GameStop, BTC, USDT, and LINK drive top discussions in the crypto space

Market intelligence and analytics platform Santiment has revealed that GameStop, Bitcoin, Tether, Chainlink, and Ethereum are the most trending assets in social metrics this week.

According to Santiment Feed, the coins have recorded the highest level of social interest within crypto circles due to several reasons, including short squeeze predictions, involvement in the Federal Reserve’s Payments Innovation Conference, exchange-traded-fund netflows, governance issues, developer complaints, and comparisons to gold.

GameStop short squeeze predictions ensue

Per Santiment, “GME” online mentions are topping the social trends list because retailers are revisiting memories of the 2021 short squeeze that propelled the video game selling store into the financial spotlight. 

In early 2021, GameStop’s shares skyrocketed after retail traders hyped by Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets lashed out at hedge funds heavily shorting the video game retailer. Roughly 140% of GameStop’s publicly available shares had been sold short, forcing short sellers to buy back shares as prices surged. 

The squeeze sent GameStop’s pre-market price to more than $500 per share on January 28, nearly thirty times its value at the start of that month.

This week’s renewed focus comes against the backdrop of traders comparing GME to the recent surge in Beyond Meat (BYND) shares, which climbed 128% on Monday to close at $1.47 after falling to $0.50 just a week earlier. 

Bitcoin rises as trade tensions trigger gold selloff

Santiment’s social metric tracker also places “BTC” as one of the most mentioned keywords on crypto-focused platforms this week, after it briefly crossed $113,000 on Tuesday, coinciding with a decline in precious metals. 

According to data from Trading Economics, gold fell 5% to $4,130, its biggest single-day drop in years, while silver tumbled nearly 7% before treading back upwards to change hands at $49 per ounce. The special metal market decline follows months of upward movement, supported by global central banks’ monetary easing policy and a trade scuffle between the US and China. 

When precious metals corrected, Bitcoin saw a temporary influx of investor attention and capital inflows that helped it rally past $110,000. But the price surge was cut short after US President Donald Trump said he “wasn’t sure” he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Cryptopolitan reported. 

Tether reaches 500 million users

Tether’s presence in social conversations has been prominent because it has reached 500 million users, as announced by CEO Paolo Ardoino.

The company, which issues the most used stablecoin in the broader crypto market, USDT, and the gold-backed Tether Gold (XAUT), reported a record $4.9 billion net profit in the second quarter of 2025. 

Bloomberg recently reported that Tether plans to raise approximately $20 billion at a valuation of $500 billion through the sale of about 3% of its equity, which could make it one of the most valuable private companies in the world.

USDT is struggling with hurdles in the European Union trade bloc, having been delisted from exchanges due to non-compliance with the region’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.

In response, Tether is doubling its American roots by planning to launch a new US-compliant stablecoin called USAT by the end of 2025. Bo Hines, CEO of Tether’s US division, said the new asset will be funded through share issuance rather than external capital.

Chainlink engages the Federal Reserve on payment innovation

Chainlink (LINK) has had an eventful week participating in the Federal Reserve’s Payments Innovation Conference held on Tuesday, where industry leaders discussed the intersection of traditional finance and blockchain technology.

Co-founder Sergey Nazarov joined a panel of crypto and fintech KOLs including Jackie Reses, CEO of Lead Bank, Fireblocks head Michael Shaulov and Jennifer Barker, BNY’s Global Head of Treasury Services, moderated by Rebecca Rettig of Jito Labs.

Speaking to attendees, Nazarov said the blockchain network powers about 70% of tokenized real-world asset (RWA) issuers and stablecoin providers applications. He urged US policymakers to help domestic financial infrastructure integrate with global digital payment systems.

“I would look to create clear guidance that manages risk appropriately to make sure that stablecoins and tokenized deposits on the payments side of the digital asset economy can grow successfully and can grow successfully out of the United States more than anywhere else,” Nazarov asserted.

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