7 Altcoins Down With Major Upgrades: Korean Traders’s Watchlist in August 2026

Altcoins Korean traders buy in August 2026 share a pattern that keeps repeating across the current cycle: massive drawdowns from all time highs paired with ecosystem upgrades that have not yet been priced in. 

SUI, HBAR, AVAX, APT, SEI, STX, and TON are all sitting between 80% and 97% below their peaks, yet each project has either shipped a significant network upgrade in recent months or has one scheduled for later this year. 

Korean exchanges like Upbit and Bithumb consistently show elevated volume on these tokens, suggesting that local traders see the current price levels as either an accumulation zone or a shorting opportunity. 

Whether the thesis is a recovery play or a continued breakdown, platforms like Bitrue Futures allow traders to position in both directions.

Key Takeaways

• All seven altcoins covered here are trading between 80% and 97% below their all time highs, placing them in what some analysts describe as deep accumulation zones and others see as structurally damaged assets.
• Each project has shipped or announced a major ecosystem upgrade in 2026, from Sui's 6 million TPS milestone to Sei's Giga upgrade and Avalanche's Payment Collective with institutional partners.
• Bitrue Futures offers traders the ability to go long on potential recovery plays or short positions on tokens they expect to continue declining, making it a practical tool regardless of directional conviction.

1. SUI

SUI is trading at approximately $0.72, down roughly 86% from its all time high of $5.35, yet the network recently demonstrated the ability to process over 6 million transactions per second on its public mainnet, a milestone that positions it among the fastest Layer 1 blockchains in operation. 

The project also announced a partnership with African fintech giant Paga to deploy tokenised assets across the continent, and its S2 unified developer platform and DeepBook v3 upgrade are both scheduled for progressive rollout throughout 2026. 

However, monthly token unlocks continue to add persistent sell pressure to the circulating supply, and the $9.76 million unlock on 1 August is one of several scheduled releases that keep the price anchored despite strong fundamental developments. 

Whether SUI breaks above key resistance at $0.84 or loses support at $0.67 will likely define its August trajectory, and both scenarios are tradeable through Bitrue Futures.

2. HBAR

HBAR is trading near $0.07, approximately 88% below its all time high of $0.57, and has been consolidating in a tight range between $0.068 and $0.070 following a steep decline from $0.135 in January 2026. 

The Hedera network continues to build on its enterprise adoption thesis, with institutional use cases including supply chain verification and tokenised asset management remaining central to its long term roadmap. 

The compressed volatility and base building pattern suggest the token is approaching a decision point, with a daily close above $0.08 potentially signalling a trend reversal and a breakdown below $0.068 risking a slide toward $0.06. For traders monitoring this range, Bitrue Futures allows positions to be opened in either direction with defined leverage.

3. AVAX

AVAX is trading near $6.10, down approximately 96% from its November 2021 all time high of $146, making it one of the most heavily discounted large cap altcoins in the current market. 

On the fundamentals side, Avalanche announced the AVAX Payment Collective in June 2026, uniting institutional players including WisdomTree and Franklin Templeton to establish shared standards for improving liquidity and global transfers. 

Japan's $2 billion real world asset migration to Avalanche has also been widely reported, though neither catalyst has translated into meaningful token price recovery. 

The token has broken below its $8.60 to $10 consolidation range and risks further downside if selling pressure continues, making it a candidate for both accumulation bets and short positions through Bitrue Futures.

Read also: Futures Trading Strategies for Beginners: A Simple Guide

4. APT

APT is trading at approximately $0.56, down roughly 97% from its all time high of $19.90, placing it among the most deeply discounted Layer 1 tokens in the current cycle. The Aptos network recently surpassed 4.5 billion cumulative transactions, a milestone that demonstrates sustained network usage even as the token price remains near historical lows. 

However, a notable headwind emerged in late July 2026 when Aave's founder confirmed the protocol is deprecating low adoption asset reserves and winding down deployments on several chains, including Aptos. 

The mixed signal of strong transaction volume alongside a major DeFi protocol pulling back creates a setup where both bullish and bearish outcomes are plausible, which is exactly the type of environment where Bitrue Futures lets traders express a clear directional view.

5. SEI

SEI is trading near $0.05, down approximately 95% from its March 2024 all time high of $1.14, and the network has experienced a sharp contraction in both total value locked (from $626 million to roughly $41.6 million) and daily transaction count. 

The major catalyst ahead is the Giga upgrade, which introduces the Autobahn consensus protocol and asynchronous execution, targeting over 200,000 transactions per second with sub 400 millisecond finality. 

