Akedo records 25% rise, with Pepe and Pearl leading this week’s crypto gainers

• A 25% weekly advance puts Akedo at the top of the crypto gainers, although its 24-hour trading volume fell 14.7%.
• Following its inclusion on Coinbase's asset listing roadmap, Pearl gained 18% over the week.
• A 6% weekly rise in PUMP came against a backdrop of scrutiny over trader Kimchi's token, which plunged 98% after its launch on the platform.

Weekly gains of 25%, 21% and 12% put Akedo (AKE), Pepe (PEPE) and Pearl (PEARL), respectively, at the forefront of the crypto market. By contrast, macroeconomic developments are weighing on Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and XRP as the weekend approaches.

Akedo, PEPE and PEARL lead the week's cryptocurrency gains

Akedo (AKE) advances

Week-on-week: 25%

A 25% rise placed Akedo ahead of 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 a further surge: at the time of writing, AKE was trading at $0.036, a 16% increase over the past 24 hours. Trading volume nevertheless remained subdued, falling 14.7% over the same period.

Pepe (PEPE) takes second place

Week-on-week: 21%

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

Pearl (PEARL) rises

Week-on-week: 18%

An 18% weekly advance puts Pear in third place, with Tuesday's inclusion on Coinbase's asset listing roadmap a possible driver of the move. At the time of writing, however, the token was changing hands at $2.01, a decline of 7% over the past 24 hours.

MemeCore gains ground

Week-on-week: 11%

Broader interest in memecoins helped the meme-focused blockchain project MemeCore (M) gain 11%. Its cross-chain functionality also widened following last week's integration of LayerZero and Stargate, allowing M, USDC and USDT to be transferred to BNB Chain and Base.

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

Monero (XMR) joins privacy-token rally

Week-on-week: 9.9%

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

Dash (DASH) follows higher

Week-on-week: 9.8%

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

Venice (VVV) benefits from AI interest

Week-on-week: 8%

Interest in AI-powered cryptocurrencies accompanied an 8% weekly advance in Venice. VVV powers Venice AI, whose platform provides privacy-focused access to generative AI services. Rapid user growth and the European launch of exchange-traded products (ETPs) tracking VVV were also highlighted in recent reports. Over the past 24 hours, however, the token fell 1.4%, while trading volume slumped 45%.

Lighter (LIT) rises on US approval plans

Week-on-week: 7%

Plans to seek US regulatory approval for its decentralised derivatives exchange were followed by a 7% weekly increase in Lighter. The founder announced plans to apply in November for Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) licences. Approval could allow the platform to serve institutional customers.

Pump.fun (PUMP) gains as ecosystem expands

Week-on-week: 6.3%

As the Solana-based token launchpad broadens its ecosystem, Pump.fun posted a 6.3% rise over the week. Among recent developments was the introduction of perpetual futures trading on Hyperliquid, which could provide further revenue opportunities.

Scrutiny over 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) completes the gainers list

Week-on-week: 5.5%

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