Bybit, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, has published a report highlighting a significant resurgence in meme coin activity, with the Solana ecosystem emerging as the primary driver of this speculative wave in early 2026. The exchange's Bybit Alpha platform detailed that this revival is characterized by light-hearted and provocative themes, marking a departure from the grand narratives of mainstream cryptocurrency.
Since the final week of 2025, Bybit Alpha has accelerated its listing pace to match market enthusiasm, adding six new meme tokens between January 11 and 13, 2026 alone. These tokens include WHITEPEPE, TATA, testicle, HAPPY, B, and Buttcoin.
The Solana meme sector has demonstrated explosive growth metrics in the first two weeks of 2026. The total market capitalization of Solana-based meme coins has surged to nearly $6.7 billion, up from $5.1 billion at the start of the year. Daily trading volume within the sector has skyrocketed from $850 million to over $2.57 billion in the same period.
Established Solana meme tokens are also experiencing strong rebounds. BONK has gained over 50%, with others like PENGU, WIF, and POPCAT following suit. The launchpad Pump.fun, now effectively the second-largest decentralized exchange (DEX) on Solana, recorded an all-time high of $2 billion in daily DEX trading volume.
A key development amplifying this trend is the recent collaboration between Solana and the social platform X (formerly Twitter). The introduction of "Smart Cashtags" enables real-time on-chain asset visualization directly within the social platform, providing users immediate access to market data and significantly boosting meme coin visibility and engagement.
Bybit Alpha has positioned itself at the center of this trend, having entered the Solana ecosystem early in 2025 through a strong partnership with Solana and Byreal. The platform has listed nearly 20 Solana-based meme tokens in under three weeks. Notable performances include Token 'B', which saw a 62% gain within 24 hours of its January 12 listing, and WhiteWhale, which reached a peak fully diluted valuation of $140 million with prices surging over 1,200% post-listing at its highest point.
