Top Crypto Assets to Watch: VIRTUAL, TAO, RENDER, NEAR, FET, and Others Leading AI Crypto Sector With Outstanding Trading Activity

Today, market analyst Phoenix Group shared data showing top top-performing crypto AI tokens by weekly volume. AI (artificial intelligence) crypto tokens are a category of cryptocurrencies that support and facilitate specific functionalities related to AI applications.

Based on the data reported by the analyst, multiple AI coins appear to be pumping big trading activities currently, an indicator of not only improved user appetite in crypto markets, but also a development that investors are increasingly rotating funds from altcoins into a select number of AI-related cryptocurrencies.

The renewed performance of AI-related tokens comes as the larger cryptocurrency market experiences rebounds, with Bitcoin and Ethereum continuing to maintain their prices above the crucial psychological levels ($90,000 and $3,000, respectively) since the beginning of the new year. This is a clear sign that increased capital is pouring into the market than before.

TOP #AI TOKENS BY WEEKLY TRADING VOLUME$VIRTUAL $TAO $RENDER $NEAR $FET $WLD $KITE $ARKM $ATH $PIEVERSE $GRASS $KAITO $GRT $AKT $CARV pic.twitter.com/aWV9g7ROp6

— PHOENIX – Crypto News & Analytics (@pnxgrp) January 11, 2026

Top AI Tokens by Trading Volume

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

The analyst identified Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) as the token that topped the AI crypto sector with the highest trading activity acquired over the past seven days. According to the data, VIRTUAL’s trading volume surged by $1.9 billion over the week due to increased active users on its AI platform. VIRTUAL’s price, which currently stands at $1.08, has been up 23.4% over the past week due to a surge in on-chain activity on its network. One of the catalysts behind the remarkable rally is the user excitement around a decentralized AI marketplace that Virtuals Protocol plans to launch next week, on January 15, to provide customers with more products and real-world use cases.

Bittensor (TAO)

Moving down, Bittensor (TAO) is recognized as the AI token that recorded the second-biggest trading activity during the week. As per the analyst’s data, Bittensor pumped a trading volume of $950 million, making it second in the list. TAO, whose price currently trades at $286.95, has been up 8.7% in the past seven days, a reflection of revamped market activity in its AI network and growing investor interest in TAO.

Render (RENDER)

Next is Render (RENDER), a Solana-based network that provides decentralized GPU-based rendering solutions, also sees impressive traction currently. Render Network functions as a decentralized GPU rendering network, enabling Web3 projects and developers to access decentralized computing resources from users worldwide. In the last seven days, Render’s trading volume witnessed an $854 increase while its price massively rose by 37.1% as a result of growing interest in its crypto AI-focused offerings.

Near Protocol (NEAR)

With a trading volume increase of $816 million in the last seven days, the Near Protocol is also experiencing bullish momentum. Despite its continued price consolidation, NEAR’s strong trading volume reflects growing buying interest. Rising customer activity powered by stablecoins on the platform, network upgrades, and the platform’s strategic partnerships with enterprises are key factors supporting adoption and expanding NEAR’s position in real-world blockchain and cross-chain applications.

Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET)

Fifth on the list is Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET), which registered a $670 million surge in its trading volume, and its price surged by 11.2% in the last seven days, indicating increased buying activity in the network. FET’s price, which currently hovers at $0.288, has also been up 17.0% over the past month, an indicator of a significant increase in its autonomous agent deployments and network applications, suggesting growing confidence in FET.

Other Top Market Performers in the AI Sector

As further illustrated in the data above, the analyst listed other top crypto AI tokens that printed out outstanding trading volume over the past week, showing their increased popularity. These include Worldcoin (WLD), Kite (KITE), Arkham (ARKM), Aethir (ATH), Pieverse (PIEVERSE), Grass (GRASS), Kaito (KAITO), The Graph (GRT), Akash Network (AKT), and CARV (CARV).

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