- Total crypto market value rose by about $250 billion in under a week to $3.297 trillion.
- Bitcoin climbed above $92,000–$93,000, helping lift altcoins including Sui and XRP.
- Sui gained 16.6% and XRP gained 10.5% over 24 hours, per CoinGecko data.
- AI-related tokens such as Render and Virtuals Protocol rallied over 50% in the past week as risk appetite returned.
- Prediction market users on Myriad assign a 17% chance to a full alt season starting in Q1 2026, and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index moved from fear to neutral.
A sudden surge in buying pressure late in the week pushed the total crypto market capitalization up by about $250 billion to $3.297 trillion, as Bitcoin rose above $92,000 and into the $93,000 range, ending a year-end slump and lifting many altcoins. The move occurred across major exchanges and markets in less than a week and coincided with renewed investor risk appetite. According to CoinGecko data, Sui was up 16.6% and XRP gained 10.5% over 24 hours.
Market observers attributed Sui gains to strong Layer-1 ecosystem momentum and rising on-chain activity, while XRP benefited from expectations of greater institutional use, clearer regulation, and expanding cross-border payments. Shivam Thakral, CEO of BuyUCoin, said in commentary that “Sui is benefiting from renewed risk appetite in altcoins, driven by strong ecosystem momentum, rising on-chain activity, and positioning around high-throughput Layer-1s going into 2026.” He also noted “expectations of deeper institutional adoption, improving regulatory clarity, and growing use in cross-border payments” as factors supporting XRP.
The rotation into higher-risk tokens extended to meme coins first and then to AI-focused projects. Render and Virtuals Protocol posted weekly gains above 50% as investors shifted capital into assets seen as future-facing. Ryan Li, CEO of Surf, said, “The recent surge in AI tokens reflects a broader shift back to risk-on behavior across crypto markets.” He also tied some attention to public comments by tech leaders.
Sentiment measures show caution alongside the rally. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index moved from fear to neutral for the first time since November. Users on the prediction market Myriad assign a 17% chance that a full alt season will start in the first quarter of 2026.
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