Three Crypto Stories to Watch in the Last Week of February
The last week of February saw strong volatility in the crypto market with three notable trends: the decline of coins in the Automated Market Maker (AMM) ecosystem, the growth of the BNB ecosystem with CZ's support, and mixed signals in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
AMMs Face Big Challenges
Coins in the AMM ecosystem had a bad week, with all seven top coins falling in price. AMMs are decentralized exchanges that use liquidity pools instead of traditional order books, increasing liquidity and eliminating the need for centralized intermediaries.
Raydium (RAY) suffered the biggest drop, nearly 30% in just 24 hours, due to rumors of Pumpfun launching its own AMM solution. UNI and CAKE also fell 15%, reflecting market caution toward Uniswap’s Unichain project as well as CAKE’s correction after a strong run.
However, RAY maintained its lead on Solana, leading many investors to question whether the decline was an overreaction. The increasingly fierce competition among DEX platforms on Solana may bring new strategies, such as reducing transaction fees, sharing revenue, or distributing tokens to attract users.
BNB Ecosystem Maintains Momentum
BNB Chain continues to attract attention as CZ reaffirms his support for the ecosystem. A new roadmap focused on AI and solutions that make it easier for users to issue tokens has helped drive interest in the BNB chain.
PancakeSwap, the largest DEX on BNB Chain, has seen a sharp increase in transaction fees, from $2-3 million in early January to an average of over $4 million, even peaking at $18 million in mid-February.
In addition, the explosion of meme coins in the BNB ecosystem, such as BROCCOLI and TST, has also contributed to the capital flow and interest of the investor community. If this trend continues, BNB Chain may attract more developers and new projects, creating great opportunities for altcoins in the ecosystem.
Crypto AI: Mixed Signals
While some AI coins recorded sharp declines, such as RENDER, FET, and VIRTUAL, some other projects have seen impressive growth. Story (IP) has increased by 120% in the past week, quickly reaching a market capitalization of $1 billion, becoming one of the most interested altcoins. CLANKER also recorded a 111% increase, reaching its highest level since January 2025.
FORT increased by 49% due to increased security demand after the Bybit attack, while BNKR increased by 43% due to capitalizing on the AI trend in cryptocurrencies. These developments show that the market is changing, no longer focusing on the label "AI coin" but moving towards projects with specific applications and real value.
Conclusion
The above three trends reflect the continuous development of the cryptocurrency market. While AMMs face many challenges, the BNB ecosystem is growing strongly and the crypto AI sector is witnessing a clear differentiation. Investors will need to keep a close eye on these developments to capitalize on opportunities and manage risks effectively.
