MarketVector's Smart Contract Leaders Index (.MVSCLE), which tracks major tokens of this kind - including ether, dot and solana - is up 36% in 2023, outpacing even bitcoin's 33% rise.
Bundeep Rangar, CEO of crypto-focused asset manager Fineqia, said he expected the biggest crypto returns to come from smart contract tokens on platforms that support decentralized finance (DeFi) apps.
Around seven of the top 20 biggest crypto assets are smart contract tokens, including ether and dot , solana and cardano .
BofA analysts also pointed to smart contract tokens and the blockchain-based applications they power as similar to growth stocks in the equities world, typically technology shares.
They caution, though, that the global macro outlook and central bank policy could hit the growth of crypto projects and their associated tokens.