Starknet's native token STRK has become the strongest performer among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, rallying more than 80% over seven days after the project said it was actively considering a move away from Ethereum to become an independent Layer 1 blockchain.
At 20:28 UTC on Oct. 11, CoinGlass data showed STRK at $0.1190, up 17.7% over 24 hours and 116.7% over the previous week. The token later climbed to $0.126 on Sunday, its highest level since December last year. The surge followed an Oct. 8 statement from Starknet outlining a target of becoming the first fully quantum-resistant network by 2027, a change that would replace its reliance on Ethereum's security infrastructure.
StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson framed the possible transition as a response to the accelerating dual threat of quantum computing and artificial intelligence. He argued that the quantum threat could arrive sooner than expected and that AI adds urgency to cryptographic preparations. Starknet's ZK-STARK proof system already uses hash-based cryptography rather than elliptic-curve mechanisms considered vulnerable to a sufficiently powerful quantum computer. A three-phase roadmap published in June covers vulnerable hashing mechanisms, legacy smart contracts and dependencies inherited from Ethereum. The first two phases are under Starknet's control, while the third depends on Ethereum's own migration.
The Ethereum Foundation's Protocol cluster had set a December 2029 target for quantum resistance across Ethereum's execution, consensus and data layers. An independent Starknet would need its own security and settlement model to replace the protections Ethereum provides. The debate was amplified a day before the announcement when Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake called for the industry to calmly plan for a possible 'bunker mode'. Drake warned that AI-driven mathematics could potentially break ECDSA, the signature scheme securing Bitcoin and Ethereum wallets, in months rather than years in a worst-case scenario.
Derivatives activity also jumped. CoinGlass recorded approximately $258.5 million in futures open interest, $3.5 billion in 24-hour futures volume, and $14.8 million in total futures liquidations. CoinMarketCap data showed around $720 million in 24-hour trading volume against a roughly $892 million market capitalization. The move also comes ahead of an Oct. 15 token unlock, under which up to 127 million STRK could become transferable each month for early contributors and investors through March 2027, worth about $15.1 million at the Oct. 11 price.
The broader rollup environment has been difficult. Blast announced on Oct. 2 that it would wind down, and Abstract, the chain tied to Pudgy Penguins, also revealed plans to shut down in early October. Starknet sits in a different position with roughly $168 million in total value locked, and its possible departure from Ethereum is being read by STRK buyers more like a graduation than a closure.
Despite the price action, no formal proposal or governance vote has been scheduled. StarkWare's own roadmap requires protocol-level changes to pass through governance. The market is therefore trading on intent rather than an approved migration, while Starknet would also take on full responsibility for its own security if it eventually leaves Ethereum.
