Starknet’s $STRK token surged 30% over 24 hours by Friday evening, far outpacing bitcoin and ether as the Ethereum Layer 2 considers becoming an independent Layer 1.
At 8:36 p.m. ET on Oct. 9, CoinGecko reported a rolling 24-hour gain of 30.3% for $STRK, compared with 0.9% for bitcoin and 0.3% for ether. $STRK traded at about $0.0732.
The rally coincided with increased decentralized-exchange trading on Starknet and followed the network’s Oct. 8 disclosure that it was “actively considering becoming an L1”. For holders, the repricing comes while that change remains an option under consideration, rather than an implemented shift in the network’s security model. Neither the price data nor the trading figures establish what caused the buying.
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A Multi-Week Lead Over Bitcoin and Ether
In a fixed comparison from 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 8 to approximately 8:31 p.m. on Oct. 9—a 24-hour, 31-minute window—$STRK gained 33.86%, versus 1.06% for bitcoin and 0.62% for ether, according to The Defiant’s calculations using CoinGecko prices.
At that endpoint, $STRK was also up 73.17% over approximately seven days and 159.98% over approximately 28 days. Bitcoin fell 2.32% over the shorter period and rose 6.92% over the longer one; ether declined 6.75% and 1.07%, respectively.
Subject
Metric
Value
Period / as of
Source
Starknet
Price return
33.86%
About 1 day
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Bitcoin
Price return
1.06%
About 1 day
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Ether
Price return
0.62%
About 1 day
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Starknet
Price return
73.17%
About 7 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Bitcoin
Price return
-2.32%
About 7 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Ether
Price return
-6.75%
About 7 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Starknet
Price return
159.98%
About 28 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Bitcoin
Price return
6.92%
About 28 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
Ether
Price return
-1.07%
About 28 days
The Defiant calculations (coingecko.com)
The comparisons use starting observations at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 8, Oct. 2 and Sept. 11, respectively, and ending observations around 8:31 p.m. on Oct. 9. They measure endpoint returns, not an uninterrupted climb.
More Trading, an Unsettled Network Plan
DefiLlama’s Starknet DEX series shows daily trading rising from $12.6 million on Oct. 7 to $33.7 million on Oct. 8, then holding near $33.7 million on Oct. 9. Those are the provider’s UTC calendar days. The figures cover decentralized-exchange trading on the network, not just $STRK transactions, so they show increased activity without identifying the reason for the token’s rally.
The Layer 1 deliberation concerns where Starknet gets its settlement security. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said that, as a Layer 2, Starknet relies on Ethereum’s security. Becoming a Layer 1 is one of multiple options being considered to give the network more control over its migration to quantum-resistant security.
“The advantage would be control over the network’s security migrations, rather than having to wait for Ethereum or Bitcoin to move first,” Ben-Sasson wrote.
As The Defiant previously reported, the network has tied the deliberation to a target of full quantum resistance by 2027. Its Oct. 8 statement describes a target and an option under consideration—not a completed Layer 1 transition.
thedefiant.io
