3 Cryptocurrencies to Watch Amid the Ongoing Political Storm

The global tension is palpable. Here are a few cryptocurrencies to watch in this ongoing context in 2026.

There are no two ways around it – the world in 2026 is one where war is clearly on the table. From the Middle East to Ukraine, political tensions are rising around the world.

As CryptoPotato reported yesterday, the US, along with Israel, attacked Iran. Retaliation ensued, and now each side is urging the other to reconsider before responding with even greater force.

In the context of the tension in the world, we decided to make a little guess and see which three cryptocurrencies should be watched in such a situation.

Bitcoin

As much as the industry would like to paint Bitcoin as a safe asset, removed from the risk markets, it behaved like nothing seen last year.

Nevertheless, BTC remains the king of crypto – it is the largest by market capitalization, accounting for 56% of the entire industry. That’s worth watching. Operationally, however, the main cryptocurrency tends to fall when tensions rise and recover as tensions subside. That’s what happened last year when the US attacked Iran and later said it was dismantling their nuclear program; that’s what seems to be happening now too.

But it’s also worth noting that Bitcoin has been more volatile than legacy markets, and experts seem to believe that the current price action is indicative of a deep crypto winter.

If this is the case and the conflict in the Middle East is put to bed (somehow), this could also ease the apparent uncertainty of the markets and eventually boost the price. On the other hand, prolonged conflict and tension with the involvement of other countries such as Russia, China, and the rest of the Middle East, could mean more uncertainty – something the US has vowed to avoid by not getting involved in the ongoing war in the region. Time will tell.

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At the time of this writing, BTC is trading around $67,000 – down 2% for the week, up 5% in the last 24 hours, but more importantly, down 47% from its all-time high of five months ago. While there is clearly a downtrend, the resolution of ongoing disputes may act as a catalyst for recovery.

Token Gold Tokens

Gold took the lead in 2025 and, apart from the unprecedented decline in early February 2026, was the most targeted commodity. It’s safe to say that it lives up to its name as a true safe haven, as investors flock to it during times of political tension and economic uncertainty.

Trading above $5,200 per ounce, at the time of writing, gold prices are up more than 100% in the past year.

But physical gold is not easy to find, the spread can be significant, and storage is a challenge. This is where investors may turn to their digital proxy, fully backed tokens.

The two most popular, which account for the bulk of the tokenized gold market, are Paxos’ PAX Gold (PAXG) and Tether’s Tether Gold (XAUT), which carry the same capitalization.

Both are traded on very popular exchanges with a large market depth, making it very easy to trade with little volatility. Yes, you are a very good person to trade for protection, because you will have to trust that the issuers have, indeed, enough gold to back it up in the event of a physical redemption.

But on the other hand, if you’re one to speculate, as seems to be the case with most of the market these days, then accessing liquid, quick gold wraps can be an option.

That said, interest in both is palpable – their total market capitalization has increased over the past year.

Coins focused on privacy

In 2025, we saw a buying frenzy in favor of privacy coins like Zcash (ZEC) and Monero (XMR). In the context of a more intense conflict, which may involve severe sanctions (such as those against Russia, Iran, etc.) or increased government surveillance of financial flows, privacy-focused assets often see an increase in their performance.

Don’t take my word for it.

Despite a crash that took nearly 55% of its total market capitalization in January, XMR is still up more than 56% over the past year. The issue of ZEC is highly commendable because it has increased by fifty percent during the same period.