Top Performers in Crypto
The crypto market witnessed remarkable growth in 2024, with some assets achieving astronomical gains. Virtuals Protocol ($VIRTUAL) led the pack, surging 23,079.2%. Starting at $0.01311, it skyrocketed to $3.04 by December 25. Its AI agents launchpad attracted investors, blending AI and meme coin appeal.
Similarly, Brett ($BRETT) rose 14,784.6%, climbing from $0.0009766 to $0.145. Despite a slight pullback from an all-time high of $0.234, Brett remains the first Base chain meme coin to reach a $1 billion market cap.
Popcat ($POPCAT), another standout, gained 10,459.0%. It started the year at $0.007640 and hit $0.8067 by Christmas. Known as the first cat meme coin to cross a $1 billion market cap, Popcat sustained this milestone for months.
Dominance of Meme Coins
Seven of the top ten crypto gainers this year were meme coins. Among them, Mog Coin ($MOG) climbed 6,051.0%, Turbo ($TURBO) gained 3,036.0%, and Fartcoin ($FARTCOIN) rose 2,890.5%. AI16Z ($AI16Z) also gained 1,409.9%, while Pepe ($PEPE) rallied 1,400.6%, exceeding its mid-2023 performance.
Non-Meme Coin Highlights
MANTRA ($OM) ranked fourth, surging 6,418.3% to reach $3.81. It emerged as the top RWA investment, far surpassing Ondo Finance’s 682.8% gains. Aerodrome Finance ($AERO) followed, climbing 3,139.4% to $1.66. Its Base chain DEX benefited from increased trading volumes.
Bitcoin and Ethereum’s Returns
Bitcoin ($BTC) delivered steady returns of 133.8%, reaching $98,696 by year-end. It maintained consistent growth, ranking 39th among large-cap assets. Ethereum ($ETH), however, achieved lower returns of 53.4%, closing the year at $3,498. Despite testing $4,000, Ethereum remained below its 2021 peak.
Key Insights for 2024
The top ten crypto gainers delivered returns between 1,400.6% and 23,079.2%. Investments in these assets outperformed Bitcoin by at least tenfold and Ethereum by over 26 times.
Ranking of Top Cryptos
- Virtuals Protocol (23,079.2%)
- Brett (14,784.5%)
- Popcat (10,458.9%)
- MANTRA (6,418.3%)
- Mog Coin (6,051.0%)
- Aerodrome Finance (3,139.4%)
- Turbo (3,036.0%)
- Fartcoin (2,890.5%)
- AI16Z (1,409.9%)
- Pepe (1,400.6%)
Bitcoin ranked 39th with 133.8%, while Ethereum ranked 65th with 53.4%.
Methodology
This analysis examined the top 150 crypto assets by market capitalization on CoinGecko as of December 25, 2024. Excluded were stablecoins, wrapped, pegged, staked, and restaked assets. Results are for informational purposes only—always conduct thorough research before investing.