MON Rallies 17% as Monad TVL Hits Record $251M

• MON surged 17% to a one-week high amid a short squeeze on January 2.
• Monad's total value locked reached a record $251 million with $397 million in stablecoins.
• The project was recently highlighted among top crypto investments for its high-performance blockchain design.

Monad's native token MON jumped over 17% to $0.028 on January 2, marking its strongest performance in a week. This rally coincided with Monad's total value locked hitting a record $251 million according to DeFiLlama data. The layer-1 blockchain continues attracting investor attention after being named among December 2025's most promising crypto projects.

Why Is MON Rallying Today?

MON's price pop stemmed primarily from a short squeeze that forced bearish traders to cover positions. Liquidity on the platform climbed over 82% to $476 million according to Upshift data. The token move occurred amid broader crypto market strength, though MON notably outperformed many large-cap assets.

What Is Driving Monad's TVL Growth?

Monad's record $251 million TVL includes $397 million in stablecoin assets. The project's high-throughput blockchain architecture enables faster transactions than older networks. Recent infrastructure upgrades following its mainnet launch have likely contributed to increased capital inflows and developer activity.

How Does Monad Compare to Other Crypto Investments?

Analysts recently included Monad among top crypto picks for December 2025, citing its technological fundamentals. The project's performance-focused design aims to solve scalability limitations in existing smart contract platforms. That said, investors should weigh its early-stage adoption against more established layer-1 networks with larger ecosystems.