BNB Leads Top Crypto Market Gains as DOGE Falls; DeFi Growth and Coinbase Spotlight

BNB outperformed peers with a near 19% rise while DOGE slumped ~61%; DeFi TVL rose 56%, and Coinbase signaling spurred BNB momentum.

Rich by Coin

2025-12-28

This year in the digital asset market, among the top 10 by market capitalization, Binance Coin (BNB) rose about 19% from the start of the year to record the highest return, while Dogecoin (DOGE) fell about 61% to register the weakest performance. Among the top 10 assets excluding stablecoins, only three rose since the start of the year: BNB, TRON (TRX), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Bitcoin and Ethereum, however, gave back gains in the fourth quarter amid a sharp decline.

Dogecoin (DOGE) fell about 61% over the same period, the largest drop among the top-market-cap coins. BNB entered the second half of the year with the strongest rally, peaking near $1,370 in October, roughly doubling from year-start levels. A decisive factor behind this rise was Coinbase, the largest U.S. digital asset exchange, announcing that it would include BNB in its listing roadmap. This momentum saw the BNB Chain surpass Solana in monthly active addresses, with over 58 million, and daily transactions above 15 million.

BNB Chain saw strong activity in DeFi as well, with total value locked (TVL) reaching about $17.1 billion, up roughly 56% from the start of the year, underscoring broad network growth. Kazakhstan also adopted BNB as part of its sovereign wealth fund reserves.

Most top meme coins fell by around 40% to 80%. The digital asset market this year has seen Binance Coin (BNB) deliver the strongest gains among the top assets by market capitalization, rising roughly 19% from the start of the year. In contrast, Dogecoin (DOGE) declined about 61%, marking the largest drawdown among the top coins.

Excluding stablecoins, only BNB, TRX, and BCH among the top-10 posted year-to-date gains. BNB entered a pronounced rally in the second half, peaking near $1,370 in October, roughly doubling from year-start levels. A key driver cited was Coinbase’s announcement to include BNB in its listing roadmap, which significantly boosted sentiment around the token.

The BNB Chain also surpassed Solana in monthly active addresses (over 58 million) and logged daily transactions exceeding 15 million, signaling strong network activity. In DeFi, total value locked (TVL) reached about $17.1 billion, up approximately 56% from the start of the year, underscoring broad network growth. Kazakhstan adopted BNB as part of its sovereign wealth fund reserves, highlighting broader institutional interest. Meanwhile, many top meme coins fell by about 40% to 80% during the period.