As Crypto Market Extends Rebound, ZEC, SAPIEN, TAO, MERL, DASH, and Others Emerge as Top Tokens with Outstanding Social Engagement

Today, market analyst Phoenix Group identified the most popular cryptocurrencies dominating social media discussions, an indicator that their crypto trading charts are heating up once again amid wider market fluctuations. Bitcoin and several crypto assets have extended their rebound today (on Thursday, December 4) as investors look for indicators that the broader market could be regaining ground after a persistent selling pressure. While Bitcoin is up 2.2% over the past week, currently standing at $92,821.26, ETH hovers at $3,176.26 as Ethereum goes through a network upgrade known as Fusaka that aims to make the chain more rapid and efficient.

Top Crypto Tokens by Social Activity this Week

Zcash (ZEC)

The data reported today by Phoenix Group identified Zcash (ZEC), one of the oldest privacy coins in the cryptocurrency landscape, as the digital token that recorded top social activity over the past week. Social discussions around Zcash have been higher than any other crypto asset in the last seven days, an indicator of surging investor demand for privacy features powered by Zcash.

Sapien (SAPIEN)

Sapien (SAPIEN), a decentralized AI data platform, emerged as the second-best market performer in terms of social activity, reflecting the token’s renewed momentum. The surge in investor enthusiasm in SAPIEN can be seen in the asset’s price, which has been up 15.5% and 14.2% over the past week and month, respectively, according to data from CoinGecko. This price spike indicates a purchasing frenzy fueled by its recent token listing on Binance last month and the AI craze. All these point out that people are increasingly adopting Sapien’s decentralized network for various Web3 activities, including the need to create and train AI models, among others.

Bittensor (TAO)

Bittensor (TAO), another AI-driven token, is the third-most trending coin by social volume, indicating renewed investor interest in the digital platform, as reported in the data. The upcoming TAO halving event is one of the catalysts attracting user interest in the platform. Bittensor’s upcoming (the first) halving is scheduled to happen next week, on Friday, December 12, 2025. The event is described as a crucial moment not just for TAO, but for the entire AI-token ecosystem.

Merlin Chain (MERL)

Merlin Chain (MERL), a Bitcoin Layer-2 project that aims to enable faster, cheaper transactions on the Bitcoin network, is also attracting user enthusiasm. This is signified by its robust uptrend of 30% and 20% over the past week and month, respectively, making its price currently stand at $0.3777, indicating rising market participation and investor confidence. The Bitcoin Layer-2 network has been in the spotlight as it defied recent crypto market dips. The token’s uptrend comes after the project’s network upgrade last month on November 7, which enhanced scalability, decreased congestion, and bolstered ZK-rollup effectiveness across the protocol. Together with its integration on the Sui blockchain in August, the new Bitcoin DeFi functionality via Merlin’s M-BTC bridging provides BTC investors with an advanced customer experience.

Dash (DASH)

Fifth on the list is Dash (DASH), another privacy-focused token. Despite DASH’s price remaining down 21.7% and 62% over the last week and month, respectively, the Phoenix Group data shows that the platform’s popularity is rising as social discussions surrounding its blockchain-privacy-centric project gain momentum. Recent positive sentiment shifted to privacy coins (like Dash and others) as governments prepare to make reporting and transparency standards more stringent ahead of 2026, a move that influences crypto users to adopt crypto tokens with built-in privacy features.

Other Top Market Performers 

Other assets that also recorded significant social activity over the week include Plasma (XPL), Ethena (ENA), Curve DAO (CRV), ZKsync (ZK), and Monad (MON), as illustrated in the data above.