The Ethereum ecosystem has evolved far beyond its original function as a smart contract platform. Today, its impact extends across decentralized finance projects, stablecoins, and staking solutions, forming a rich and diverse universe.
With 2025 just around the corner, observing which tokens built on Ethereum have the potential to stand out is essential for those who want to follow the crypto market closely and eventually find investment and usage opportunities.
What are Ethereum-based tokens?
Before we get to the list, it’s worth quickly understanding what an “Ethereum-based token” is. In essence, they are digital assets built on top of the Ethereum network, leveraging its standards (such as ERC-20) and smart contracts. This ensures interoperability with a multitude of decentralized applications (dApps), decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs, and other Web3 innovations.
In 2025, the importance of these tokens is likely to grow, serving as the foundations of liquidity, governance, security, and utility for various projects. Below, we present seven tokens that are worth keeping a close eye on, just as we did in 2024.
Together, they help us understand how the ecosystem is shaping up and which trends are likely to gain momentum in the coming months and years.
1. Ethereum (ETH)
ETH isn’t just the “fuel” of the Ethereum network — it’s the backbone that supports the entire ecosystem. In addition to enabling the execution of smart contracts and the creation of decentralized applications (dApps), ETH is undergoing continuous transformations to its infrastructure, including upgrades that make the network more scalable, efficient, and sustainable.
By 2025, Ethereum 2.0 is expected to be even more consolidated, improving the experience for users and developers. With institutional adoption and the expansion of DeFi products, NFTs, and other innovations, ETH maintains its position as one of the most important cryptocurrencies in the global market.
2. Tether (USDT) e USD Coin (USDC)
Dollar-pegged stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are key players within the Ethereum ecosystem. They provide a bridge between traditional finance and the crypto world, enabling stable transactions and constant liquidity.
In an environment as volatile as that of cryptocurrencies, having a currency that maintains parity with the dollar provides security and practicality, facilitating negotiations, loans and payments.
In 2025, with the possible entry of clearer regulations, USDT and USDC are expected to strengthen their position, becoming even more present in DeFi protocols, digital wallets and retail payment solutions.
3. BNB
BNB, originally created by Binance, has established itself as a multifunctional token, gaining ground in the Ethereum ecosystem thanks to bridges and integrations between blockchains.
While Binance Smart Chain is a separate environment, BNB maintains strong ties to the Ethereum community, whether through trading pairs, DeFi applications, or interoperability tools. Through 2025, BNB is expected to continue to serve as a link between different ecosystems, taking advantage of the market's dynamism and its broad user base.
The further cross-chain solutions advance, the greater the potential for BNB to be an important connection point in Web3.
4. Lido Staked Ether (STETH)
STETH is a token representing ETH deposited in Lido, a liquid staking service. Instead of keeping ETH locked in a validator node, STETH allows you to receive staking rewards while also using the token in DeFi protocols.
This increases flexibility and capital efficiency. As Ethereum staking becomes increasingly attractive — in part by providing passive income and supporting network security — STETH is likely to gain relevance.
By 2025, it could consolidate itself as the preferred solution for many users who want the best of both worlds: contributing to the network and maintaining access to investment opportunities.
5. Chainlink (LINK)
LINK is the native token of Chainlink, an oracle network that connects real-world data to smart contracts, ensuring that external information (such as asset prices, weather conditions, or sports scores) is reliably and immutably fed into the blockchain.
By 2025, as decentralized insurance applications, prediction markets, lending, and other complex use cases grow, Chainlink’s role will become even more central. Without reliable oracles, many DeFi applications simply wouldn’t work.
This keeps LINK in the spotlight as the demand for reliable data is only set to increase.
6. Wrapped stETH (WSETH)
WSETH is a variation of STETH that provides more flexibility to the ecosystem. While STETH already represents staking ETH, WSETH wraps this token in a more standardized format, making it even easier to integrate into DeFi protocols, DEXs, and smart contracts.
The presence of WSETH simplifies trading, liquidity pool formation, and other operations that require Ethereum-compatible standards. In 2025, as liquid staking expands and Ethereum solidifies its Proof-of-Stake consensus model, tools like WSETH will help make the management of these assets even more transparent and accessible.
7. Shiba Inu (SHIBA)
Shiba Inu became known as a “meme coin” inspired by the Dogecoin phenomenon. However, over time, the team behind SHIBA has strived to add real value, launching DeFi projects, NFTs and other initiatives that seek to give utility to the token.
In 2025, if the community maintains its enthusiasm and the team moves forward with features that go beyond humor and speculation, SHIBA could consolidate itself as a unique token within the Ethereum ecosystem. The key will be balancing the relaxed brand with concrete uses that spark long-term interest.
Exploring the Future of the Ethereum Ecosystem
Ethereum will continue to be the epicenter of a diverse ecosystem, where stablecoins bring stability, staking tokens provide capital efficiency, oracles enable more complex smart contracts, and even meme coins are fighting for their place in the sun. Looking to 2025 with this perspective is to understand that, in addition to ETH itself, the set of tokens that orbit this network are what give life, color, and functionality to this universe.
As new solutions, partnerships, and protocol updates emerge, keeping an eye on these seven tokens can help you anticipate trends, identify opportunities, and better understand where the market is headed. Whether you’re an investor, a tech enthusiast, or just curious about what the future of finance and the internet will look like, keeping your radar on these cryptocurrencies can be a strategic move. In a landscape as dynamic as Web3, information and common sense are always valuable allies.
Photo by fabrikasimf, available on Freepik.