A Xiaomi partnership for device level integration has also been announced, along with Canary Capital's filing for a staked SEI ETF, but monthly token unlocks of 112 to 132 million tokens through mid 2027 continue to create persistent supply pressure. 

Whether the Giga upgrade can reverse the downtrend or whether the collapsing TVL and shrinking user base make SEI a short candidate is a judgement call that traders can act on through Bitrue Futures.

Read also: Understand Every Types of Futures Trading

6. STX

STX is trading at approximately $0.138, down about 96% from its April 2024 all time high of $3.84, though it carries a structural distinction from the other tokens on this list: its circulating supply and total supply are effectively identical at 1.855 billion tokens, meaning there is no overhang from future unlock events. 

The Stacks network shipped its Nakamoto release, which introduced Bitcoin finality to the Stacks chain, and sBTC offers a trust minimised way to use Bitcoin in DeFi applications directly on the network. 

The technical chart shows the token trading inside a descending channel with support near $0.13 and resistance at $0.17 to $0.19, setting up a potential breakout or breakdown scenario. 

If you are looking to trade these altcoins in either direction, you can sign up to Bitrue to access futures trading with leverage on a wide range of crypto pairs.

7. TON

TON is trading between $1.42 and $1.63, down roughly 80% from its all time high of $8.25, making it the least discounted token on this list but still significantly underwater from its peak. 

The Telegram integration thesis remains TON's strongest fundamental narrative, as the network positions itself as infrastructure for payments, decentralised applications, and Web3 services accessible to Telegram's massive user base. 

The 2024 arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France created sustained uncertainty around the project, and the token has been trading in a $1.20 to $1.90 range through much of 2026 as it searches for directional conviction. 

Traders who expect the Telegram ecosystem to reignite demand or those who view the regulatory overhang as an ongoing headwind can both express their thesis through Bitrue Futures.

How to Trade These Altcoins on Bitrue Futures

Bitrue Futures gives traders the ability to go long on tokens they believe are positioned for a recovery or short tokens they expect to continue declining, all with adjustable leverage on a regulated platform. 

Whether the thesis is a dip buy on SUI or a short on SEI, the process is the same.

1. Create an account on Bitrue and complete the verification process to unlock futures trading access.
2. Fund your account by depositing USDT, which serves as the primary margin currency for futures positions.
3. Navigate to the Futures section and search for the specific trading pair (for example, SUI/USDT, AVAX/USDT, or any of the seven tokens covered in this article).
4. Select your preferred leverage, choose long or short depending on your directional view, and open the position with your desired margin amount.
5. Set a stop loss and take profit level to manage risk, then close the position manually or let it hit your predefined exit when the trade plays out.

Conclusion

All seven of these altcoins share the same structural reality: deep drawdowns from their all time highs combined with ecosystem upgrades that have not yet moved the price. 

Whether that makes them accumulation opportunities or continued short candidates depends entirely on the individual trader's thesis. 

The upgrades are real, the price declines are real, and the divergence between the two creates exactly the kind of environment where futures trading becomes practical. 

For traders who want the flexibility to go long or short on any of these tokens with leverage and risk management tools, Bitrue Futures provides the platform to act on that conviction.

FAQ

Why Are Korean Traders Watching These Altcoins?

Korean exchanges like Upbit and Bithumb consistently show elevated trading volume on altcoins, and Korean retail traders have historically been early movers on tokens with strong technical narratives and deep discounts from all time highs.

Are These Altcoins Good to Buy at Current Prices?

That depends entirely on individual risk tolerance and investment thesis, as tokens down 80% to 97% can either recover significantly or continue declining, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

What Is Bitrue Futures?

Bitrue Futures is a derivatives trading platform that allows users to open long or short positions on cryptocurrency pairs with adjustable leverage, enabling traders to profit from both rising and falling markets.

Can You Short Crypto on Bitrue?

Yes, Bitrue Futures supports short selling, which means traders can open positions that profit when a token's price declines, making it a practical tool for bearish views on any of the altcoins covered in this article.

What Is the Biggest Risk With These Altcoins?

The primary risks include continued price decline despite upgrades, token unlock dilution (which applies to SUI, SEI, and HBAR in particular), loss of developer activity, and broader market conditions that may keep capital concentrated in Bitcoin rather than flowing into altcoins.

Disclaimer: The views expressed belong exclusively to the author and do not reflect the views of this platform. This platform and its affiliates disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy or suitability of the information provided. It is for informational purposes only and not intended as financial or investment advice.