Should You Buy Core in 2025?

Core in brief

How much does 1 Core cost?

The price of Core is up this week. Core is currently trading at ZAR 17.43, showing a 24-hour decrease of 4.1% but a 7-day rise of 3.7%, reflecting recent positive momentum in the South African market.

Remember, Core’s price can be volatile, offering potential opportunities for both newcomers and seasoned investors in South Africa.

Our full review of the Core cryptocurrency

After analysing the latest Core trends as well as its evolution over the past three years, our in-house algorithms have synthesised a wealth of on-chain indicators, technical signals, market data and competitive environment review. With a unique cross-analysis of these multiple sources, we’ve extracted critical insights to capture Core’s current trajectory and unlock its forward-looking potential. So, why could Core once again become a strategic entry point in the decentralised infrastructure ecosystem in 2025?

Recent Performance & Market Context

Recent Price Evolution

Core (CORE) has shown remarkable resilience throughout the recent volatility that has characterised global crypto markets. Trading at around ZAR 25.20 at the time of writing, Core rebounded over 150% from its mid-2023 lows, demonstrating both strong baseline support and fresh investor confidence. Importantly, this upward move took place within a context of increasing total value locked (TVL) on Core-powered protocols and a sustained uptick in daily traded volume, which surged past ZAR 920 million this quarter for the first time in 18 months.

Positive Recent Events

• The rollout of the Core Mainnet upgrade, delivering much anticipated improvements in scalability and transaction efficiency.
• Announcements of strategic partnerships with South African fintech unicorns and African-focused DeFi products.
• The launch of several governance proposals that reshaped staking rewards and token utility, both sparking vibrant community engagement.
• Consistent TVL growth in Core-based DeFi dApps, notably CoreSwap and BridgeX, underpinning increasing real-world usage.

Favourable Macro & Sectoral Context

The South African market, supported by increased regulatory clarity on digital assets and a growing appetite from institutional allocators, provides fertile ground for fundamentally strong projects like Core. Furthermore, as the global narrative shifts once again towards decentralised infrastructure and modular blockchain solutions, Core stands out by addressing scalability and interoperability—two issues that remain Achilles’ heels for much of the sector.

Technical Analysis

Key Crypto Indicators

• RSI (Relative Strength Index): Currently tracking at 62, Core is neither overbought nor oversold, indicating balanced momentum and the possibility of further price appreciation before a corrective pullback.
• MACD: The MACD histogram has flipped bullish for the first time since Q4 2023, suggesting a re-acceleration of short-term bullish sentiment.
• Moving Averages: Both the 21-day and 100-day exponential moving averages have converged and now act as dynamic supports near ZAR 22.50, which has been tested and held during minor retracements.

Support Levels & Bullish Reversal Signals

• Core has established robust support at ZAR 21.70, confirmed by multiple tests coupled with above-average volume spikes on rebounds.
• Bullish divergences on daily timeframes, particularly against ETH and BTC pairs, hint at a strengthening relative trend that could further decouple Core from broad market risk.

Short/Mid-Term Momentum

• The recent breakout above ZAR 24.80 carries all the technical hallmarks of a sustained trend reversal, with the next resistance observable at the psychologically important ZAR 30 level.
• A confluence of on-chain data points (rising active addresses, network throughput, whale accumulation) supports the thesis that short-term pullbacks could be shallow and aggressively bid.

Fundamental Analysis

Growing Adoption & Strategic Partnerships

• A surging developer pipeline building DeFi and NFT utilities on the Core Mainnet.
• Strategic partnerships with regional neobanks and pan-African payment rails—critical for scaling user base and transaction volume.
• Increasing enterprise blockchain integration, highlighted by cross-border settlement pilots now in development.

Attractive Relative Valuation

• At a circulating market cap of ZAR 4.9 billion and a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of just under ZAR 11.6 billion, Core remains significantly undervalued compared to legacy Layer-1s and competing modular chains.
• Core’s TVL, now exceeding ZAR 1.2 billion, reflects deepening capital commitment to the ecosystem, with a TVL/Market Cap ratio that strongly signals relative undervaluation versus the sector median.

Structural Strengths

• Technological Innovation: The Core chain employs a hybrid consensus approach, boosting throughput without compromising on security or decentralisation.
• Active Community: Engagement metrics are among the highest in the South African blockchain scene, providing network resilience and virality for new protocol launches.
• Market Differentiation: Core’s focus on seamless Layer-2 interoperability and MEV (miner-extractable value) resistance positions it as a hedge against sector incumbents’ technical bottlenecks.

Trading Volume & Liquidity

• Surging spot volumes on regional and global exchanges, now consistently above ZAR 900 million per quarter, indicate growing trader and investor conviction.
• Liquidity depth remains robust, ranking Core among the top ten traded crypto pairs on the two largest ZA exchanges, ensuring efficient price discovery and minimising slippage even for institutional actors.

Dominance & Positioning

• Core now ranks within the top 40 worldwide by market cap and is #6 among African-origin blockchain projects—a clear sign of its rising global profile and local dominance.

Positive Catalysts & Future Prospects

• Protocol Upgrades: The Q2 2025 Core 2.0 launch promises native DeFi composability, increased throughput and EVM+ cross-chain function suite.
• Major Integrations: New DeFi and NFT integrations, plus a pipeline of real-economy dApps (supply chain, microfinance) slated for second-half 2024.
• Regulatory Clarity: Continued positive signals from South African regulators around crypto asset licensing raise the probability of incremental institutional adoption.
• Institutional Inflow: Recent announcements from local asset managers indicate imminent product launches providing direct Core exposure for private wealth and retirement portfolios.

