The Growth Leaders Among Exchange Tokens: What’s Behind the Success of OKB, BNB, BGB, KCS, and GT
Date: 2025-08-15 Author: Henry Casey Categories: CRYPTO PAYMENTS
The cryptocurrency market has been surprising not only with the dynamics of Bitcoin in recent days — tokens from the largest centralized exchanges (CEX) have become the main heroes of the trades. Their growth is due to a combination of burns, supply shortages, trader activity, and new loyalty programs.
OKB set an all-time high, soaring by 126% after a large-scale burn of 65.26 million coins worth $7.6 billion. This event reduced the total supply by more than half, bringing it to 21 million — a level comparable to the Bitcoin emission limit. The unique shortage became a powerful driver of growth and attracted the attention of investors hunting for assets with a limited emission.
BNB has come close to its all-time high of $859.56, with analysts already predicting a move towards $2,000. The growing interest is explained by both the strengthening of Bitcoin's position and the revival of trading activity on the Binance exchange. Market participants' optimism is fueled by expectations of an increase in the platform's income in the context of increased turnover.
BGB added 9%, reaching $4.79, amid a sharp jump in trading volumes - up to $563 million per day. Over the past eight months, Bitget has burned 860 million tokens (about 43% of the total supply), which has significantly reduced selling pressure. Large holders ("whales") are withdrawing tokens from the exchange, which indicates a long-term accumulation strategy and reinforces positive expectations.
KCS has grown by 18% due to an increase in trading volumes by almost 189% and the launch of the KuCoin loyalty program. The new initiative includes discounts on fees, early access to products, and staking bonuses, which has increased the attractiveness of the token. An additional factor was the growth of the exchange's user base to 41 million people, high security ratings, and KuCoin's fourth place among the largest futures platforms.
GT rose 5% to $21.26, approaching its peak value of $25.95. The inflow of funds into exchange tokens is associated with the growth of Bitcoin's leverage to a five-year high, which historically contributes to the rise in prices of CEX coins. GT trading volume increased by 380%, and the derivative segment of Gate added almost 50% in July, reaching $740 billion. A limited supply of 122.9 million tokens and regular quarterly burns also support investor interest.
The market situation shows that in conditions of high volatility and record levels of trader activity, exchange tokens may become one of the most promising asset categories in the near future.
