25% surge for Akedo as Pepe and Pearl lead this week’s crypto gainers

• 25% is Akedo's weekly gain, placing it at the top of the crypto market. Its 24-hour trading volume, however, fell 14.7%.
• An 18% weekly advance followed Pearl's inclusion in Coinbase's asset listing roadmap.
• A 6% weekly rise in PUMP came alongside scrutiny of trader Kimchi's token, which plunged 98% after its launch on the platform.​

25% is Akedo's (AKE) gain this week. Alongside Akedo, Pepe (PEPE) and Pearl (PEARL) lead the crypto market, advancing 21% and 12%, respectively. By contrast, macro developments are weighing on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and XRP as the weekend approaches.

25% weekly gain: Akedo tops crypto performers alongside PEPE and PEARL

Akedo (AKE): weekly leader

Weekly change: 25%

A 25% advance put Akedo first in the group. On Wednesday, the AI-powered game development project underwent a scheduled unlock of approximately 2.11 billion AKE tokens, worth $63 million at the time. Friday brought further gains: at the time of writing, the token traded at $0.036, up 16% over the past 24 hours. Turnover remained subdued, however, with trading volume falling 14.7% over the same period.

Pepe (PEPE): second in the weekly rankings

Weekly change: 21%

With a 21% rise, Pepe took second place among the week's strongest performers. At the time of writing, its 24-hour gain stood at 8.8%. Interest followed a Pepe meme shared by Brian Armstrong, CEO of crypto exchange Coinbase, in a public post on social media platform X.

Pearl (PEARL): third in the weekly rankings

Weekly change: 18%

An 18% weekly advance placed Pear third. Coinbase's addition of the token to its asset listing roadmap on Tuesday may explain the rise. At the time of writing, however, the token traded at $2.01 after losing 7% over the past 24 hours.

MemeCore: weekly gains on memecoin interest

Weekly change: 11%

Broader demand for memecoins helped lift MemeCore (M) by 11%. The meme-focused blockchain project also extended its cross-chain functionality last week through integrations with LayerZero and Stargate. These allow M, USDC and USDT transfers to BNB Chain and Base.

Despite those developments, M edged down 0.3% over the past 24 hours.

Monero (XMR): privacy-token rally lifts weekly performance

Weekly change: 9.9%

The wider rally in privacy-focused tokens helped Monero advance 9.9%. Increased trading activity on Thursday accompanied a rise of more than 12%, taking the token to around $650. At the time of writing, however, XMR had fallen 1.2% over the past 24 hours.

Dash (DASH): weekly advance tracks privacy-token recovery

Weekly change: 9.8%

A 9.8% increase over the past seven days put Dash next on the list. Its advance came alongside a recovery in privacy-focused tokens, including Zcash (ZEC), which rose 3.3% over the past 24 hours. DASH's 24-hour gain stood at 6.5% at the time of writing.

Venice (VVV): AI interest supports weekly rise

Weekly change: 8%

Interest in AI-powered cryptocurrencies accompanied an 8% weekly increase in Venice. VVV powers Venice AI, which provides privacy-focused access to generative AI services. Recent reports pointed to rapid user growth and the introduction in Europe of exchange-traded products (ETPs) tracking VVV. Over the past 24 hours, however, the token fell 1.4% while trading volume slumped 45%.

Lighter (LIT): regulatory plans accompany weekly advance

Weekly change: 7%

Plans to seek US regulatory approval for its decentralised derivatives exchange preceded Lighter's 7% weekly increase. The founder announced plans to apply for Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) licences in November. Approval could give institutional customers access to the platform.

Pump.fun (PUMP): ecosystem expansion supports weekly gains

Weekly change: 6.3%

As the Solana-based token launchpad expands its ecosystem, Pump.fun posted a 6.3% weekly advance. Among recent developments was the introduction of perpetual futures trading on Hyperliquid, which could create further revenue opportunities.

Scrutiny of crypto trader Kimchi’s token launch accompanied a 2% decline in PUMP over the past 24 hours. After Pumpfun co-founder Alon reposted the token, market interest drove its market capitalisation to roughly $15 million. Moments later, it crashed 98%.

VeChain (VET): infrastructure development continues

Weekly change: 5.5%

A 5.5% advance put VeChain last on the list. Infrastructure development continues at the enterprise-focused blockchain, whose 2026 roadmap includes network upgrades and AI-related applications.