Key Points

• Up more than 250% in 2026, Hyperliquid is now the top-performing major cryptocurrency of the year.

• If Hyperliquid continues to grow at the same rate, investors could turn $1,000 into $1 million within the next decade.

• Hyperliquid is highly unlikely to maintain its current stratospheric growth rate, especially with the arrival of new competitors.

• 10 stocks we like better than Hyperliquid ›

It's getting harder and harder to ignore the magnificent recent performance of Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE). For the year, Hyperliquid is up an eye-popping 284% and recently hit a new all-time high of $95. That makes Hyperliquid the top-performing major cryptocurrency of 2026.

At this pace, Hyperliquid certainly seems like the type of altcoin that could make you a millionaire. But is that really the case?

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Catalysts for Hyperliquid

The case for buying Hyperliquid right now comes down to a single word: "perps." This is crypto shorthand for perpetual futures, which are futures contracts with no set expiration date. This makes them extremely useful for speculating on cryptocurrency futures prices, often by taking on massive leverage.

Right now, Hyperliquid is the top decentralized exchange for trading perps, and that's why it's soaring in value. Total worldwide trading volume in perps is close to $200 billion daily. By some estimates, Hyperliquid accounts for 70% of all worldwide perps trading on decentralized exchanges, and roughly 6% of the total global market. So you can see why investors are so excited about Hyperliquid right now. The numbers really jump off the page.

As part of President Donald Trump's vision for making America the "crypto capital of the world," he now wants Hyperliquid, which is currently based in Singapore, to come to the U.S. Already, there are plans afoot to offer perps trading on Hyperliquid via a derivatives exchange owned by Payward, the parent company of the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange.

Millionaire-maker math

So, for the sake of argument, let's say that you invest $1,000 in Hyperliquid today. If Hyperliquid continues to triple in value every year -- a big if -- then you could turn that into $1 million within the next decade.

Theoretically, then, millionaire-maker status is very much in the cards. But just how likely is it? After all, does anyone really expect Hyperliquid to triple in value every year for the next decade? That's preposterous.

After all, new competitors are now rapidly entering the perps arena. Chief among them are Coinbase Global and Robinhood Markets. Competitors also include prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. In fact, Kalshi already offers perps markets in more than a dozen different cryptocurrencies, including Hyperliquid.

How to get exposure to Hyperliquid?

While U.S. investors are currently restricted from using the Hyperliquid trading platform, they can still buy the HYPE token directly on major cryptocurrency exchanges. Or, they could just as easily buy one of the new spot Hyperliquid ETFs, such as the Bitwise Hyperliquid ETF, which launched in May.

Just be aware of the risks surrounding Hyperliquid. There are plenty of competitors just waiting to join the perps game. Moreover, Hyperliquid still operates in a regulatory gray area, given that comprehensive crypto legislation (the Clarity Act) has now stalled out in Congress.

But if you're willing to take on these risks, then Hyperliquid could become your ticket to becoming a millionaire.

Should you buy stock in Hyperliquid right now?

Before you buy stock in Hyperliquid, consider this:

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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $383,680!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,382,954!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of September 27, 2026.

Dominic Basulto has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Hyperliquid. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.