Welcome to your weekly decode of crypto's movers and moans. From legacy chains like Qtum staging a retro comeback to Zora’s culture-fueled rise, we unpack the trends that actually matter — without the noise. Let’s get into what’s winning, who’s whining, and why Monero just hushed regulators again.
• Revival of legacy L1s: QTUM, NEO resurface with renewed development and token interest.
• Creator economy narrative surging: ZORA benefits from increasing cultural coin traction.
• Privacy tokens like XMR regain spotlight amid regulatory tightening.
As the crypto markets flirt with late-summer volatility, some altcoins are dancing under the spotlight — and they'd like to thank Twitter for the encore. Leading the charge this week was Qtum (QTUM), soaring a whopping 36.46%, leaving traders double-checking if it’s still 2017. This OG Ethereum-compatible proof-of-stake chain suddenly caught fire after speculation brewed around renewed Asian institutional interest. With renewed smart contract tooling and wallet integrations being whispered about in Telegram groups, Qtum’s stealthy surge might just be the early innings.
Not far behind was ZORA (18.14%), a protocol synonymous with NFTs and cultural memes. Twitter was already buzzing about the platform’s upcoming creator incentives program — and sure enough, Zora benefited from the NFT narrative’s mini-resurgence this week. As Ethereum gas fees took a nap, smaller NFT projects found life again, and guess who surfed that wave? Zora did.
PLUME fluttered up 17.96%, continuing its slow trend toward becoming a favorite among sustainability-focused DeFi heads. Rumors tied to a new staking initiative on its eco-chain seemed to propel volume — smart money might be positioning early here, especially if those ecological incentives go live before Q4.
Classic Layer-1 NEO (+17.14%) surged like it was trying to reclaim its 2018 clout. Crypto Twitter speculates that a potential China-facing UX overhaul and a surprising uptick in developer deployments is driving enthusiasm. Top-tier Asian exchanges have quietly doubled trading liquidity in NEO pairs, a sign that some seasoned whales are circling back in.
Meanwhile, Monero (XMR) continues to defy everything — laws, governments, and gravity. Up 7.22%, XMR’s rise seems tethered to a fresh spike in interest from privacy-maxi communities, many of whom are rattled by increasing regulatory noise around wallet compliance. Monero, still the black-cloaked vigilante of crypto, refuses to back down or be traced.
But not everyone was invited to the pump party. SAROS tumbled hard, down 13%. Despite a promising roadmap, a lack of real user engagement and a highly questionable token redistribution proposal leaked on Discord spooked holders. For a protocol that promised scalable DeFi on Solana, this week marks a reputational blemish it can’t afford in a competitive L1 landscape.
BDX (-5.36%) and MORPHO (-4.55%) couldn't dodge the correction wave either. MORPHO, in particular, suffered after recent audit concerns resurfaced in a Reddit thread, dragging sentiment. With borrowing/lending TVL stagnating and competitors innovating faster, MORPHO’s DeFi protocols might face headwinds unless they ship fast. ENA and SKY also trailed off modestly, but nothing outside standard market noise.
Crypto Twitter is abuzz with discussions around on-chain creator economies — particularly with Zora’s expansion into “creator DAOs.” Expect more altcoins tied to cultural or creator-first narratives to spike in engagement and possibly price. Early scans show increased wallet activity in protocols like Mira, Showtime, and Lens — Zora’s rally might just be the start of something deeper here.
Influencers are also talking privacy again, in part due to new wallet monitoring guidelines proposed by European regulators. This indirectly fuels the XMR narrative. One interesting side note? DEX volumes with privacy tokens are sneakily climbing, suggesting Monero might be a proxy for another DeFi reroute play if wallet restrictions tighten.
Data sleuths will note that QTUM’s price surge correlated strongly with a spike in social sentiment — nearly a 300% increase in tweet volume over three days, according to metrics site LunarCrush. Additionally, a 40% increase in centralized exchange (CEX) volume for QTUM pairs suggests coordinated momentum plays. ZORA showed a similar, though slightly less dramatic, bump with trading volumes up 27% week-over-week.
One uncommon correlation? Monero’s rise interestingly trended alongside renewed chatter about peer-to-peer exchanges. Platforms like Haveno and Serai, which integrate seamlessly with Monero, are being discussed more frequently. Keep an eye on the privacy-tied ecosystem — especially if global regulatory tone gets more hawkish.
This week's market is an intoxicating cocktail of nostalgia, innovation, and narrative-driven trading. Altcoins with roots in older cycles (QTUM, NEO, XMR) suddenly have fresh momentum, while new narrative plays (ZORA, PLUME) find their footing through real builder and community buzz. As we close out summer and enter a potentially bullish September, the best-performing tokens might be the ones doing more than just tech — they're pulling attention and telling stories the market wants to hear.
