PANAMA CITY, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Transitioning from late 2025 into early 2026, the crypto market saw a recovery in risk appetite despite ongoing volatility. As market liquidity gradually improved, capital rotated from defensive positions toward high-beta, sentiment-driven sectors, thrusting memecoins back into the spotlight.
Over the past week (December 29, 2025 - January 4, 2026), multiple newly listed assets on HTX recorded impressive gains. Memecoins across BSC, Solana, Base, Ethereum, and TRON ecosystems rallied, marking one of the most representative market trends of the week.
Memecoin Sector: Multi-Chain Rallies Driven by Accelerating Momentum
This week's top gainers were dominated by memecoin projects, reflecting a sustained capital preference for assets with high consensus and strong virality.
On BNB Smart Chain (BSC), BROCCOLI (CZ's dog) stood out as the top performer, surging 170% over the week. As an active memecoin project within the BSC ecosystem, BROCCOLI rapidly attracted capital through community-driven dissemination and sentiment resonance. Meanwhile, 4 (FOUR) gained 48%, PALU rose 37%, and Binance Life increased 19%, highlighting a broad-based pickup in the BSC memecoin sector.
The Solana ecosystem maintained its strength. PONKE (Ponke) climbed 104% this week, supported by rising community engagement and expanding trading volume, making it a flagship asset within the SOL memecoin space. BONK (Bonk) advanced 44%, while BOME (Book of Meme) gained 37%, signaling continued development potential for Solana-based memecoins.
Other ecosystems also posted notable gains. On Ethereum, leading memecoin PEPE rose 64%. On TRON, memecoin SUNDOG (Sundog) increased 39% over the week. Within the Base ecosystem, BRETT (Brett) recorded a 43% weekly gain. These moves underscore that both the royal public chains and the emerging Layer2 networks continue to attract capital under the memecoin narrative.
AI Sector: Selective Recovery Led by the Base Ecosystem
While memecoins drove short-term retail sentiment, the AI sector experienced a "structural recovery," with strength concentrated primarily within the Base ecosystem.
GAMEBASE (Game by Virtuals) surged 60% during the week. As an AI agent gaming framework supported by Virtuals, GAME attracted attention at the intersection of AI, blockchain gaming, and application-layer narratives. Meanwhile, VIRTUAL (Virtuals Protocol) rose 40%, driven by its positioning as an AI and Metaverse protocol focused on virtual interaction. Overall, AI assets exhibited a structural recovery rather than a sentiment-driven surge. While short-term momentum lagged memecoins, AI assets continue to hold mid-term allocation value within broader narrative cycles.
*Disclaimer: The above content is provided for market information and trend analysis purposes only and does not constitute any investment advice. Digital asset prices are highly volatile. Investors are advised to trade rationally and manage risks accordingly.
HTX Listing Strategy: Multi-Sector Coverage with a Value-Oriented Focus
The market performance this week followed a clear "sentiment-first, memecoin-led" pattern. With strong consensus, rapid dissemination, and high volatility, memecoins became the primary short-term destination for capital. At the same time, assets from the narrative-driven sectors such as AI showed selective recovery across specific chains, offering diversified opportunities.
Through high-frequency listing and multi-chain asset deployment, HTX continues to expand listing coverage across core narratives including memecoin and AI, providing users with a broader range of trading opportunities. In 2026, HTX's asset listing strategy will maintain high sensitivity to market trends while reinforcing a value-focusing philosophy through progressively stricter listing standards. By combining forward-looking deployment in high-growth assets with refined selection, HTX aims to amplify the wealth effect of quality assets and help users capture more deterministic opportunities in the fast-growing crypto market.
About HTX
Founded in 2013, HTX (formerly Huobi) has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.
As a world-leading gateway to Web3, HTX harbors global capabilities that enable it to provide users with safe and reliable services. Adhering to the growth strategy of "Global Expansion, Thriving Ecosystem, Wealth Effect, Security & Compliance," HTX is dedicated to providing quality services and values to virtual asset enthusiasts worldwide.
To learn more about HTX, please visit https://www.htx.com/ or HTX Square , and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord.
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