VIRTUALS Outperforms BTC, Crypto Majors as Institutions Pile Into Base-Native Protocol

VIRTUAL, the native cryptocurrency of the Base-based Virtuals Protocol for creating and owning AI agents, has outperformed all major cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin (BTC), over the past four weeks.

This rally is characterized by increased participation from the “smart money” wallets, according to on-chain data tracked by Nansen.

VIRTUAL has rallied 207% to $1.66 in 30 days to rank as the best performer among the top 100 tokens by market value, according to data source CoinDesk. Prices have risen 11% in the past seven days. Market leader bitcoin, meanwhile, has gained just 13% in four weeks, with flat performance over the past seven days.

VIRTUAL is also the most traded token by smart money—wallets identified by Nansen as owned by institutions, funds, and influential whales.

The token has attracted smart money inflows of $14.2 million over the past 30 days and $8.56 million in the past week. EBTC, LINK and PEPE are the other smart money favorites.

The table shows the top tokens traded – bought or sold on a DEX or sent/received from centralized exchanges – by smart money wallets. Per Nansen’s explainer, the buying activity is represented in green and the selling activity in red.

VIRTUAL’s leadership is likely led by excitement about the debut of the Genesis launchpad two weeks ago. The new system, designed to reward genuine contributors and not mere speculators, uses a “proof of contribution” points system, where participants earn Virgen points through activities like staking or staking AI projects.

“Since its debut, most tokens launched through it have 2x’d or more, fueling demand for Virgen Points and showing there’s still room for creativity in token design,” Bankless said on X.

Other key features of the new system include contribution-based allocations, automatic refunds if goals aren’t met, and transparent vesting schedules.

“Genesis breathes fresh life into Virtuals while also showcasing a novel mechanism for designing token launches,” Bankless said, adding that while the contribution-based system is not perfect, it certainly “rivals” who-knows-who or other primitive systems prone to manipulation.