ORCA Token Soars 90% Following Upbit Listing Surge

ORCA, the native token of Solana-based decentralized exchange Orca, surged over 90% on Friday after being listed on Upbit, South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchange. The listing included ORCA trading pairs with Korean won (KRW), Bitcoin (BTC), and Tether (USDT), significantly expanding access for Korean traders—well-known for their strong participation in the altcoin market.

The sudden listing news drove ORCA’s price past the $3 mark for the first time since January 26, according to TradingView and CoinGecko. ORCA had been in a downtrend since hitting its all-time high of over $8.70 on December 6, making this price action a notable rebound.

South Korean exchanges often play a pivotal role in driving liquidity and price movements in altcoins, and Upbit’s inclusion of ORCA opened the floodgates for renewed investor interest. With Korean crypto investors’ appetite for altcoins, such listings can result in massive short-term price rallies, as seen in this case.

As of now, Orca ranks as the 11th largest decentralized exchange on the Solana blockchain, with nearly $250 million in total value locked (TVL), according to DeFi data aggregator DefiLlama. This places Orca firmly among the top players in the Solana DeFi ecosystem, with the potential for further growth as visibility increases.

The Upbit listing not only boosts ORCA’s exposure but also reinforces South Korea’s influence in the global crypto market, especially when it comes to driving demand in emerging altcoins. Investors and analysts will be watching closely to see if the momentum sustains or cools off in the coming days.