2 Cryptocurrency Investments to Buy Hand Over Fist in February

By Dominic Basulto – Feb 12, 2026 at 5:33AM ESTKey PointsHyperliquid is up 24% for the year, while Pax Gold is up 16%.Pax Gold is a gold-backed stablecoin that continues to move higher with the price of gold.Hyperliquid is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange that offers trading in crypto perpetual futures.We’re bullish on these 10 stocks ›CRYPTO: HYPEHyperliquidMarket Cap$7.4BToday's Changeangle-down(7.46%) $2.16Current Price$31.18Price as of February 12, 2026 at 7:41 AM ETAt a time when almost every major cryptocurrency is in the red, these two cryptos are soaring higher.In cryptocurrency investing circles, it's fashionable to talk about buying the dip. Unfortunately, the "dip" has now turned into a full-blown rout in 2026. Top cryptocurrencies, including both Bitcoin (BTC +1.27%) and Ethereum (ETH +1.70%), are down anywhere from 20% to 35% for the year, and market sentiment has taken a nosedive. However, even amid crypto market chaos, there are some intriguing investment opportunities. Two cryptocurrencies that are on my shopping list for February are Hyperliquid (HYPE +7.46%) and Pax Gold (PAXG 0.20%). Here's why. Hyperliquid For the year, Hyperliquid is up 24% and now ranks as the 12th-largest cryptocurrency, with an $8 billion market cap. The name may not be familiar to many equity investors, but Hyperliquid has built a huge following with risk-seeking crypto traders since its launch in November 2024. Hyperliquid is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange that offers trading products -- such as crypto perpetual futures -- that are not available on U.S. centralized exchanges. For crypto traders, these futures contracts hold the allure of massive upside potential. That's because traders are able to bet on the future direction of a cryptocurrency without actually owning the underlying asset. In addition, there's no official expiration date on these futures contracts (hence the term "perpetual"). Image source: Getty Images. In 2026, Hyperliquid has plans to roll out even more trading products, including new "outcomes" contracts that are modeled on the types of contracts that investors can currently buy and sell on prediction market platforms such as Polymarket or Kalshi. This could open the door to even more trading volume on Hyperliquid, and potentially lead the way to mainstream adoption. Even though U.S. investors can trade the HYPE token, they are officially restricted from using the Hyperliquid trading platform due to ongoing regulatory concerns about the riskiness of certain trading products. So there's no way to "test-drive" Hyperliquid before investing in it, and this might dissuade many investors. That being said, it's one of the few crypto tokens with a $1 billion market cap or higher that's actually up for the year.

Pax Gold If Hyperliquid is too risky for you, can I suggest Pax Gold instead? As its name suggests, Pax Gold is "tokenized gold" (gold that exists in the form of a crypto token). It can also be thought of as a gold-backed stablecoin, given that every PAXG token is backed by one fine troy ounce of gold stored in a London gold vault. At any point in time, you can exchange your PAXG token for physical gold. ExpandCRYPTO: PAXGPAX GoldToday's Change(-0.20%) $-10.31Current Price$5072.35Key Data PointsMarket Cap$2.3BDay's Range$5057.05 - $5102.0252wk Range$2837.56 - $5619.09Volume272M Thus, as the price of gold continues to soar past $5,000, so does the price of a PAXG token. There is a 1:1 correlation, given the underlying gold peg. So it's perhaps no surprise that Pax Gold is up an impressive 16% to start the year. As gold goes, so goes Pax Gold. Any possible contrarian plays? Of course, it's also possible to take a contrarian view of the crypto market, and hunt for beaten-down names capable of rebounding back to form in 2026. In that category, I'd include Bitcoin. It's almost unfathomable that Bitcoin is now trading 45% below its all-time high from October. However, if immediate upside potential is your concern, my two top picks are Hyperliquid and Pax Gold. Both could soar higher this year, regardless of what the broader crypto market is doing.Read NextFeb 7, 2026 •By Dominic BasultoPrediction: This Cryptocurrency Could Soar 80% in 2026Jan 28, 2026 •By Emma NewberyCould Buying Hyperliquid (HYPE) Today Set You Up for Life?Nov 27, 2025 •By Dominic BasultoThe Crypto That's Outperforming Bitcoin and Up 35% for the YearNov 17, 2025 •By Dominic BasultoIs Any Cryptocurrency Other Than Bitcoin a Potential Millionaire Maker?Sep 23, 2025 •By Alex CarchidiCould This 1 Rising Star Cryptocurrency Be a Threat to Solana?About the AuthorDominic Basulto is a contributing Motley Fool crypto analyst covering cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and crypto-related companies. Prior to The Motley Fool, Dominic was a technology and innovation journalist at The Washington Post and Fortune. He holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and an MBA in finance from Yale School of Management.TMFCryptoDomX@dominicbasultoStocks MentionedHyperliquidCRYPTO: HYPE$31.18 (+7.46%) $+2.16PAX GoldCRYPTO: PAXG$5072.35 (0.20%) $10.31*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.