Hyperliquid, Uniswap and Worldcoin buck crypto slump as traders chase AI, DeFi trends

Markets Hyperliquid, Uniswap and Worldcoin buck crypto slump as traders chase AI, DeFi trends A handful of tokens continued their run while bitcoin and the rest of the crypto market stalled after the early week bounce. By Krisztian Sandor | Edited by Stephen Alpher Jun 16, 2026, 8:20 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on (Keenan Constance/Unsplash) Summary Show HYPE, UNI, WLD posted double-digit gains while bitcoin and most of the crypto market drifted lower. Hyperliquid is benefiting from enthusiasm around onchain exchanges, while Worldcoin remains one of the market's most popular AI-linked bets. Uniswap rallied after a major bank argued decentralized finance (DeFi) could become one of crypto's biggest growth sectors. Bitcoin BTC $ 65,704.12 and the broader crypto market has cooled off on Tuesday, but a handful of tokens continued their surge. Hyperliquid's HYPE, Uniswap's UNI and Worldcoin's WLD all posted double-digit gains, extending rallies that have made them some of this week's standout performers. HYPE surged as much as 13% to a fresh record above $76 before paring some gains. The token is now up nearly 200% in 2026, making it one of the best-performing large-cap crypto assets this year. Hyperliquid operates a blockchain-based exchange that allows users to trade perpetual futures through an onchain order book. Investors increasingly see the platform as a potential challenger to traditional exchanges, with ambitions extending beyond crypto into tokenized stocks, commodities and other assets Some observers also speculated that Hyperliquid's growing relationship with Coinbase could deepen after making Circle's USDC the primary trading pair on the platform. Under the arrangement, part of the revenue generated from U.S. Treasury securities backing USDC will be used to purchase HYPE tokens. Worldcoin's WLD token gained 12%, pushing its monthly advance to roughly 180%. The project, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has become one of crypto's most direct ways to express a bullish view on artificial intelligence (AI). The token has benefited from renewed enthusiasm around AI-related investments following the strong market debut of SpaceX, which also owns AI company xAI, and growing expectations that OpenAI could eventually pursue a public listing. Decetralized exchange Uniswap's UNI token surged another 18% after Standard Chartered initiated coverage on Monday with a highly bullish long-term outlook on the protocol. Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank's head of digital asset research, argued that decentralized finance (DeFi) could become one of crypto's biggest growth stories as tokenized stocks, bonds and other traditional assets move onchain. In the report, Kendrick estimated the amount of assets actively used in DeFi could increase 37-fold by the end of the decade and sees Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange, as one of the clearest beneficiaries. He initiated coverage with a $100 price target for UNI by 2030, implying roughly 30 times upside from current levels. Markets DeFi Hyperliquid Related Assets Bitcoin $ 65,743.95 1.11 % Latest Crypto News 1 Coinbase intoduces AI advisor, stock options, and pre-IPO markets in finance push 1 hour ago 2 Ripple invests in Flutterwave, pushing its stablecoin and XRP Ledger into payments across Africa 4 hours ago 3 Coinbase to join tokenized stock race with onchain shares, dividend payments 5 hours ago 4 Binance says its European regulatory application is compliant despite report of Greek rejection 5 hours ago 5 Ethereum’s biggest protocol overhaul in years moves into its final development stage 5 hours ago 6 State Street targets stablecoin reserve boom with new money market fund 5 hours ago 7 CoinDesk 20 performance update: Uniswap (UNI) gains 12.9% while index trades lower 7 hours ago 8 Y Combinator reveals a new AI agent that can build and run an entire business just from a text message 7 hours ago 9 BlackRock's new bitcoin income fund offers cash flow alongside BTC exposure 8 hours ago 10 Mystery Polymarket trader turned $4 million into $9 million after Spain's shocking World Cup draw 8 hours ago Latest Research CEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps Hit Record High CEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps Hit Record High In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. By CoinDesk Research Jun 15, 2026 In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. Why it matters : In May, combined exchange volumes fell 3.45% to $4.41T; the lowest since September 2024. RWA perpetual futures volumes rose 10.4% against the trend, hitting a new all-time high. 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