BNB Chain is concluding 2025 with a clear shift in focus from speculative trading to infrastructure development, according to a CoinMarketCap weekly snapshot dated December 24. The data reveals a divergence between market value and trading activity. BNB Chain's total market capitalization held steady at $203.53 billion, showing a slight weekly increase of 0.14%. In stark contrast, weekly trading volume fell sharply to $14.98 billion, marking a significant 24.11% decline. This pattern suggests capital is remaining within the ecosystem while short-term trading cools, often indicative of a transition phase.
Performance within the BNB ecosystem was dominated by microcap tokens, highlighting speculative rotation. Notable weekly gainers included Felis (FELIS) up 3,216%, DOGO (DOGO) up 1,706%, Burnsdefi (BURNS) up 1,655%, Mithril (MITH) up 1,397%, and GameStop Coin (GME) up 735%. Despite these eye-catching percentage gains, these projects remain relatively small, indicating momentum is concentrated in high-risk segments rather than large-cap BNB assets.
The most significant development for BNB Chain is the infrastructure-focused roadmap for 2026. The opBNB layer-2 network's Volta upgrade has already reduced block time to 500 milliseconds. A further upgrade, Fourier, is scheduled to go live on January 7, 2026, aiming to cut block time to an ultra-fast 250 milliseconds. This technical advancement is expected to make opBNB the default chain for applications requiring speed and low latency, such as games, social apps, and micro-transactions. Higher-value DeFi activity is anticipated to settle on the main BSC chain, creating a clearer division of labor within the BNB Chain stack.
Separately, broader market data shows small-cap altcoins outperforming major assets. The global crypto market cap rose 0.9% to $2.96 trillion, though daily trading volume fell 32% to $67 billion. The CMC20 index, tracking the top 20 cryptocurrencies, rose only 0.27%, confirming smaller altcoins drove the gains. Bitcoin gained 0.8% to ~$87,700, while Ethereum consolidated near $2,940. Analysts note mixed signals: Ethereum saw strong accumulation with a net outflow of 43,800 ETH (~$128.8M) from centralized exchanges in 24 hours, while US spot ETH ETFs recorded another $52.8M in net outflows. Bitcoin investment products saw their fifth consecutive outflow, worth $175.3M.
