5 Under-the-Radar Crypto Projects to Watch as They Trade Under $1
The crypto market is home to several strong projects that trade under one dollar. Among them are Stellar (XLM), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Ondo (ONDO), Aster (ASTER), and Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL). These five coins have shown significant growth in recent times, with some notable updates.
Stellar has crossed $3 billion in real-world asset value, with $11.4 billion in stablecoin volume this quarter. Shiba Inu saw its biggest weekly token burn in a year, just as it approaches its sixth birthday. Ondo Perps passed $6 billion in cumulative trading volume, making it a top 5 RWA perps platform.
Stellar's payment-focused blockchain is built for fast and cheap cross-border transfers, with strong real-world asset rails already used by banks and fintech firms. Shiba Inu is one of the largest and oldest memecoins, with its own burn mechanism to reduce token supply over time. Ondo focuses on tokenizing real-world stocks and assets onchain.
Aster is a decentralized exchange built for active traders, offering vault products that let users copy proven trading strategies. Virtuals Protocol builds infrastructure for AI agents that can trade and transact onchain.
While these coins show promise, it's essential to note their prices are still significantly lower than their all-time highs. Stellar is 81.77% below its 2018 high, while Shiba Inu remains over 94% below its peak. Aster trades 75.17% below its September 2025 high.