What Are the Top Crypto Gainers of 2024?
In 2024, several cryptocurrencies achieved remarkable growth. The most profitable sectors included artificial intelligence, meme culture, and the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).
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In 2024, several cryptocurrencies achieved remarkable growth. The most profitable sectors included artificial intelligence, meme culture, and the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).
CoinGecko’s new report spotlights the most successful cryptocurrencies of 2024 and the key factors behind their growth.
№1. Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL): The 2024 Standout
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) emerged as the top-performing cryptocurrency of 2024, with an astounding price increase of 23,079.2%. Starting the year at $0.01311, the token remained relatively stable before a dramatic surge in the final quarter, peaking at $3.04 by December 25.
Virtuals Protocol is a Web3 platform enabling users to create, own, and interact with AI-powered virtual characters in digital environments such as metaverses, gaming platforms, and social media. Each AI agent is tokenized, rewarding users based on the revenue generated by the agent’s activities.
The platform introduced an innovative mechanism called Initial Agent Offerings (IAOs), allowing users to co-own AI agents by purchasing their tokens using VIRTUAL, the platform’s native cryptocurrency. Since the mainnet launch in March 2024, Virtuals Protocol has gained widespread attention by combining two major trends: artificial intelligence and meme tokens.
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Had you invested $100 in VIRTUAL on January 1, 2024, you’d be celebrating Christmas with $23,079, according to CoinGecko analysts.
Virtuals Protocol Homepage. Source: virtuals.io
Top Performers: Brett (BRETT) and Popcat (POPCAT)
Second place goes to Brett (BRETT), a meme coin launched in February 2024 on the Base blockchain. Starting the year at $0.0009766, BRETT skyrocketed to an all-time high of $0.234 on December 1, achieving an annual growth of 14,784%.
BRETT also made history as the first meme coin on the Base blockchain to surpass a $1 billion market capitalization.
Inspired by Brett, a character from Matt Furie’s comic series Boys’ Club, the project leverages humor and community interaction to engage users. Analysts credit BRETT’s explosive growth to its highly active community and the rising popularity of meme coins as a category.
Related: The Wild World of Creative Memecoins
Closing out the top three is Popcat (POPCAT), which recorded an impressive price increase of 10,459%. Starting the year at $0.007640, the token soared to $0.8067 by December 25.
Launched on the Solana blockchain in late 2023, Popcat reached a major milestone on September 27, 2024, becoming the first cat-themed meme coin to achieve a $1 billion market capitalization.
Inspired by the viral internet meme “Popcat,” featuring a cat with its mouth wide open, the brand resonated strongly with online audiences, enabling the project to build a passionate and engaged community. Over time, the creators expanded Popcat’s scope from a meme coin into a platform for cat meme enthusiasts to connect and interact.
POPCAT’s popularity was further fueled by listings on major cryptocurrency exchanges, including BitMart, Gate.io, BingX, XT.COM, Kraken, Bybit, and Poloniex.
The viral Popcat meme Source: popcat.click
Rounding Out the Rankings: MANTRA (OM) and Mog Coin (MOG)
Taking fourth place on CoinGecko's list of top gainers is OM, the native token of the MANTRA L1 blockchain.
MANTRA offers the infrastructure for real-world asset (RWA) transactions with full regulatory compliance. Although this blockchain is considered niche—primarily catering to developers and financial institutions—OM emerged as a standout performer, achieving a 2024 price increase of 6,418.3%.
The token rose from $0.0584 at the start of the year to $3.81 by December 25, making it the most profitable token in the tokenized real asset sector, surpassing Ondo Finance (ONDO).
The launch of the MANTRA Chain mainnet in the fall of 2024 further strengthened the project’s leadership in this sector.
Related: The Most Profitable Crypto Sectors
Mog Coin (MOG), another cat-themed meme coin, launched in the summer of 2023 and achieved a remarkable 6,051% price increase in 2024.
Originally intended as a playful joke, Mog Coin quickly evolved into a flourishing community-driven project. Its appeal goes beyond financial speculation, offering a platform for creative expression and collaborative content creation.
The Mog Coin community, now over 100,000 strong, generates and shares original memes on topics such as politics, culture, and sports. The one rule? Every meme must feature Mog Coin’s signature cat. Its members have enthusiastically adopted this lighthearted approach to global commentary through internet memes.
Mog Coin is available on several major cryptocurrency exchanges, including Gate.io, MEXC, BingX, Uniswap, Bitget, XT.COM, BitMart, CoinEx, Kraken, and Crypto.com.
Top 5 Crypto Gainers Source: СoinGecko
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