We're barely a week into 2026, and already some cryptocurrencies are making investors look twice. While it's always tempting to read too much into early-year moves, certain tokens are putting up numbers worth noting.

The Standout Performers

Leading the charge is RENDER, the native token powering Render's decentralized GPU compute platform. It's up an eye-popping 50% over the past week, making it the top performer among coins with at least $1 billion in market capitalization. As AI and rendering workloads continue demanding more computing power, decentralized GPU networks are finding their moment.

Not far behind, MYX Finance climbed 34% as traders got excited about its V2 protocol upgrade. The derivatives exchange is promising better perpetual markets and improved trading features, the kind of infrastructure improvements that tend to generate genuine enthusiasm in crypto circles.

Meanwhile, Polygon's POL token surged 31% following a significant announcement from co-founder Sandeep Nailwal. He unveiled the Open Money Stack, described as a modular framework designed to facilitate global stablecoin payments. It's the sort of real-world utility pitch that can move markets.

Memecoins Join the Rally

The memecoin crowd wasn't sitting idle either. Pepe rallied 20% over the week, while Shiba Inu and Official Trump gained 16.69% and 9.33%, respectively. Say what you will about memecoins, but they continue attracting attention and capital.

The establishment coins showed up too, just with less drama. Bitcoin inched up 1.39%, Ethereum rose 1.81%, and XRP posted a respectable 11.51% gain. These are the kinds of steady moves that suggest broader market health rather than speculative frenzy.

Taking a step back, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization increased 2.3% over the past week, reaching $3.09 trillion. That's a solid start to the year, suggesting that whatever uncertainties plagued crypto in previous periods might be easing somewhat.

Whether these early gains hold up remains the big question. But for now, 2026 is opening with some genuine momentum across different corners of the crypto market.