Hyperliquid, Uniswap, and Worldcoin defy the crypto downturn as traders pursue AI and DeFi trends. A select few tokens continued their upward trajectory while bitcoin and the broader crypto market faced stagnation following an early-week surge.

— HYPE, UNI, and WLD recorded double-digit increases while bitcoin and the majority of the crypto market experienced a downward drift.

— Hyperliquid is capitalizing on the excitement surrounding onchain exchanges, whereas Worldcoin remains one of the market’s most sought-after AI-related investments.

— Uniswap experienced a rally after a major bank suggested that decentralized finance (DeFi) could emerge as one of the most significant growth areas in the crypto space.

Bitcoin

Hyperliquid’s HYPE, Uniswap’s UNI, and Worldcoin’s WLD all achieved double-digit gains, extending their impressive performances that have made them standout assets this week.

HYPE surged by as much as 13% to reach a new high above $76 before trimming some of its gains. The token has now risen nearly 200% in 2026, positioning it as one of the best-performing large-cap crypto assets this year.

Hyperliquid operates a blockchain-based exchange that enables users to trade perpetual futures via an onchain order book. Investors increasingly view the platform as a potential rival to traditional exchanges, with aspirations that extend beyond crypto to include tokenized stocks, commodities, and other assets.

Some analysts also speculated that Hyperliquid’s developing relationship with Coinbase could deepen following the decision to make Circle’s USDC the primary trading pair on the platform. Under this arrangement, a portion of the revenue generated from U.S. Treasury securities backing USDC will be allocated to purchase HYPE tokens.

Worldcoin’s WLD token climbed by 12%, bringing its monthly increase to approximately 180%. The project, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has become one of the most direct methods to express a bullish stance on artificial intelligence (AI). The token has gained from renewed excitement surrounding AI-related investments following SpaceX’s strong market introduction, which also owns AI company xAI, and the rising speculation that OpenAI might eventually pursue a public listing.

Decentralized exchange Uniswap’s UNI token soared another 18% after Standard Chartered initiated coverage on Monday with an exceptionally optimistic long-term outlook for the protocol.

Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank’s head of digital asset research, posited that decentralized finance (DeFi) could evolve into one of crypto’s largest growth narratives as tokenized stocks, bonds, and other conventional assets transition onchain.

In the report, Kendrick projected that the volume of assets actively utilized in DeFi could grow 37-fold by the decade’s end and identified Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange, as one of the most evident beneficiaries.

He began coverage with a $100 price target for UNI by 2030, suggesting nearly 30 times upside from current values.

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In May, the total exchange volumes decreased by 3.45% to $4.41 trillion; the lowest level since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes surged by 10.4% against this trend, reaching a new all-time high.

In May, the combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41 trillion; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high.

Why it matters:

In May, the combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41 trillion; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high.