[Today's Global Trending Coins] Ripple, Jupiter, Virtual Protocol and More

According to the top gainers on the Token Mindshare (a metric quantifying the influence of specific tokens in the crypto market) of the AI-based Web3 search platform Kaito, the top 5 cryptocurrency-related keywords currently attracting the most interest as of the 16th are Ripple, Jupiter (JUP), Virtual Protocol (VIRTUAL), Bitcoin (BTC), and Tether (USDT).

Ripple drew attention as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) submitted appeal preparation documents regarding its legal dispute with Ripple on the 15th (local time). In this regard, Stuart Alderoty, Ripple's Chief Legal Officer (CLO), stated on X, "The SEC's appeal preparation documents are merely insisting on a failed logic," adding, "It is likely to be discarded when the Trump administration comes into power." Ripple's price surpassed $3 on this day. It is the first time Ripple's price has exceeded $3 in about 7 years since 2018.

Jupiter attracted attention as the airdrop claim checker opened on the 15th. The Jupiter airdrop currently underway involves 700 million tokens, amounting to $581 million (approximately 850 billion KRW). As of 1:35 PM on this day, Jupiter is trading at $0.8081 on CoinMarketCap, up 0.52% from the previous day.

Bitcoin seems to have increased mentions online following the announcement of U.S. inflation indicators. The core Consumer Price Index (CPI) announced by the U.S. Department of Labor on the 15th (local time) was 3.2%, 0.1 percentage points below the market expectation of 3.3%. While inflation concerns have eased, U.S. Treasury yields have fallen, stimulating buying sentiment in cryptocurrencies. Consequently, Bitcoin surpassed $100,000 this morning.

Virtual Protocol has gained attention as the AI agent market has recently surged. According to the '2024 Annual Cryptocurrency Industry Report' released by CoinGecko on the 14th, the market capitalization of AI agents increased more than threefold from $4.8 billion in October last year to $15.5 billion in December. CoinGecko stated in the report, "We can imagine a future where AI agents revolutionize content production on social media and play an essential role in various industries and platforms."

Tether gained attention as its issuer, Tether Holdings, announced plans to relocate its headquarters to El Salvador. Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether Holdings, revealed in a recent Reuters interview that he and the management plan to move their residences to El Salvador. El Salvador is the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.