As the crypto markets flirt with late-summer volatility, some altcoins are dancing under the spotlight — and they'd like to thank Twitter for the encore. Leading the charge this week was Qtum (QTUM), soaring a whopping 36.46%, leaving traders double-checking if it’s still 2017. This OG Ethereum-compatible proof-of-stake chain suddenly caught fire after speculation brewed around renewed Asian institutional interest. With renewed smart contract tooling and wallet integrations being whispered about in Telegram groups, Qtum’s stealthy surge might just be the early innings.
Not far behind was ZORA (18.14%), a protocol synonymous with NFTs and cultural memes. Twitter was already buzzing about the platform’s upcoming creator incentives program — and sure enough, Zora benefited from the NFT narrative’s mini-resurgence this week. As Ethereum gas fees took a nap, smaller NFT projects found life again, and guess who surfed that wave? Zora did.
PLUME fluttered up 17.96%, continuing its slow trend toward becoming a favorite among sustainability-focused DeFi heads. Rumors tied to a new staking initiative on its eco-chain seemed to propel volume — smart money might be positioning early here, especially if those ecological incentives go live before Q4.
Classic Layer-1 NEO (+17.14%) surged like it was trying to reclaim its 2018 clout. Crypto Twitter speculates that a potential China-facing UX overhaul and a surprising uptick in developer deployments is driving enthusiasm. Top-tier Asian exchanges have quietly doubled trading liquidity in NEO pairs, a sign that some seasoned whales are circling back in.
Meanwhile, Monero (XMR) continues to defy everything — laws, governments, and gravity. Up 7.22%, XMR’s rise seems tethered to a fresh spike in interest from privacy-maxi communities, many of whom are rattled by increasing regulatory noise around wallet compliance. Monero, still the black-cloaked vigilante of crypto, refuses to back down or be traced.
But not everyone was invited to the pump party. SAROS tumbled hard, down 13%. Despite a promising roadmap, a lack of real user engagement and a highly questionable token redistribution proposal leaked on Discord spooked holders. For a protocol that promised scalable DeFi on Solana, this week marks a reputational blemish it can’t afford in a competitive L1 landscape.
BDX (-5.36%) and MORPHO (-4.55%) couldn't dodge the correction wave either. MORPHO, in particular, suffered after recent audit concerns resurfaced in a Reddit thread, dragging sentiment. With borrowing/lending TVL stagnating and competitors innovating faster, MORPHO’s DeFi protocols might face headwinds unless they ship fast. ENA and SKY also trailed off modestly, but nothing outside standard market noise.
Crypto Twitter is abuzz with discussions around on-chain creator economies — particularly with Zora’s expansion into “creator DAOs.” Expect more altcoins tied to cultural or creator-first narratives to spike in engagement and possibly price. Early scans show increased wallet activity in protocols like Mira, Showtime, and Lens — Zora’s rally might just be the start of something deeper here.
Influencers are also talking privacy again, in part due to new wallet monitoring guidelines proposed by European regulators. This indirectly fuels the XMR narrative. One interesting side note? DEX volumes with privacy tokens are sneakily climbing, suggesting Monero might be a proxy for another DeFi reroute play if wallet restrictions tighten.
Data sleuths will note that QTUM’s price surge correlated strongly with a spike in social sentiment — nearly a 300% increase in tweet volume over three days, according to metrics site LunarCrush. Additionally, a 40% increase in centralized exchange (CEX) volume for QTUM pairs suggests coordinated momentum plays. ZORA showed a similar, though slightly less dramatic, bump with trading volumes up 27% week-over-week.
One uncommon correlation? Monero’s rise interestingly trended alongside renewed chatter about peer-to-peer exchanges. Platforms like Haveno and Serai, which integrate seamlessly with Monero, are being discussed more frequently. Keep an eye on the privacy-tied ecosystem — especially if global regulatory tone gets more hawkish.
This week's market is an intoxicating cocktail of nostalgia, innovation, and narrative-driven trading. Altcoins with roots in older cycles (QTUM, NEO, XMR) suddenly have fresh momentum, while new narrative plays (ZORA, PLUME) find their footing through real builder and community buzz. As we close out summer and enter a potentially bullish September, the best-performing tokens might be the ones doing more than just tech — they're pulling attention and telling stories the market wants to hear.
QTUM’s 36% rise is the latest signal that older chains with solid tech could resurface as crypto markets get narrative-driven once more. Don’t sleep on OGs with new tricks.
Watch for volume spikes on lesser-known tokens following narrative mentions on Twitter — early positioning in tokens like ZORA or PLUME as sentiment swells may bring high reward with manageable downside in low-cap environments.
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