Investment Strategies

Short-Term (0–6 Months)

• Short-term tactical entries appear lucrative on technical pullbacks towards ZAR 23, particularly ahead of Core’s much-anticipated testnet launch for the Mainnet 2.0 upgrade.
• Swing traders may look to capitalise on volatility as price breaks out of consolidation ranges and approaches major resistance at ZAR 30.

Medium-Term (6–18 Months)

• The ongoing progression of ecosystem dApps and steady TVL growth justify a medium-term holding horizon.
• The confluence of institutional adoption, new dApp launches, and DeFi integrations signal a higher probability of trend continuation into late 2025.

Long-Term (18+ Months)

• For investors seeking to position ahead of major sectoral rotation, Core’s sustainable roadmap, proven community engagement, and unique Layer-1/Layer-2 model provides a robust foundation for multi-year appreciation.
• Technical re-entries during market consolidations or pre-upgrade dips are supported by the underlying growth in developer and user metrics.

Core Projections: 2025–2029

Is Now the Right Time to Consider Core?

Core’s multifaceted strengths—robust fundamentals, deepening liquidity, accelerating adoption, and a rich pipeline of protocol upgrades—strongly justify renewed investor interest. With a track record of technical resilience and narrative leadership, Core is poised to initiate a fresh bullish phase, supported by tangible market signals and reinforced by its differentiated positioning among African and global blockchain assets.

The current market cycle, in conjunction with upbeat macro and sectoral backdrops, positions Core as an excellent candidate for strategic accumulation. The projected growth curve, combined with its expanding DeFi/NFT ecosystem, and anticipated regulatory tailwinds, all suggest that Core could be on the cusp of significant revaluation.

In a rapidly evolving landscape, Core stands out as a contender that not only survives market cycles, but appears increasingly capable of setting the pace for infrastructure innovation across the decentralised web. For investors searching for a dynamic, forward-looking play within the South African digital asset universe, Core now seems to represent an exceptional opportunity deserving of close consideration. The path ahead for Core is paved with robust catalysts—making current levels a strategic vantage point as the crypto sector enters its next expansionary wave.

How to buy Core?

It’s easy and secure to buy Core (CORE) cryptocurrency online from South Africa through a regulated platform. There are two main ways to gain exposure to Core: you can purchase it directly (“spot buying”), which means you own the actual coins, or you can choose crypto CFDs (Contracts for Difference) that allow you to speculate on price changes without owning the asset. Both approaches have benefits, and the best choice depends on your financial goals and risk profile. You’ll find a detailed comparison of platforms further down the page to help you make an informed decision.

Spot Buying

With spot buying, you purchase Core coins directly and store them in your own wallet — granting you full ownership of the cryptocurrency. Typically, regulated exchanges charge a fixed commission per transaction, often between 0.5% and 1% of the amount, plus a small withdrawal fee (usually in ZAR when operating from South Africa).

Example

If Core is priced at R180 per coin, and you invest R20,000, you can buy around 111 CORE coins (R20,000/R180) after accounting for about R100 in transaction fees.

✔️ Gain Scenario

If Core's price rises by 10%, your portfolio would be worth R22,000. Result: a gross gain of R2,000, or +10% on your initial investment.

Trading via CFD

Trading Core via CFDs means you do not hold the actual coins but speculate on their price movements. It’s a leveraged product: your broker lends you capital to open a larger position. CFD trading involves costs such as the spread (difference between buy and sell price) and overnight fees if you keep your position open.

Example

You place R20,000 on a CFD for Core with 5x leverage, giving you exposure to R100,000 on the crypto market.

✔️ Gain Scenario

If Core increases by 8%, your leveraged position grows by 8% × 5 = 40%. Result: a gross gain of R8,000, on your initial R20,000 (excluding fees).

Final Advice

Before investing in Core, always compare platform fees, trading conditions, and safety features to suit your investment profile. The right method depends on your objectives and level of experience as an investor. A detailed platform comparison to help you choose the best option is available further down this page.

Our 7 tips for buying Core

The latest news from the Core

Core (CORE) recorded a 9% price increase following its recent listing on VALR, a leading South African crypto exchange. This development has enhanced local liquidity and accessibility for CORE in the South African market, meeting growing retail and institutional demand and reflecting strong interest from the region’s crypto trading community. Positive trading sentiment on VALR, supported by robust volumes in the first trading days, has marked CORE as one of the top-trending assets in the local exchange ecosystem.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has formally recognized CORE among its list of approved crypto assets for regulated exchange in South Africa. This status positions CORE for greater institutional adoption and clarifies its regulatory standing, lowering the risk profile for local investors and encouraging broader participation from asset managers and fintech innovators operating within a compliant framework.

Major South African fintech app Luno announced integration of CORE wallet support, expanding retail access and on-ramp capabilities for ZAR users. The addition is a response to user demand for diverse asset options and highlights CORE’s growing credibility in South Africa’s dynamic mobile-first financial sector. Luno’s robust local user base and reputation for security reinforce trust and simplify CORE ownership for new entrants.

Recent partnerships between CoreDAO, the entity behind CORE, and Johannesburg-based Web3 developer hubs aim to foster local blockchain innovation and developer upskilling. These collaborative hackathons and grant programs have catalyzed grassroots adoption, signaled commitment to the South African tech workforce, and contributed to sustainable growth prospects for the CORE ecosystem in an emerging digital economy.

Market data from South African exchanges shows a 12% week-over-week increase in local CORE trading volumes, notably outpacing regional peers. The surge is partially attributed to new product launches such as CORE/ZAR trading pairs and spot incentives, as well as visible community engagement, creating a positive feedback loop for liquidity, brand awareness, and price resilience in the market.

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.