Crypto Market Surge: VELVET Leads with 155% Gain as ETHFI and LINK Follow
Five cryptocurrencies stood out from the pack last week, with VELVET leading the charge with a 155% gain in just seven days. At $1.18 at the time of writing, its daily increase was 26%. The trading terminal offered by VELVET combines spot, perpetual, and yield markets across seven networks, including Base, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, and Hyperliquid.
The AI-powered routing feature aims to reduce traders' need to navigate between separate interfaces. However, its expansion only becomes relevant when it generates sustained trading volume and increased use of the token for rewards, governance, or fee cashback.
VELVET's Epoch 11 reward structure is another factor contributing to its success. Only 12% of distributed VELVET is liquid, while 88% is locked and staked for 12 months. Although this reduces the immediately available supply, it doesn't eliminate it entirely. The locked allocation can become a burden when it's released.
Other notable performers include ETHFI, which gained 9% in 24 hours and 25% over the week, bringing its price to about $0.48. Its latest update provides a direct link between protocol revenue and the token through programmatic ETHFI buybacks funded across its products and revenue lines.
Chainlink (LINK) advanced 6% in 24 hours and 12% over the week, reaching $9.27. The bank's newly initiated coverage gave traders a striking set of numbers: a $13 target for the end of 2026, $200 by 2030, and a tokenized-asset market projected to reach $4 trillion by 2028.
However, these are forecasts, not protocol cash flows. They can improve sentiment but require banks, asset issuers, and blockchains to pay for Chainlink services at a much greater scale.