- AI16Z tokenomics update and expected exchange listing could boost it
- Are these bullish catalysts enough to top VIRTUAL as the AI agent leader?
Virtual Protocol on Base is currently the leader of the AI agent narrative, given its $3 billion market cap. Its sharp rise to unicorn status has been driven by its robust model that ties VIRTUAL to new agents, creating constant demand.
However, Solana’s AI16z [AI16Z] is gearing up to challenge VIRTUAL for the top position. AI16Z is the investment DAO behind Eliza, an open-source agent framework similar to Virtual protocol.
Unlike VIRTUAL though, AI16Z hasn’t reached unicorn status and had a market cap of ‘just’ $880M, at press time.
According to Daniel Cheung, Partner at crypto VC Syncracy Capital, Eliza’s wide adoption, as illustrated by GitHub trends, could give AI16Z an edge. He said,
“The most undervalued thing about AI16z is the fact that it is literally the #2 GitHub repository in the world and the most widely adopted open-source framework for AI agents.”
AI agent wars: AI16Z vs VIRTUAL
Besides the adoption, the AI16Z team has opted for a tokenomics revamp to tie new agents to the AI16Z, similar to Virtual Protocol’s model. This could further boost the native token’s value.
The most impactful catalyst could be listing on tier-1 exchanges.
Reacting to the recent planned updates, one of the market analysts, Kyle, echoed Cheung’s bullish outlook. He stated,
“The ai16z trade has two legs. 1st leg: 180m -> 1bn, as the market heavily underpriced something that had great fundamentals. 2nd leg: 1bn -> ?? as tokenomics change + exchanges list + this takes its rightful place as king of all AI, the “Layer 1” of all AI agents.”
Assuming the market experts are right and AI16Z hits its current VIRTUAL market cap of $3B, that would translate to 3x gains.
Source: AI16Z/USDT, TradingView
Based on the Fibonacci trend tool, the immediate bullish target of $1.5 could yield 168% gains if AI16Z bounces above $0.5. The gains could extend to 300% if the price climbs to $2.3.
Read ai16z [AI16Z] Price Prediction 2025-2026
However, from a mindshare perspective, AI16Z lagged behind Fartcoin, Aixbt, and VIRTUAL.
It had only 5% mindshare at press time, suggesting that social traction was concentrated on Virtual and others, limiting its short-term upside move. Alas, that could change when the expected upgrades go live.
