The first month of the new year is bound to be the breeding ground of major network and protocol upgrades. Altcoins are also likely to capitalize on this momentum, with some even presenting examples of the same over the last few days.

BeInCrypto has analysed three such altcoins that the investors must watch in the second week of January.

Mantle is approaching its first major network upgrade of the year, with the mainnet update designed to support all features of Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade. Scheduled to go live this week, the upgrade could improve utility and scalability, potentially attracting new users and increasing on-chain activity.

The development may serve as a catalyst for MNT price, which is trading near $0.99 and showing early upward pressure. To recover roughly 14% in recent losses, the altcoin must decisively breach $1.04. Securing that level would open a path toward $1.11 and signal renewed bullish momentum.

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Downside risks remain if market confidence weakens. Should bullish momentum fail to build, MNT could struggle at $1.04 and face renewed selling pressure. A rejection there may drag the token back toward its all-time low near $0.94, invalidating the bullish thesis.

OM posted early-month strength, trading near $0.078 as MANTRA prepares a major network transition. Users must migrate ERC20 OM to MANTRA Chain before January 15, 2026. After the deadline, ERC20 OM will be deprecated through a managed sunset, concentrating liquidity and activity on the native chain.

The migration aims to establish MANTRA Chain-native OM as the sole canonical token. Such structural upgrades often act as short-term catalysts by reducing fragmentation and improving network clarity. If investor confidence improves, OM price could advance toward $0.083, a level that must be reclaimed to support further upside momentum.

Downside risks persist if the buying interest weakens. Chaikin Money Flow already signals capital outflows, suggesting selling pressure remains active. Should bullish momentum fail, OM could slip below $0.077. A sustained breakdown there may expose the token to a deeper pullback toward $0.072, invalidating the bullish thesis.

POL ranked among the week’s strongest performers after Polygon was selected by Wyoming’s Stable Token Commission to host the state’s first stablecoin. The announcement boosted visibility and institutional credibility. This development helped drive renewed investor interest, positioning POL as a key beneficiary of real-world blockchain adoption.

The catalyst lifted POL price by 46% before a 12% pullback over the last 48 hours. The correction followed failure to breach $0.183 and flip the 200-day EMA into support. Achieving that level would signal macro bullishness, opening a path toward $0.200 if selling pressure remains contained.

Downside risk increases if holders rush to lock in profits. In that scenario, POL could retreat toward $0.138, a critical support zone. A breakdown there would also push the price below the 50-day EMA. Such a move would invalidate the bullish setup and expose POL to a deeper slide toward $0.119.

The post 3 Altcoins To Watch In The Second Week of January 2026 appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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