Story Highlights Altcoin market cap nears $1.8T as Bitcoin, Ethereum consolidate; tokenization and cross-chain projects lead early gains. Ondo, Centrifuge, Axelar, Telcoin, and Plume emerge as top altcoin plays ahead of Fed meeting and potential altseason rally. Altcoins are beginning to move as Bitcoin and Ethereum consolidate their gains. The Federal Reserve’s September 17 meeting could act as the next market catalyst. In past cycles, altcoins have outperformed once the larger assets found direction. The Altcoin Season Index is now at 68 out of 100. That level shows that altcoins are starting to gain ground, though the market has not yet reached peak levels. The total altcoin market cap stands close to $1.8 trillion, leaving room for further growth. Several projects stand out as the altcoin phase begins: Ondo (ONDO) Ondo focuses on tokenized real-world assets. The value on its platform has grown more than 20% in the past month. New partnerships and active user growth suggest steady demand. If tokenization adoption continues, Ondo is positioned to benefit. Centrifuge (CFG) Centrifuge has more than $1.1 billion locked in its network. Despite that, its market value is still modest compared to other projects in the sector. The token remains far below its all-time high, giving it room to recover if asset tokenization expands. Axelar (AXL) Axelar connects over 80 blockchains through its cross-chain network. The project has more than $1.1 billion in value locked, but its token price has not kept pace with its growth. As interoperability becomes more important, Axelar could see higher demand. Telcoin (TEL) Telcoin has gained more than 200% over the past year. Its supply is almost fully released, which limits new dilution. The project is developing the Telcoin Digital Asset Bank and has launched stablecoins within its mobile wallet. The app already supports money transfers to more than 20 countries and 30 e-wallets. Telcoin also works with GSMA, a major player in global telecom. With billions of mobile subscribers worldwide, the potential reach is large. The token is still trading well below its 2021 peak of $0.065, which leaves room for growth if adoption continues. Plume (PLUME) Plume is a new entrant in the tokenization space. It supports 144 tokenized assets and has more than $170 million locked. The project has also attracted over 200,000 holders, reflecting steady adoption. With more than 180 projects tied to its ecosystem, it could gain ground if the real-world asset sector continues to expand.