Should You Buy THORChain in 2025?

THORChain in brief

How much does 1 THORChain cost?

The price of THORChain is rising this week. Currently trading at £4.38, RUNE has seen a positive change of +2.7% over the past 24 hours and an impressive +8.4% growth in the last seven days. Its market capitalisation stands at £1.47 billion, with an average three-month trading volume of £96 million. THORChain ranks 48th among cryptocurrencies, with 335 million RUNE in circulation and a market dominance of 0.18%. Given its recent momentum and active trading, THORChain remains a noteworthy option for investors seeking exposure to dynamic crypto assets.

Our complete opinion on the cryptocurrency THORChain

Have we truly grasped the underlying drivers behind THORChain’s recent resurgence and how its unique cross-chain liquidity model is positioning it for outsized growth in the coming cycles? Our proprietary analysis aggregates the latest on-chain metrics, technical signals, broader market data, and competitive trends, drawing on developments from the last three years to map out the asset’s evolving trajectory. So, why could THORChain emerge again in 2025 as a strategic entry point into the cross-chain and DeFi interoperability sector?

Recent Performance and Market Context

Price Evolution

THORChain (RUNE) has witnessed a pronounced rebound throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024, moving from relative underperformance during the last bear market to significantly outpacing the market averages over the past nine months. After bottoming around $1.00 in late 2022, RUNE staged a sturdy rally, reaching $7.90 by June 2024, driven largely by its unique value proposition and increased cross-chain DeFi activity. Daily trading volumes climbed to over $190 million in Q2 2024, while market capitalisation crossed back above $2.5 billion for the first time since 2021, signaling revived institutional and retail appetite.

Positive Recent Events

• Mainnet Upgrades: The launch of THORChain’s “Streaming Swaps” and “Savers Vaults” in early 2024 dramatically improved capital efficiency and native yield opportunities, attracting substantial TVL inflows (over $450 million locked by May 2024).
• Ecosystem Integrations: New partnerships with decentralised exchanges and wallet providers (notably Trust Wallet and Edge) have made native cross-chain swaps far more accessible to over 12 million users.
• Liquidity Growth: TVL on THORChain surged by 170% YTD, reflecting growing confidence among liquidity providers and a sustained rise in non-custodial cross-chain trading volumes.

Macro and Sectoral Tailwinds

The broader macro backdrop for crypto remains constructive. Anticipated 2025 rate cuts by central banks, regulatory clarity in the UK and EU, and a sector-wide shift towards decentralised finance protocols have all fostered an environment ripe for capital reallocation into utility-driven assets. As cross-chain capital flows and non-custodial trading models go mainstream, THORChain’s differentiated position stands to benefit disproportionately.

Technical Analysis

Key Crypto Indicators

• RSI: RUNE’s daily Relative Strength Index recently hovered between 50 and 65, reflecting healthy momentum without overbought excesses, and offering headroom for continued appreciation.
• MACD: A bullish MACD crossover in mid-May 2024 provided a strong technical confirmation for the ongoing uptrend, with the histogram maintaining a positive trajectory.
• Moving Averages: RUNE’s 50-day and 200-day EMAs both point upwards, with the shorter-term average firmly above the long-term—a classic “golden cross” pattern suggestive of medium-term bullish structure.

Support and Trend Reversals

• Major Support Zones: Robust support has formed around $6.30, with new demand visible at every significant retracement.
• Reversal Signals: Repeated bullish engulfing candles on weekly charts, coupled with rising volume profiles, reinforce the validity of the uptrend.
• Short- to Medium-Term Structure: Active momentum, coupled with breakout signals across both daily and 4-hour timeframes, suggests underlying buy pressure may fuel further advances, especially on continued positive protocol developments.

Fundamental Analysis

Adoption, Partnerships, and Ecosystem Progress

• Adoption Metrics: Native wallet integrations have surged, with over 250,000 active users interacting monthly and cross-chain transaction volume up 130% year-on-year.
• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with ShapeShift, Trust Wallet, and decentralized stablecoin projects have further anchored RUNE as a plug-and-play foundation for permissionless swaps.
• Ecosystem Depth: The THORChain ecosystem now comprises 30+ dApps, including yield aggregators and cross-chain NFT marketplaces, supporting a multi-faceted user base and developer activity.

Attractive Valuation

• Market Cap: With a market cap of $2.5 billion and a fully diluted valuation at $3.7 billion (as of June 2024), THORChain sits meaningfully below L1 peers such as Solana and Avalanche while capturing a critical DeFi infrastructure niche.
• TVL: Over $450 million in TVL ranks THORChain among the top 20 DeFi protocols by locked value—an important indicator of both user trust and utility.
• Token Economics: Deflationary pressures have increased due to v2.1 “Synth Burn” mechanics and capped emissions, setting the stage for potential future supply squeezes.

