ANKR Joins Top 100 Cryptocurrencies by Market Cap – Here's Why

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In a sea of green across the crypto markets, ANKR has emerged as one of the standout performers, surging nearly 40% in the past week alone. With a current market cap of $3.62 billion and trading at approximately $0.044, ANKR has seen a remarkable 60% increase over the last month and is up around 180% year-to-date according to CoinGecko data.

This impressive momentum has propelled ANKR into the ranks of the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization—a significant milestone, especially given that we're not currently in a full-blown bull market. While ANKR still remains far from its all-time high above $0.21—down over 79% since then—the project’s resilience during bearish conditions highlights strong fundamentals and growing ecosystem adoption.


Key Drivers Behind ANKR’s Rise

Several strategic developments have fueled ANKR’s recent performance, including high-profile partnerships, expanding developer activity, and rising DeFi engagement.

One of the most telling signs of growth is the surge in total value locked (TVL) within Ankr’s DeFi protocols. According to DefiLlama, TVL has grown from around $16 million in July 2022 to over $70 million today. This upward trend reflects increasing trust and utility in Ankr’s infrastructure offerings.

Moreover, more than 40,000 developers are now building on the Ankr platform, leveraging its robust suite of tools for blockchain development. The network supports major ecosystems such as Binance, Polygon, Avalanche, Optimism, Aave, 1inch, and Project Galaxy—underscoring its role as a foundational pillar in the Web3 stack.

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What Is Ankr? Building the Backbone of Web3

Founded in 2017 by Chandler Song (CEO), Ryan Fang (COO), and Stanley Wu (CTO), Ankr is a blockchain-based platform designed to power the decentralized internet. Its mission is to eliminate reliance on centralized intermediaries, giving users true ownership and control over their data and applications.

The project achieves this by bridging two transformative movements: Web3 and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). At its core, Ankr offers developers and enterprises easy access to blockchain infrastructure through simple, scalable solutions.

Ankr’s vision unfolds through three key principles:

Originally launched as a distributed cloud computing network, Ankr has evolved into a comprehensive provider of node hosting, RPC services, multi-chain deployment, and enterprise-grade APIs.

At the heart of this ecosystem lies the ANKR token, a utility and governance coin with a total supply of 1 billion (816 million currently in circulation). It powers transactions across the platform—from paying for API usage to participating in network governance.


Staking Innovation: Fueling Demand for ANKR

As a key player in liquid staking, Ankr benefits directly from the growing demand for yield-generating opportunities in crypto. Regulatory scrutiny on traditional staking services—such as Kraken’s decision to shut down U.S.-based staking products after paying a $30 million SEC fine—has accelerated interest in decentralized alternatives.

Liquid staking derivatives remain largely unregulated and have seen a spike in trading volume as investors seek passive income without sacrificing liquidity.

Ankr enables seamless cross-chain staking across Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchains like BNB Smart Chain, Fantom, and Polygon. Users can deploy nodes and earn staking rewards without technical expertise—the platform handles setup, maintenance, and optimization automatically for a monthly fee.

This ease of use makes Ankr a preferred choice for both retail participants and institutional players seeking reliable node infrastructure.


Strategic Partnerships Accelerating Growth

🚀 Collaboration with Microsoft Azure

A major catalyst behind ANKR’s recent price surge was its integration with Microsoft Azure Marketplace. This partnership allows enterprise clients and Web3 developers to deploy blockchain nodes directly through Azure with low-latency connectivity.

Within hours of the announcement, ANKR’s price jumped by 69%, reflecting strong market confidence.

“This collaboration marks an incredible milestone for Ankr and signals how far decentralized networks have come in integrating with key players at every layer of the tech stack,” said Chandler Song, CEO of Ankr.

Through this integration, Ankr enhances its global node delivery system using Azure-powered routing solutions. Developers gain customizable control over memory, throughput, and node location—enabling high-performance applications at scale.

Even though Microsoft previously restricted cryptocurrency mining on Azure and discontinued its standalone blockchain service in 2021, its renewed focus on Web3 via partnerships like Ankr shows a strategic pivot toward enterprise blockchain adoption.


🔗 Partnership with Tencent Cloud

In another major move, Ankr signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tencent Cloud, one of China’s largest cloud providers. Together, they aim to launch a full suite of high-performance, decentralized API services backed by a globally shared RPC node network.

This collaboration targets enterprises, game studios, virtual worlds, and apps requiring seamless blockchain integration. By combining Tencent Cloud’s global reach with Ankr’s blockchain expertise, the partnership delivers:

“This partnership simplifies access to blockchain data while prioritizing speed and reliability,” said Song.

For companies looking to enter Web3 without heavy technical overhead, this turnkey solution lowers barriers to entry and accelerates time-to-market.

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Powering Web3 Sports: The Chiliz Blockchain Integration

Ankr is also playing a pivotal role in advancing Web3 sports and entertainment through its work with Chiliz, the company behind fan engagement platform Socios.com and collectibles marketplace Gameused.com.

Chiliz selected Ankr to build its new Chiliz Blockchain, leveraging Ankr’s sidechain technology. The chain is fully EVM-compatible and features advanced access controls and IP protection—critical for brands launching tokens, NFTs, or custom business logic.

“Ankr’s fast, secure infrastructure enables Chiliz to create a cutting-edge ecosystem that will redefine how sports brands engage with fans,” said Thibaut Pelletier, CTO of Chiliz.

With use cases spanning NFTs, play-to-earn gaming, and real-world sports events, the Chiliz Blockchain aims to become a catalyst for innovation in digital fandom—and Ankr is central to that vision.


FAQ: Your Questions About ANKR Answered

Q: What is the ANKR token used for?
A: The ANKR token serves as a utility currency for paying API fees, node deployment costs, and accessing premium services. It also plays a role in governance, allowing holders to vote on protocol upgrades.

Q: Is Ankr a good investment?
A: While no investment is guaranteed, Ankr’s expanding ecosystem, enterprise partnerships (like Microsoft and Tencent), and rising developer adoption suggest long-term potential. Always conduct thorough research before investing.

Q: How does Ankr make money?
A: Ankr generates revenue through subscription-based node hosting, API usage fees, enterprise solutions, and transaction processing across its multi-chain infrastructure.

Q: Can I stake ANKR tokens?
A: Yes. Users can participate in liquid staking and earn rewards across supported PoS chains via Ankr’s simplified staking interface.

Q: How does Ankr compare to other RPC providers?
A: Unlike traditional RPC services, Ankr offers decentralized routing, global load balancing, multi-chain support, and enterprise-grade reliability—making it ideal for high-demand dApps.

Q: Does Ankr support Ethereum?
A: Yes. Ankr provides full node support for Ethereum along with dozens of EVM-compatible chains including Polygon, BSC, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Avalanche.


Final Thoughts: A Foundation for the Future

While predicting exact price movements is impossible in crypto markets, ANKR’s trajectory points toward sustained growth driven by real-world adoption.

With strategic alliances with tech giants like Microsoft and Tencent Cloud, expanding DeFi activity, and critical roles in emerging sectors like Web3 sports, Ankr is positioning itself as essential infrastructure for the next generation of decentralized applications.

As more developers choose Ankr for scalable, reliable blockchain access—and more enterprises integrate its tools—the demand for the ANKR token is likely to rise accordingly.

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Core Keywords: ANKR, Web3 infrastructure, liquid staking, blockchain API, node hosting, DeFi growth, Microsoft Azure partnership, Tencent Cloud