Memecoin market Capital increased by 23% last week, with Volume surging 300%.

At the beginning of 2026, the memecoin cryptocurrency group surged: the entire industry's market Capital increased by 23% in one week, from $38 billion (December 29) to $47.7 billion at the beginning of January.

The recovery, accompanied by a liquidation in liquidity and significant price increases in many major Token such as Doge, SHIB , and PEPE, suggests that market risk appetite is showing signs of returning and could spread to other altcoins.

Memecoin market data for early 2026

Over the past week, memecoin's market Capital increased from $38 billion (December 29) to $47.7 billion at the beginning of January; volume increased from $2.17 billion to $8.7 billion.

The corresponding market Capital increase of +23% in 7 days reflects the return of capital to high-risk asset classes. During the same period, volume increased by 300%, indicating a significant increase in buying and selling activity rather than just price increases due to thin supply and demand.

Among the featured Token , Doge surged by over 20% and SHIB by 19.9%. PEPE rose by over 65%, standing out from the overall market and contributing to the short-term increase in the sector's total market Capital .

Impact: Risk appetite and spillover effects on altcoins

Analysts believe that memecoin's surge signals a recovery in risk appetite, which could support the upward momentum of many other altcoins; Solana is mentioned as a potential beneficiary.

The main argument is that memecoins tend to react quickly when market sentiment shifts to risk-taking. When this group surges and liquidation expands, money can continue to flow into other altcoin segments in subsequent cycles.

In that context, Solana is XEM as a potential beneficiary if the ripple effect occurs, although the original information does not provide specific price figures for SOL or detailed timelines for the fluctuations of altcoins other than memecoin.