3 Smart Contract Tokens That Ended 2024 Strongly and Are Making a Mark in 2025

Cryptocurrencies linked to smart contracts—computer programs that automatically execute once certain conditions are met—make up the largest single crypto category by market cap.

Three smart-contract crypto tokens that had a strong close to 2024 and are continuing to make an impact in 2025 are Stellar (XLM), Echelon Prime (PRIME), and IOTA.

Stellar’s XLM coin experienced a notable surge last week among smart-contract cryptocurrencies. Launched in 2014 by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim, Stellar is one of the oldest cryptocurrencies still making waves in the market.

On Dec. 27, 2024, XLM was trading at $0.353. Over the following week, however, it experienced a surge. The coin was in recovery mode after having dropped following a significant November rally and, on Jan. 3, Stellar was trading at about $0.4505, showing a weekly upturn of more than 25%. Moreover, it was back in the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Echelon Prime is a platform that supports a range of Web3 games, most notably the Parallel sci-fi trading card game. First released in March 2023, the system’s PRIME token surged in late 2024, thanks to the announcement that it was setting up its own blockchain.

On Dec. 27, 2024, PRIME was trading at about $11.26. By Jan. 3, the Ethereum-based token had risen by more than 25% to reach $14.10.

IOTA is one of the largest cryptocurrencies associated with the Internet of Things (IoT). This category covers devices that aren’t traditional computers or smartphones but still have some kind of internet connectivity, such as sensors or home appliances.

IOTA had a strong week, as work began on its Rebased update, which the IOTA community approved on Dec. 19. Once Rebased is completed, it will make the platform fully decentralized and cheaper and give holders the chance to receive IOTA as staking rewards.

On Dec. 27, IOTA was trading at $0.2951. By Jan. 3, though, it had climbed almost 18% to stand at $0.348.