Key notes
- VIRTUAL saw weekly gains of 64.56% as traders shifted their capital to the base blockchain and AI agent tokens.
- – Trading volume jumped 172.62% to $427.59 million, while tokens in the broader ecosystem also rallied alongside the platform’s native asset.
- – Market liquidations reached $522.26 million, with short positions accounting for $438.07 million as sentiment remained in fear territory at 26.
VIRTUAL
VIRTUAL
$1.10
24h volatility:
22.8%
Market capitalization:
$722.98 million
Flight. 24h:
$432.28 million
the native token of the AI platform Virtuals Protocol, recorded a gain of 27.84% in the last 24 hours. The token rose from $0.89 to $1.14 as trading activity increased for AI-related tokens.
The token’s 24-hour trading volume reached $427.59 million, up 172.62% from the previous day, according to CoinGecko data. VIRTUAL is currently trading 77.73% below its all-time high of $5.07 set in January 2025. The market cap stood at $740.13 million at the time of writing.
VIRTUAL PRICE 1H | Source: TradingView
Virtuals Protocol operates within the Base and Ethereum blockchain ecosystems and falls under the AI Agents category. The project recently integrated x402, a Coinbase payment system in October 2025, which triggered a price rally at the time, as reported by Coinspeaker.
The rally extends a strong week for the token, which has gained 64.56% over the past seven days.
What motivates the VIRTUAL rally
Some analysts say the gains reflect a broader shift toward core tokens and the AI sector, which has outperformed the broader market over the past week. The rally has extended beyond the VIRTUAL itselftokens built on the Virtuals Protocol platform also showing significant gains, suggesting buyers are targeting the entire ecosystem.
Top Virtual Protocol Ecosystem Tokens by Market Cap | Source: CoinMarketCap
Trader @CryptoFaibik pointed to a chart pattern that often precedes price increases as confirmation of the move. Other analysts have observed that VIRTUAL tends to move quickly once momentum builds, with limited pullbacks during rallies.
$VIRTUAL #VIRTUAL +70% profit so far since the Wedge breakout..🔥📈 pic.twitter.com/8YA8X9K8yU
– Captain Faibik 🐺 (@CryptoFaibik) January 5, 2026
Broader market conditions
Data from Coinglass showed $522.26 million in forced selling in crypto markets over 24 hours. Traders betting on price declines accounted for $438.07 million of those losses, while those betting on gains lost $84.08 million.
Crypto Market Liquidations | Source: CoinGlass
The Fear & Greed Index, which measures market sentiment on a scale of 0 to 100, recorded 26. This reading indicates fear among traders, although it improved slightly from 25 the day before. The broader crypto market added 1.83% to the total market capitalization, which reached $3.27 trillion at the end of the previous year.
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Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article is intended to provide accurate and current information, but should not be considered financial or investment advice. Because market conditions can change quickly, we encourage you to verify the information for yourself and consult a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
As a Web3 Marketing Strategist and former DuckDAO CMO, Zoran Spirkovsky translates complex crypto concepts into compelling stories that drive growth. With a background in crypto journalism, he excels in developing go-to-market strategies for DeFi, L2, and GameFi projects.
Zoran Spirkovsky on X
