HYPE tokens issued by the Hyperliquid exchange have stunned the market with their rapid price growth, and recently, BNB, the token of Binance, set another price record above $1,000.
HYPE tokens issued by the Hyperliquid exchange have stunned the market with their rapid price growth, and recently, BNB, the token of Binance, the largest exchange by trading volume, set another price record above $1,000. Given this success, it's useful to understand what exchange tokens are and how to use them to grow your capital.
What are exchange cryptocurrencies? Exchange tokens are digital assets created by organizations that provide services for trading virtual currencies and their derivatives. This includes coins and tokens developed by exchanges operating in the digital asset market.
What types of exchange virtual currencies exist? Depending on the type of exchange that issues the digital asset, cryptocurrencies on trading platforms are divided into:
- Centralized;
- Decentralized.
The former includes coins issued by centralized exchanges. The leaders among them by market capitalization are BNB (BNB), UNUS SED LEO (LEO), Cronos (CRO), OKB (OKB), and Bitget Token (BGB).
Top 5 Cryptocurrencies on Centralized Exchanges
The second group includes digital assets issued by decentralized platforms. These coins are topped by Hyperliquid (HYPE), Stellar (XLM), Uniswap (UNI), Aster (ASTER), and Jupiter (JUP).
The Top Five Decentralized Exchange Digital Assets by Market Capitalization
What are the benefits of exchange-issued digital assets? Exchanges typically implement incentives for the purchase of their issued cryptocurrencies to drive demand. This gives these digital assets practical value. For example, holders of Binance-issued BNB tokens can:
- Save up to 25% on exchange transaction fees;
- Participate in airdrops;
- Get access to custom products;
- Increase the transaction limit;
- Use a dedicated support line;
- Attend various events;
- Earn loyalty rewards.
Holders of the Hyperliquid decentralized exchange cryptocurrency can:
- Participate in project development decisions through voting;
- Pay with tokens for transactions using smart contracts and decentralized applications.
How to earn passive income from exchange-issued cryptocurrencies? Digital assets on centralized and decentralized platforms typically offer the opportunity to earn income by storing them. Binance, for example, offers the opportunity to lock up BNB in exchange for a reward of up to 94.62% per annum.
Products for Earning by Locking Up BNB
Hyperliquid is a much more interesting prospect. HYPE can be staked with a return of up to 2.26% per annum and rewarded in the form of HYPE digital assets or USD Coin (USDC) stablecoins. Stakers are also eligible to participate in airdrops and can expect additional rewards in the form of tokens created by new projects.
HYPE Staking Platforms
Which exchange tokens generate the most income? Of the top 10 cryptocurrencies issued by centralized exchanges by market capitalization, six can be locked. Excluding bonus offers and only standard locking products, the highest yield of 7% is from LCX Token (LCX), developed by the LCX platform. Other coins offer significantly lower returns.
Cryptocurrency Locking Yields on Centralized Exchanges (in % per annum)
Digital assets created by leading decentralized exchanges can be locked under more favorable terms. For example, Uniswap (UNI) staking yields 9% per annum, while dydx (DYDX) yields 8.8%.
Staking Yields on Decentralized Exchange Virtual Currencies (in % per annum)
As a rule, the locking yield of exchange-traded digital assets depends on the risk of their storage due to price declines. Therefore, coins with a significant APY usually carry a higher risk due to their higher price volatility. Accordingly, when choosing a coin, you need to consider the market situation. If there's a bullish trend, locking up the asset is less risky. Conversely, during a bearish trend, the risk of losses increases.
Which exchange-traded cryptocurrencies are best to invest in? It's best to invest in digital assets from the largest exchanges, as they offer an optimal risk-reward ratio. For example, from January 1 to September 26, 2025, BNB increased in price by 35%, while Gate Token (GT) fell by almost 5% during the same period.
BNB Price Increase in 2025
The price of decentralized exchange tokens is often more volatile, making them riskier to invest in, but potentially rewarding if successful. Hyperliquid is a prime example of a sharp price fluctuation. Over the past six months, HYPE has risen in price by 231%, but after the pump ended, the coin's price fell by 28% in a week.
Hyperliquid Price Pump and Dump
Therefore, for long-term investments, it's best to choose cryptocurrencies from exchanges with the highest trading volume, while for speculative trading, it's better to purchase coins from top decentralized trading platforms.
What are the risks of purchasing digital assets from exchanges? The main danger of investing in exchange-traded cryptocurrencies lies in a sharp drop in their value caused by:
Cyberattacks;
Fraud.
Speaking of hacks, it's worth remembering the decentralized exchange GMX, which fell victim to hackers this year. On July 9, when the platform was hacked, the price of the startup's GMX coin (GMX) fell by almost 29% in a couple of hours. Within a month of the incident, the token's price recovered and rose 180% from its low. Therefore, GMX owners who didn't panic and sell their digital assets profited by getting rid of them at the peak.
The Fall and Subsequent Rise of the GMX Price
FTX Token (FTT) has become a shining example of the consequences of scams. In November 2022, when the bankrupt FTX exchange collapsed, FTT was practically worthless, falling from $25.86 to $1.27. The exchange went bankrupt due to the actions of its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, who appropriated clients' digital assets. FTX Token never rose from the ashes, and its price currently fluctuates around $0.9.
FTT Price Collapse
How do exchanges stimulate the growth of their cryptocurrencies? Trading platforms use three mechanisms to boost the price of their digital assets:
Reducing the circulating supply of coins by buying them back;
Increasing demand for cryptocurrency by issuing rewards and bonuses to token holders;
Increasing liquidity.
Exchanges can use a portion of their profits to purchase their virtual currency and then destroy it. For example, Binance spends 20% of its profits each quarter on this, and in the second quarter of 2025, the organization purchased $1.6 billion worth of BNB on the market.
To make cryptocurrency more attractive, companies are increasing the yield on digital asset lockups, running promotions, and increasing bonuses, for example, by offering a more substantial discount on order processing fees. To increase the liquidity of digital assets, exchanges are developing their ecosystems and entering into partnerships to list virtual currencies on other platforms.
Therefore, before investing in cryptocurrency on an exchange, find out whether the platform buys coins, what percentage they offer to lock them up at, what benefits owners receive, and what development plans the platform has.