Akedo jumps 25% as Pepe, Pearl lead this week’s crypto gainers

Akedo (AKE), Pepe (PEPE) and Pearl (PEARL) lead the crypto market this week, rising 25%, 21% and 12%, respectively. The gains come as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP head into the weekend under pressure from macro developments.

Best-performing cryptocurrencies: Akedo, PEPE, PEARL lead crypto market gains

Akedo (AKE)

WoW: 25%

Akedo led the group with a 25% gain. The AI-powered game development project recently faced a scheduled token unlock on Wednesday, involving approximately 2.11 billion AKE tokens valued at $63 million at the time. The token has also surged on Friday, trading at $0.036, up 16% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing. However, trading volume remains weak, down 14.7% in the past 24 hours.

Pepe (PEPE)

WoW: 21%

Pepe ranked second among the week's top performers, up 21%. The token is up 8.8% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing, drawing interest from a Pepe meme shared by crypto exchange Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong in a public post on social media platform X.

Pearl (PEARL)

WoW: 18%

Pear ranks third with weekly gains of 18%. The rise may be tied to its addition to Coinbase's asset listing roadmap on Tuesday. However, the token trades at $2.01, down 7% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing.

MemeCore

WoW: 11%

MemeCore (M) rose 11% as the meme-focused blockchain project captured gains from the wider interest in memecoins. The project also expanded its cross-chain capabilities after integrating LayerZero and Stargate last week, enabling transfers of M, USDC and USDT to BNB Chain and Base.

M fell slightly by 0.3% in the past 24 hours despite the developments.

Monero (XMR)

WoW: 9.9%

Monero gained 9.9%, joining the broader rally across privacy-focused tokens. The token gained more than 12% on Thursday, reaching around $650 following increased trading activity. However, XMR is down 1.2% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing.

Dash (DASH)

WoW: 9.8%

Dash followed with a 9.8% gain in the past seven days. The rise coincides with a recovery among privacy-focused tokens, including Zcash (ZEC), which booked gains of 3.3% in the past 24 hours. DASH is up 6.5% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing.

Venice (VVV)

WoW: 8%

Venice gained 8% this week amid interest in AI-powered cryptocurrencies. The token powers Venice AI, a platform offering privacy-focused access to generative AI services. Recent reports also highlighted rapid user growth and the launch of exchange-traded products (ETPs) tracking VVV in Europe. The token is down 1.4% in the past 24 hours, as trading volume plunged 45%.

Lighter (LIT)

WoW: 7%

Lighter saw a weekly rise of 7% following plans to pursue US regulatory approval for its decentralized derivatives exchange. Its founder announced plans to apply for Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) licenses in November, which could open the platform to institutional customers if approved.

Pump.fun (PUMP)

WoW: 6.3%

Pump.fun registered a 6.3% weekly gain as the Solana-based token launchpad expands its ecosystem. Recent developments include the introduction of perpetual futures trading on Hyperliquid, potentially creating additional revenue opportunities.

PUMP dropped 2% in the past 24 hours amid scrutiny surrounding crypto trader Kimchi’s token launch. The token generated market interest after Pumpfun co-founder Alon reposted it, boosting its market cap to roughly $15 million, before crashing 98% moments later.

VeChain (VET)

WoW: 5.5%

VeChain rounds off the list with a 5.5% gain. The enterprise-focused blockchain continues developing its infrastructure, with its 2026 roadmap covering network upgrades and AI-related applications.