Q4 2025 Crypto Momentum: Why Hyperliquid (HYPE) and MoonBull Presale Are Outpacing Bitcoin

The Q4 2025 cryptocurrency landscape is witnessing a seismic shift in retail investor sentiment and DeFi innovation, with projects like Hyperliquid (HYPE) and MoonBull ($MOBU) outpacing Bitcoin's traditional dominance. While Bitcoin remains the cornerstone of macroeconomic trends, its role as a store of value is increasingly complemented by high-growth DeFi protocols and meme-driven tokens that cater to a new generation of retail participants. This article examines why these emerging projects are capturing momentum, leveraging structured tokenomics, community-driven incentives, and institutional-grade infrastructure to redefine crypto's value proposition.

Hyperliquid: Scaling DeFi's Infrastructure

Hyperliquid has emerged as a critical player in decentralized finance, redefining on-chain trading with its high-performance perpetual contract exchange. By Q4 2025, the platform's total value locked (TVL) surged from $2 billion in early 2025 to over $3.5 billion, while open interest ballooned to $15 billion-nearly tripling since January 2025, according to an Oak Research report. This growth is driven by Hyperliquid's ability to attract both retail and institutional liquidity, with weekly trading volumes averaging $47 billion in H1 2025 compared to $13 billion in Q4 2024, as the Oak Research report details.

The platform's appeal lies in its infrastructure-first approach. Hyperliquid's Hyperliquidity Provider (HLP) program, for instance, has generated an average annualized return of 11% for participants, with net profits exceeding $68 million by Q1 2025, per the Oak Research report. Additionally, its rapid listing of trending assets-such as the Trump memecoin and PUMP token-positions it as a first-mover in capturing speculative demand, often outpacing centralized exchanges, as the Oak Research report notes. Despite recent volatility, with HYPE's price correcting 33% from its September high, staking balances have surpassed $2.2 billion, signaling sustained confidence in its long-term utility, as noted in a FinanceFeeds analysis.

MoonBull Presale: Meme Meets Mechanism

While Hyperliquid focuses on infrastructure, MoonBull ($MOBU) is rewriting the rules of retail-driven tokenomics. Its 23-stage presale model, which increases the token price by 27.40% at each stage, has already raised $250,000 by Stage 4 and attracted over 600 holders, according to the FinanceFeeds analysis. Early investors are projected to see a 15,000% return on investment (ROI) if the token lists at $0.00616, up from its presale price of $0.00004057, as the FinanceFeeds analysis reports.

MoonBull's success stems from its self-sustaining ecosystem: 2% of each trade funds liquidity, 2% is reflected to holders, and 1% is burned to reduce supply, according to a GlobeNewswire release. This model not only rewards long-term participation but also creates scarcity, a critical factor in driving demand. The project's referral system further amplifies adoption, offering 15% bonuses for both referrers and invitees, with top performers earning additional USDC rewards, as the GlobeNewswire release explains. A 95% APY staking program launched in Stage 10 has also incentivized liquidity provision, making MoonBull a hybrid of meme culture and structured DeFi innovation, per the GlobeNewswire release.

Bitcoin's Role in a Fragmented Market

Bitcoin's influence in Q4 2025 remains undiminished, but its role is evolving. Institutional adoption via spot ETFs has added 1.29 million BTC to portfolios, or 6% of the total supply, since 2024, according to the CoinGecko report. Regulatory clarity in developed markets and advancements in Layer-2 solutions like the Lightning Network have enhanced Bitcoin's utility beyond a store of value, the CoinGecko report notes. However, its macroeconomic impact contrasts with the hypergrowth of DeFi projects like Hyperliquid and MoonBull, which cater to retail investors seeking higher ROI and community-driven participation.

Bitcoin's dominance is further challenged by the democratization of access. While institutional investors allocate capital to Bitcoin's stability, retail participants are drawn to the explosive potential of presales and decentralized exchanges. For example, MoonBull's presale has attracted over 500 holders in Stage 3, with projected ROI outpacing even the most aggressive Bitcoin halving narratives, as the FinanceFeeds analysis observed. Hyperliquid's user base has grown 78% year-to-date, reflecting a shift toward on-chain trading platforms that offer both scalability and speculative opportunities, as the Oak Research report highlights.

The DeFi-Driven Future

The Q4 2025 momentum around Hyperliquid and MoonBull underscores a broader trend: DeFi's transition from niche experimentation to mainstream adoption. Hyperliquid's infrastructure innovations and MoonBull's tokenomic ingenuity are not just competing with Bitcoin-they are redefining what crypto can achieve. While Bitcoin remains the market's anchor, these projects are building ecosystems that prioritize retail engagement, scalability, and self-sustaining value creation.

For investors, the key takeaway is clear: diversification into high-growth DeFi protocols and community-driven tokens is no longer optional. As Bitcoin's institutional narrative converges with the retail-driven energy of projects like Hyperliquid and MoonBull, the crypto market is entering a new era where innovation, not just scarcity, drives value.