Portfolio · 15 Abr 2026 · 6 min
Top 5 cryptos bought in 2020: 6-year review
In January 2020, investing in cryptocurrencies was still something most people saw as too risky or too complicated. The market still carried the stigma of the 2018 crash. And yet, those who entered that year with a clear thesis today have portfolios that look nothing like what they put in.
Let's look at the real numbers. What would you have earned investing €1,000 in each of the 5 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap in 2020?
Bitcoin (BTC)
Price in January 2020: ~$9,200 Current price (May 2026): ~$95,000
€1,000 invested = 0.1087 BTC Current value: ~$10,326 = approx. €9,500
Approximate ROI: +850%
Ethereum (ETH)
Price in January 2020: ~$130 Current price (May 2026): ~$1,800
€1,000 invested = 7.69 ETH Current value: ~$13,842 = approx. €12,700
Approximate ROI: +1,270%
Solana (SOL)
Price in January 2020: ~$0.50 Current price (May 2026): ~$145
€1,000 invested = 2,000 SOL Current value: ~$290,000 = approx. €266,000
Approximate ROI: +26,500%
Yes, you read that right. SOL was practically unknown in 2020 and traded at cents. Those who entered then and held have one of the largest gains in recent market history.
BNB (Binance Coin)
Price in January 2020: ~$13 Current price (May 2026): ~$595
€1,000 invested = 76.9 BNB Current value: ~$45,760 = approx. €42,000
Approximate ROI: +4,100%
XRP
Price in January 2020: ~$0.18 Current price (May 2026): ~$2.10
€1,000 invested = 5,555 XRP Current value: ~$11,666 = approx. €10,700
Approximate ROI: +970%
Summary
· BTC: +850% → €9,500 · ETH: +1,270% → €12,700 · SOL: +26,500% → €266,000 · BNB: +4,100% → €42,000 · XRP: +970% → €10,700
If you had split €1,000 into each (€5,000 total), today you would have approximately €341,000.
What do we learn from this?
First: time in the market beats timing the market. Most of these gains came from simply holding, not from buying at the exact bottom.
Second: diversification across the main assets did not sacrifice returns. All five went up massively.
Third: the assets that seemed riskiest (SOL, BNB) were the ones that returned the most. Risk and reward go hand in hand.
This is not a promise that the market will repeat. It's an exercise in perspective: are you positioning yourself in the projects that in 6 years someone will wish they had held?