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Weekly Cryptocurrency Surges: Top 10 Performers in Week 32

Stimulating revival in the cryptocurrency market, Trump's proposed 401(k) policy could potentially revive interest in major industry players.

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2025 August 27 . 5:20 AM

2 min read

Weekly Crypto Price Surges: A Ranking of the Top 10 Coins

Weekly Cryptocurrency Surges: Top 10 Performers in Week 32

In a significant move for the cryptocurrency industry, President Trump has signed an executive order that allows 401(k) retirement plans to invest in alternative assets, including digital currencies. This shift in regulatory stance could reshape the broader crypto adoption curve and bring institutional money into the market.

The executive order, signed in August 2025, rescinds the 2022 Biden-era guidance urging "extreme care" regarding cryptocurrency in 401(k) plans. Instead, it introduces a "facts and circumstances" prudent evaluation standard, consistent with usual fiduciary principles under ERISA. This move removes a regulatory chill on crypto investments in retirement portfolios.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are tasked with revising rules to facilitate the easier inclusion of cryptocurrencies, private equity, real estate, and private credit in defined-contribution plans such as 401(k)s. This opens the $12.2 trillion retirement savings market to these alternatives nationwide.

While the order does not explicitly endorse crypto, it signals a policy shift toward democratizing access to these asset classes for American retirement savers. Cryptocurrencies are recognised as potential sources for enhancing risk-adjusted returns. However, plan fiduciaries must still exercise prudence, loyalty, and diversification duties under ERISA, meaning cryptocurrency inclusion depends on plan-specific risk assessments and remains subject to potential litigation risks.

The impact of this executive order on the crypto market has been evident this week, with several cryptocurrencies posting double-digit gains. Bitcoin, which dipped below $115K last week, is in recovery mode. Other notable gainers include Cardano, up 9.1%, Litecoin with 13.0% weekly growth, and Dogecoin, showing a growth of around 6-7%.

The altcoin market has also seen significant movements. Mantle (MNT), a layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, has gained massive attention from investors and traders with a 42.1% gain. Other altcoins such as Stellar (XLM), POL (formerly MATIC), Optimism (OP), Algorand, several ETH liquid staking tokens, and Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) have also posted strong gains.

This integration of cryptocurrencies into mainstream, long-term investment vehicles could encourage more conservative and risk-aware investor demographics to gain exposure. It could also expand capital inflows into digital assets through institutional channels managing retirement funds, bolstering market liquidity and valuation stability. The increased regulatory clarity and reduced perceived legal risk could enhance overall confidence among investors, plan sponsors, and asset managers.

In summary, the 2025 executive order has redefined retirement investing by officially allowing and encouraging 401(k) plans to consider cryptocurrencies alongside traditional and other alternative assets. This move advances crypto adoption from niche speculative use toward institutional and retirement-market integration.

[1] Source: White House Fact Sheet [2] Source: U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet [3] Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Fact Sheet [4] Source: CoinMarketCap [5] Source: Investopedia Analysis