Toshi, Keyboard Cat, Basenji prices rise as Base DEX volume spikes

Meme coins in the Base layer-2 blockchain were among the top performers on Friday as the ecosystem continued to gain traction.

Toshi (TOSHI) surged by over 70%, pushing its market cap to more than $237 million and making it the third-largest meme coin on Base, following Brett and Akuma Inu. Its rally came after being listed on Coinbase, the largest exchange in the U.S.

This listing boosted TOSHI’s 24-hour trading volume to $165 million. According to Nansen, a whale purchased Toshi tokens worth over $3.16 million.

Keyboard Cat (KEYCAT) was another standout meme coin in the Base ecosystem, jumping by 46% and lifting its market cap to $8.2 million. Meanwhile, Basenji (BENJI) Doginme also performed well, each climbing by over 20%.

Meme coins on Base have steadily gained market share in the crypto space, with the ecosystem now boasting a total market cap of over $2.5 billion.

These coins have played a key role in transforming Base from a relatively small blockchain network into one of the largest layer-2 network in crypto. According to DeFi Llama, protocols within the Base blockchain handled $1.24 billion in trading volume on Friday and $12.98 billion over the past seven days—a 13% increase.

Base protocols such as Uniswap, Aerodrome, PancakeSwap, and Alien Base have processed transactions worth more than $60 billion in the past 30 days. This growth has driven higher fees within the ecosystem, which has already generated $10.64 million in fees this year and $93 million over the last 12 months.

Meme coins have helped to propel other chains higher in the past few years. For example, meme coins like Official Trump (TRUMP), Fartcoin, and Dogwifhat have helped to make Solana the most active network in crypto since 2024. According to TokenTerminal, it has even passed Ethereum in fees this year.