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ShareTop 5 Cryptos of the Week – September 21, 2026 | Weekly Top Gainers
The broader crypto market had a relatively modest week in terms of overall growth, but several individual crypto assets delivered exceptionally strong returns. Investor attention shifted toward Layer-1 networks, Ethereum scaling solutions, DeFi protocols, and emerging blockchain projects, resulting in significant gains among selected altcoins.
NEAR Protocol led this week's ranking with an 80% increase, while Arbitrum, Ethena, Pieverse, and Avalanche all gained at least 50%. Below are the Top 5 Crypto Assets of the Week – September 21, 2026, ranked by their 7-day percentage gains, prices, and market capitalizations.
Market Overview – Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin
The largest crypto assets experienced comparatively restrained price action during the week, especially when measured against the substantial gains generated by several altcoins. According to CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin was trading around the $77,000 level, Ethereum remained close to $2,500, and Litecoin stayed around the $50 range. The relative stability of major crypto assets created an environment in which capital increasingly rotated toward higher-growth altcoins.
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin was trading at approximately $77,300 on September 21, according to CoinMarketCap, with its market capitalization remaining around $1.55 trillion. BTC experienced relatively limited weekly movement compared with the strongest-performing altcoins. Nevertheless, Bitcoin's ability to remain around the $77,000 level helped maintain broader investor confidence and provided a relatively stable foundation for increased activity elsewhere in the crypto market.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum traded at approximately $2,500, with its market capitalization remaining above $300 billion. ETH experienced comparatively modest price movement during the week, despite continued activity across decentralized finance, staking, Layer-2 networks, and smart contract applications. Ethereum's relative stability also coincided with strong performances from ecosystem-related projects such as Arbitrum and Ethena.
Litecoin (LTC)
Litecoin continued trading around the $50 level, recording substantially smaller price movements than this week's strongest altcoins. LTC remained relatively stable alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, while investor attention increasingly shifted toward smaller Layer-1, DeFi, and blockchain infrastructure projects offering stronger short-term momentum.
#1 NEAR Protocol (NEAR) – Weekly Gain 80%
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) became this week's strongest-performing crypto asset, recording an impressive 80% increase and reaching approximately $4.34, with a market capitalization of $5.6 billion. NEAR Protocol is a Layer-1 blockchain designed to provide scalable infrastructure for decentralized applications, with a strong focus on usability, developer tools, and increasingly, AI-related blockchain applications.
Potential reasons behind the price increase:
- Renewed demand for Layer-1 blockchain projects
- Growing market attention around NEAR's AI-related ecosystem
- Increased developer and decentralized application activity
- Strong capital inflows following positive price momentum
- Broader investor rotation toward established altcoins
The combination of Layer-1 infrastructure and growing AI-related attention helped NEAR significantly outperform the broader crypto market and secure first place this week.
#2 Arbitrum (ARB) – Weekly Gain 57%
Arbitrum (ARB) secured second place with a 57% increase, bringing its price to approximately $0.21 and its market capitalization to $1.45 billion. Arbitrum is one of Ethereum's leading Layer-2 scaling networks, designed to process transactions more efficiently while reducing costs for decentralized applications and their users.
Potential reasons behind the price increase:
- Renewed demand for Ethereum Layer-2 solutions
- Growing activity across Arbitrum-based applications
- Increased investor interest in blockchain scaling infrastructure
- Positive sentiment across the wider Ethereum ecosystem
- Strong momentum following ARB's recent price recovery
Arbitrum's latest rally is particularly notable because ARB also appeared in our September 7 Top 5, when it recorded a 98% weekly increase, demonstrating continued market attention toward the project.
#3 Ethena (ENA) – Weekly Gain 54%
Ethena (ENA) recorded a 54% increase, reaching approximately $0.21 and a market capitalization of $2.19 billion. Ethena is a decentralized finance protocol focused on synthetic dollar infrastructure, providing crypto-native financial products designed to offer alternatives to traditional stable-value assets.
Potential reasons behind the price increase:
- Growing demand for synthetic dollar infrastructure
- Renewed interest in DeFi and yield-focused protocols
- Increased activity across the Ethena ecosystem
- Stronger sentiment surrounding Ethereum-based DeFi
- Higher trading volumes and renewed investor participation
ENA has also appeared among our strongest weekly performers before, including the August 24 ranking, when it led the Top 5 with a 93% increase. Its latest rally indicates that investor interest in the Ethena ecosystem has remained strong.
#4 Pieverse (PIEVERSE) – Weekly Gain 53%
Pieverse (PIEVERSE) became one of this week's biggest surprises, recording a 53% increase and reaching approximately $1.79, with a market capitalization of $529 million. Pieverse is an emerging blockchain project focused on developing Web3 infrastructure and decentralized applications, aiming to expand the practical utility of blockchain-based digital services.
Potential reasons behind the price increase:
- Growing market attention toward the Pieverse ecosystem
- Increased trading activity and liquidity
- Rising community engagement
- Speculative demand following strong initial price momentum
- Capital rotation toward emerging mid-cap crypto projects
PIEVERSE's strong weekly momentum allowed the relatively newer project to outperform many established crypto assets and secure fourth place in this week's ranking.
#5 Avalanche (AVAX) – Weekly Gain 50%
Avalanche (AVAX) completes this week's Top 5 with an impressive 50% increase, reaching approximately $11.09 and a market capitalization of $4.91 billion. Avalanche is a Layer-1 blockchain platform designed for scalable decentralized applications, smart contracts, and customizable blockchain networks.
Potential reasons behind the price increase:
- Renewed investor demand for established Layer-1 networks
- Growing activity across the Avalanche ecosystem
- Increased interest in scalable blockchain infrastructure
- Higher DeFi and decentralized application activity
- Strong market momentum and capital rotation into altcoins
AVAX's 50% weekly increase demonstrates renewed investor interest in established Layer-1 infrastructure and places Avalanche among the week's strongest-performing large-cap crypto assets.
Weekly Summary
The week ending September 21 demonstrated a significant contrast between the relatively modest performance of the broader crypto market and the exceptional gains recorded by selected altcoins. While Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin experienced comparatively restrained price movements, all five assets in this week's ranking gained at least 50%.
NEAR Protocol led with an 80% increase, followed by Arbitrum at 57%, Ethena at 54%, Pieverse at 53%, and Avalanche at 50%. Layer-1 networks, Ethereum scaling infrastructure, DeFi, and emerging Web3 projects were among the strongest narratives represented in this week's Top 5.