GT Prices Hit New Highs, and the Platform Currency Has Multiple Value Empowerments

Value has always been a core topic that has been repeatedly discussed in the crypto world. It largely determines whether the protocol/platform can continue to attract users and capital

In this round of crypto bull market with obvious market differentiation, in addition to Bitcoin's solo performance, a few tracks such as MEME and AI Agent have significantly amplified the market's popularity due to the wealth effect, but there are a lot of stories of survivor bias behind these popular narratives. In contrast, as the crypto market becomes more mainstream and compliant, crypto projects with practical application scenarios and real value drive are becoming more and more important targets for investors, such as platform coins.

Recently, the platform currency GT of the long-established centralized exchange (CEX) Gate.io has repeatedly hit new historical highs. This impressive price performance is not only the value accumulation brought by its diversified business model and innovative initiatives, but also a microcosm of the rapid growth of the exchange.

GT prices hit new highs, and the platform currency has multiple value empowerments

Value has always been a core topic that has been repeatedly discussed in the crypto world. It largely determines whether the protocol/platform can continue to attract users and capital, thereby forming a strong network effect. The more value is captured, the more defensible the platform is.

Exchanges are one of the core players in the crypto-financial game, with strong cash flow and sustainable business models, and have great value capture potential. As the "face" of the exchange, platform coins are not only a magnifying glass to measure the value of the platform, but also can effectively feed back the platform's combat capabilities, becoming a powerful weapon to enhance its market competitiveness and defense capabilities.

According to Gate.io market data, the platform currency GT has repeatedly hit record highs in 2024, with a strong increase of more than 300% throughout the year, far exceeding the mainstream assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. As of January 22, the latest data shows that the price of GT has exceeded US$23, setting a new record high. This strong price trend also directly demonstrates Gate.io's strong competitiveness in the market.

Gate.io achieves continuous value empowerment mainly through two ways: first, it improves the actual use value of the platform currency through a variety of application scenarios; second, it effectively reduces the market circulation through a repurchase and destruction mechanism, thereby enhancing its scarcity and long-term value.

Specifically, GT has many usage scenarios on the Gate.io platform, including transaction fee discounts, margin payments, VIP level upgrades, Startup project participation, and airdrop rewards. For example, users can use GT to pay transaction fees, and enjoy a discount of up to 50%, thereby reducing transaction costs and increasing investment returns; users can upgrade their VIP levels by holding GT, unlocking more trading privileges and benefits; GT holders can also participate in high-yield financial products with priority, such as GT mining products that have accumulated more than 20,000 participants; users holding GT can also vote in platform project launch decisions, etc.

It is worth mentioning that GT holders can also participate in Gate.io's Startup high-quality project new launch activities. According to Gate.io, in 2024, Startup will exclusively launch 652 projects, with a total airdrop value of nearly 30 million US dollars, and the cumulative airdrop amount exceeds 120 million US dollars. Compared with 2023, the total value of the platform's airdrops and the number of participants have both increased significantly, with the total value of airdrops increasing by 90.95% and the number of participants increasing by 474.27%. This growth trend fully confirms the significant increase in Gate.io's product demand for GT.

It can be said that these diverse application scenarios provide GT holders with rich user rights and interests, greatly stimulating users' enthusiasm and activity, thereby promoting the increase in GT market demand and further driving the continued growth of its value.

Moreover, repurchase and destruction are the conventional weapons of exchanges. This change in supply and demand can have a direct impact on the price of platform coins and is also a microcosm of performance strength, but each company has different frequencies, execution strengths and methods. According to data disclosed by Gate.io, as of the third quarter of 2024, the total amount of GT has been reduced by about 58.06% from the initial 300 million, and the cumulative destruction amount is about 170 million, with a value of more than 340 million US dollars.

In addition, as the native asset of Gate Chain, GT can be used to pay network transfer fees, PoS mining rewards, ecological governance, etc., and is used in diversified application scenarios such as DeFi, NFT, infrastructure and metaverse. With the continuous expansion of the Gate Chain ecosystem, the increase in usage scenarios and user needs will also continue to enhance the actual value of GT.

From product innovation to market capture, the key "weapon" for