Top 5 Cryptos of the Week – October 5, 2026 | Weekly Top Gainers

The crypto market had a relatively modest week in terms of overall growth, but several individual crypto assets managed to deliver significantly stronger returns. While Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin moved gradually higher, investor attention shifted toward privacy-focused blockchain technology, Layer-2 networks, interoperability, and other high-growth projects.

Midnight became the week's standout performer with a 77% increase, followed by Starknet, Pump.fun, LayerZero, and Stacks. Below are the Top 5 Crypto Assets of the Week – October 5, 2026, ranked by their 7-day percentage gains, prices, and market capitalizations.

Market Overview – Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin

The largest crypto assets generally moved higher over the past week, although their gains remained modest compared with the strongest-performing altcoins. CoinMarketCap data shows Bitcoin moving from approximately $83,661 on September 29 to around $86,303 on October 5.

Ethereum increased from roughly $2,678 to $2,722 over the same period, while Litecoin climbed from about $66.83 to $70.25. Overall, major crypto assets maintained positive momentum without experiencing the explosive gains seen among this week's Top 5.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin maintained its position above the $80,000 level and gradually moved higher during the week. According to CoinMarketCap historical data, BTC was around $83,661 on September 29 before reaching approximately $86,303 on October 5. This represents an increase of roughly 3.2% across the period. Bitcoin's relatively steady performance provided a supportive backdrop for stronger speculative activity among smaller crypto assets.

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum also recorded a modest positive week. CoinMarketCap data shows ETH at approximately $2,678 on September 29, compared with roughly $2,722 on October 5, representing growth of around 1.6%. Ethereum's price remained relatively stable despite continued activity across DeFi, Layer-2 networks, staking, and decentralized applications.

Litecoin (LTC)

Litecoin produced somewhat stronger growth than Bitcoin and Ethereum during the same period. LTC moved from approximately $66.83 on September 29 to around $70.25 on October 5, according to CoinMarketCap data, representing an increase of roughly 5.1%. Despite this positive performance, Litecoin's gains remained considerably below those recorded by this week's leading altcoins.

#1 Midnight (NIGHT) – Weekly Gain 77%

Midnight (NIGHT) became this week's strongest-performing crypto asset, recording an impressive 77% increase and reaching approximately $0.04, with a market capitalization of $766 million. Midnight is a privacy-focused blockchain developed as a Cardano partner chain, designed to provide programmable data protection through zero-knowledge cryptography while allowing selective disclosure when necessary.

Potential reasons behind the price increase:

• Growing investor interest in privacy-focused blockchain technology
• Increased attention toward zero-knowledge proof applications
• Strong market interest surrounding the Midnight ecosystem
• Rapidly increasing trading activity and price momentum
• Growing demand for blockchain solutions combining privacy and selective disclosure

The combination of privacy, zero-knowledge technology, and growing ecosystem attention helped NIGHT outperform every other asset in this week's ranking.

#2 Starknet (STRK) – Weekly Gain 45%

Starknet (STRK) secured second place with a 45% increase, bringing its price to approximately $0.05 and its market capitalization to $422 million. Starknet is an Ethereum Layer-2 network that uses zero-knowledge rollup technology to improve scalability while allowing developers to build decentralized applications that benefit from Ethereum's underlying security.

Potential reasons behind the price increase:

• Renewed interest in Ethereum Layer-2 networks
• Growing attention toward zero-knowledge scaling technology
• Increased activity within the Starknet ecosystem
• Improving sentiment around Ethereum scaling infrastructure
• Strong price momentum attracting additional market participants

STRK's performance highlights the continued importance of scalability and zero-knowledge technology as narratives within the broader Ethereum ecosystem.

#3 Pump.fun (PUMP) – Weekly Gain 32%

Pump.fun (PUMP) recorded a 32% weekly increase, reaching approximately $0.006 and a market capitalization of $2.98 billion. PUMP is the token associated with Pump.fun, a Solana-based platform that became widely known for simplifying the creation and trading of new tokens.

Potential reasons behind the price increase:

• Increased activity across the Pump.fun platform
• Renewed interest in the Solana ecosystem
• Higher speculative trading activity
• Strong market demand following PUMP's positive price momentum
• Growing liquidity and investor participation

Pump.fun has appeared several times in our weekly rankings, and its latest 32% gain once again places PUMP among the market's strongest-performing crypto assets.

#4 LayerZero (ZRO) – Weekly Gain 30%

LayerZero (ZRO) recorded another strong week, increasing 30% to approximately $1.91, with a market capitalization of $764 million. LayerZero is an interoperability protocol designed to allow applications and blockchain networks to communicate across multiple chains, supporting cross-chain transfers and the development of omnichain applications.

Potential reasons behind the price increase:

• Continued demand for blockchain interoperability solutions
• Growing adoption of cross-chain applications
• Expansion of the LayerZero ecosystem
• Increased investor interest in interoperability infrastructure
• Strong momentum following ZRO's previous weekly gains

LayerZero's performance is particularly notable because ZRO also appeared in last week's Top 5, when it gained 22%. Its latest 30% increase therefore represents a second consecutive appearance in our weekly ranking.

#5 Stacks (STX) – Weekly Gain 22%

Stacks (STX) completes this week's ranking with a 22% increase, reaching approximately $0.39 and a market capitalization of $712 million. Stacks is a Bitcoin-focused smart contract ecosystem designed to bring decentralized applications, programmable assets, and other on-chain functionality to the broader Bitcoin economy.

Potential reasons behind the price increase:

• Renewed investor interest in the Bitcoin ecosystem
• Growing demand for Bitcoin-focused smart contract infrastructure
• Increased attention toward applications built around Bitcoin
• Higher trading activity and improved market sentiment
• Capital rotation toward established blockchain infrastructure projects

STX's 22% increase was enough to secure fifth place and highlights continued investor interest in projects designed to expand Bitcoin's utility beyond its traditional role as a digital asset.

Weekly Summary

The week ending October 5 brought relatively modest growth across the broader crypto market but much stronger returns among selected altcoins. Bitcoin gained roughly 3% across the period, Ethereum moved around 2% higher, and Litecoin advanced approximately 5%, while every asset in this week's Top 5 gained more than 20%.

Midnight led the ranking with a 77% increase, followed by Starknet at 45%, Pump.fun at 32%, LayerZero at 30%, and Stacks at 22%. Privacy technology, zero-knowledge scaling, interoperability, Solana-based platforms, and Bitcoin infrastructure were among the strongest narratives represented in this week's ranking.