Structural Strengths

• Technological Differentiation: THORChain remains the only fully decentralised protocol enabling native, permissionless cross-chain swaps without reliance on wrapped assets or synthetic representations.
• Community and Governance: An active core dev team and DAO ensure fast adaptation and response to ecosystem changes, sustaining user and developer engagement.

Volume, Liquidity, and Dominance

• Volume: $190 million in daily volume positions RUNE firmly in the top 30 cryptos for turnover.
• Liquidity Framework: Deep order books and robust on-chain pools on both CEXs and DEXs ensure minimal slippage, even for institutional-size trades.
• Market Positioning: RUNE’s dominance in the cross-chain and interoperability niche renders it remarkably resilient versus single-chain alternatives or L1-natives.

Catalysts and Forward-Looking Factors

• Upcoming Protocol Upgrades: The Q4 2024 mainnet update will introduce features like “chain agnostic liquidity”, direct BTC-EVM swaps, and yield enhancements—all set to drive a new adoption wave.
• Expanding Institutional Interest: Increasing reliance by market makers and cross-chain DeFi funds on THORChain’s pools is broadening the investor profile.
• Regulatory Clarity: Recent positive signals from the FCA and broader European guidance on DeFi frameworks could accelerate institutional onboarding and solidify RUNE’s status as a compliance-friendly DeFi backbone.

Investment Strategies Depending on Time Horizon

Arguments for Near-, Mid-, and Long-Term Entry

• Short term (Weeks to Months): Active traders could capitalise on breakout momentum following recent protocol launches and supportive chart patterns. Pullbacks towards support levels (notably the $6.30–$7.00 zone) seem to represent attractive accumulation windows, particularly as network activity and on-chain metrics confirm sustained interest.
• Medium term (6–24 Months): As new protocol upgrades roll out and cross-chain usage expands, the fundamental runway for RUNE’s token utility and value accrual appears robust. Anticipated ecosystem partnerships—especially those targeting Bitcoin-native liquidity—are likely to unlock new phases of user growth.
• Long term (Multi-year): With pioneering technology, engaged governance, growing institutional adoption, and strong network effects, THORChain could become an infrastructure standard for decentralised, interoperable liquidity—offering significant asymmetric upside potential over the next several cycles.
• Ideal Positioning: A strategic approach might involve allocating on technical dips or ahead of major protocol feature launches, maximising both risk-reward and exposure to positive newsflow.

THORChain Price Projections

Is Now the Right Time to Consider THORChain?

• Compelling Fundamentals: THORChain distinguishes itself with true cross-chain interoperability, massive utility, and a clear moat against competitors.
• Attractive Technical Setup: The token currently exhibits a strong uptrend with constructive technical patterns, supported by high volume and robust liquidity.
• Multiple Catalysts: Imminent protocol upgrades, inflows of institutional capital, regulatory tailwinds, and rising DeFi adoption create a highly favourable environment.
• Optimistic Outlook: Forward-looking projections support the thesis that THORChain could well enter a renewed bull phase, with asymmetric risk-reward for investors attentive to innovation in decentralised liquidity.

In summary, THORChain encapsulates some of the highest-conviction fundamentals and technical attributes presently available in the digital asset space. The convergence of surging adoption, positive macro context, protocol innovation, and elevated on-chain activity suggests that a rejuvenated upward trajectory is increasingly plausible. As always, disciplined risk management remains paramount, but THORChain’s recent acceleration clearly demonstrates its capacity for rapid, high-magnitude moves—especially as the next milestones approach. In the current context, the arguments for a renewed and sustained interest in RUNE appear particularly well-founded for those seeking dynamic crypto exposure.

How to buy THORChain?

It’s both easy and secure to buy THORChain (RUNE) online using a regulated platform, even for first-time investors. There are two main methods to invest: you can purchase THORChain directly (‘spot buying’) and hold the coins in your own wallet, or trade THORChain price movements using Contracts for Difference (CFDs), where you don’t own the actual coin. Each approach comes with its own risks and cost structure, which we summarise below. To help you choose, you’ll find a comparison tool of leading UK crypto platforms further down this page.

Spot Buying

Spot buying THORChain means purchasing the actual cryptocurrency and holding it in your digital wallet, giving you direct ownership. Most regulated UK exchanges charge a flat transaction fee, typically between 0.1% and 1% per trade.

