Bitcoin to Digitap, they are indeed in different classes. Bitcoin is the heavyweight champion of store-of-value, while Digitap is more like a fintech startup with a token that captures business value. In a bearish environment, Digitap’s investment narrative stands out as the better crypto to buy, given its more defensive model backed by fundamental value and price support through buybacks and staking.
Source: @dexpips
Digitap’s Yield And Utility Align With A Risk-Off Market
Macroeconomic pressures, coupled with the past few months of heavy crypto selling activity, mean investors will enter 2026 with an abundance of caution. In this environment, Digitap makes a compelling case as the best altcoin to buy. It represents the new generation of crypto projects aligning with investor preferences in a risk-off market.
Digitap, despite its status as a crypto presale project, offers real-world utility and revenue generation with each money transfer, foreign exchange, crypto purchase, card swipe, and more. Holders can also stake their $TAP tokens within the ecosystem to earn up to 124% APR in staking returns during the presale phase. Coupled with a commitment to allocate 50% of platform profits to buy back and burn $TAP tokens, it is clear $TAP is built to reward backers.
Essentially, Digitap is aligned with what cautious investors value most. Its defensive design and real-world use case make the case for it outperforming most altcoins in a difficult market setup.
