Foresight News has published its ranking of standout column contributors for September 2026, using article readership, content quality, publishing volume and other metrics to determine a Top 5 popularity list, a No. 1 productivity pick, and two names in its newcomer ranking. The outlet also attached one recommended article for each selected column.
Top 5 popularity ranking for September
Based on monthly readership and content quality, Foresight News selected the five most popular columns for the period.
1. 168X
Foresight described 168X as a columnist focused on the front edge of Web3 and AI, with ongoing interviews featuring global investors and project founders. Its recommended article was “Mojo AI founder Forest: Hyperliquid is nearing the endgame, and the next wave of crypto growth lies in AI trading agents,” which included the line: “Keep the dopamine and decision-making power to yourself, and leave the dirty work to AI.”
2. SoSo Value
SoSo Value was described as an AI-driven, one-stop crypto research and investment platform centered on on-chain data, secondary-market pricing, and Alpha discovery for professional crypto investors. Foresight recommended “Why is Circle building its own chain? A full breakdown before the Arc mainnet goes live,” which said Circle’s Arc mainnet is about to launch and framed it as a compliant institutional settlement chain that could reshape the sector while drawing centralization debate.
3. Daii
Daii, identified as the operator of Zhihu column “Crypto Reference,” focuses on accessible explanations of core crypto technology, privacy, regulatory policy and theories related to Vitalik. The recommended article was “Goldman Sachs expects the renminbi to appreciate to 5.5 in five years. What should you do?” It included the line: “The exchange rate determines which ruler you use to measure returns, while asset quality determines whether there is actually anything beneath that ruler.”
4. Heise Mali Ao
Foresight said 黑色马里奥 is a blockchain editor and independent media writer with a focus on crypto industry history, hacking incidents, centralized exchanges and public-chain ecosystem reviews. The featured article was “The notorious Lazarus Group: the North Korean hacking empire that stole nearly $7.8 billion from the crypto industry,” described as “a North Korean state-level gray industry hidden inside the crypto world.”
5. CoinMarketCap
CoinMarketCap was listed as a long-established global crypto market data platform producing token reference data, market overviews and educational content. Its recommended article was “Coinbase got a clearing license, yet the perpetuals segment stayed the weakest,” which said: “The party that won regulatory approval was the trading venue, while the assets that rose were the chains carrying them. Those two things happened in the same week.”
Productivity ranking leader
Foresight also selected the top entry in its productivity list based on publishing volume, readability and other dimensions.
Stablehunter
Stablehunter was described as a researcher focused on Web3 payments, stablecoins and AI Agent finance, with work covering digital banking and financial architecture such as Agentic Payment. The recommended article was “Everyone talks about the endgame of Agentic Payment. The hard part is the road in between.” According to Foresight’s summary, the article argued that the real question is not what the final form looks like, but how the path is built step by step from “human click-to-confirm” to “machine-executed payment.” It added that payment is not about whether something can be done, but whether it can be authorized, constrained and trusted.
Top 2 newcomer ranking
For columnists who joined in September 2026, Foresight evaluated readership, content quality and publishing activity to select the top two newcomers.
1. X-Agent
X-Agent was introduced as a columnist focused on the AI Agent and Crypto crossover, with ongoing analysis of on-chain AI Agent products and trading agents. The recommended article was “The Agentic Economy: Why cryptocurrency will become the default payment channel for artificial intelligence,” built around the idea that artificial intelligence provides intelligence while blockchain provides the economic base.
2. BigTime
BigTime was described as a technical solutions provider serving institutional clients in the Web3 market. Its recommended article was “A map of the crypto market-making industry: GSR and its rivals.” Foresight summarized the piece by saying that as volumes contract and the client base becomes more institutional, market makers’ client mix, service models and revenue sources are changing as well.
Disclaimer
Foresight said the market carries risk and investors should act with caution. The article does not constitute investment advice, and readers should assess whether any opinions, views or conclusions in the piece fit their own circumstances and bear responsibility for any investment decisions made on that basis.