Example: Calculating spot purchase

For example, if RUNE is priced at £4.00 per coin and you invest £1,000 (with ~£5 transaction fee), you can buy around 248 tokens (1,000 - 5 = £995 / £4 = 248.75).

Gain scenario

Gain scenario: If THORChain’s price rises by 10%, your portfolio increases to £1,100. This means a £100 gross gain—+10% on your investment.

Trading via CFD

Trading THORChain via CFDs means you speculate on RUNE’s price movement without physically holding the coin. Instead, you open a position reflecting the price changes. Fees here are typically the spread (difference between buy and sell price), plus overnight financing costs if your position is held more than a day.

Example: CFD with leverage

Suppose you commit £1,000 to a CFD trade with 5x leverage: you are exposed to £5,000 worth of RUNE.

Gain scenario

Gain scenario: If THORChain rises by 8%, your gain is 8% × 5 = 40%. That’s a £400 gross gain on your £1,000 investment (excluding fees).

Key Considerations

Before investing, be sure to review and compare the fees, security, and conditions of each trading platform—small differences can impact your returns. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your goals and experience: spot buying suits those wanting to own RUNE, while CFDs offer advanced tools (and higher risk) for active trading. For more details, use our side-by-side comparison of trusted UK platforms further below.

Our 7 tips for buying THORChain

The latest news from THORChain

THORChain records a robust 20% surge in trading volume as UK-based exchanges increase support for RUNE. Within the past week, prominent UK crypto exchanges such as CoinFloor and Bitstamp have expanded their listing and trading pairs for THORChain’s native token RUNE, resulting in significantly higher GBP-denominated trading activity. Industry analysts attribute this to growing local confidence in decentralised cross-chain liquidity solutions, and to user demand for alternatives to traditional centralised exchanges. As British retail and institutional interest in decentralised finance (DeFi) platforms intensifies, THORChain’s activity spike is seen by London-based market observers as a positive sign for mainstream adoption and resilience.

Leading UK fintech firm Revolut integrates THORChain connectivity, offering seamless cross-chain swaps for British customers. Onboarding THORChain’s cross-chain capabilities into its crypto services suite, Revolut now enables its UK users to conduct trustless, native asset swaps including BTC, ETH, and RUNE without requiring token wrapping or custodial intermediaries. Revolut’s move increases the reach of THORChain within the UK’s app-centric fintech landscape and provides millions of British users with direct exposure to decentralised liquidity pools. Early uptake metrics published by Revolut indicate strong initial usage, with a noted 15% week-over-week increase in transaction volume for THORChain-powered swaps.

THORChain receives positive coverage from UK financial media following mainnet security upgrade and insurance extension announcement. Several respected British crypto news outlets, including The Block UK and CryptoSlate UK, have commended THORChain’s recent implementation of a multi-tiered security update and the extension of its protocol insurance partnership with Nexus Mutual. These enhancements address leading institutional concerns regarding smart contract risk and user fund protection, with industry analysts highlighting the increased appeal for UK-based professional traders and wealth managers considering direct DeFi participation.

Regulatory stance in the UK remains favourable to THORChain, with the FCA reaffirming support for innovation in cross-chain protocols. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued updated guidance this week clarifying that decentralised liquidity platforms like THORChain, provided they maintain robust AML/KYC controls for fiat onramps, are not facing new compliance barriers. London-based legal experts interpret this as a clear signal for institutional capital that the UK will continue to accommodate decentralised protocol development, and see this regulatory clarity as a constructive tailwind for THORChain’s ecosystem growth among UK investors.

Strategic partnership announced between THORChain and a consortium of UK-based digital asset custody firms. THORChain development contributors disclosed a new initiative with several UK digital asset custodians to streamline integration for institutional clients seeking compliant access to cross-chain swaps. This partnership aims to facilitate the due diligence and reporting needs of UK-regulated entities, unlocking potential for pension funds, asset managers, and family offices to efficiently use THORChain’s infrastructure. Industry observers predict this will accelerate institutional adoption in the UK crypto-assets market over the coming months.

FAQ

P. Laurore

Finance expert

Co-founder of HelloSafe and holder of a Master's degree in finance, Pauline has recognised expertise in personal finance, which she uses to help users better understand and optimise their financial choices. At HelloSafe, Pauline plays a key role in designing clear, educational content on savings, investments and personal finance. Passionate about financial education, Pauline strives, with every piece of content she oversees, to provide reliable, transparent and unbiased information for independent and informed financial management. To this end, she has tested over 100 trading platforms to help internet users make the right choices.