Will Espresso [ESP] hit $1B valuation? Korean listings spark 80% explosion

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On February 24th, Espresso made headlines, but not for its usual “Hey, I’m just a shared sequencing layer for Ethereum Layer-2 rollups” charm. No, this was the moment it decided to play the role of Wall Street darling and soar to new heights, propelled by aggressive capital inflows and an uncanny ability to time its moves better than your uncle at a casino slot machine.

In case you missed it, Binance and Coinbase did their part on February 12th, listing Espresso, but it was the Korean exchanges-Upbit and Bithumb-that really stirred the pot. If you ever doubted the power of Korea’s liquidity, think again. These listings were like throwing gasoline on a fire, and the flames… they were beautiful. Could this surge continue? Only time-and a lot of caffeine-will tell.

ESP up 80% in 24 hours, hitting $0.173

The move was so sharp, it made a knife look blunt. Espresso [ESP] shot up 80% in a single day, hitting $0.173. That’s right-80% in just 24 hours, leaving a trail of altcoins choking on its dust. The broader market? Slow, sluggish, like a sloth on tranquilizers. Meanwhile, ESP was sprinting, no hesitation, no holding back.

With no resistance in sight, the price charged ahead like a toddler who’d just discovered the candy aisle. Traders? They were chasing that sweet, sweet upside like there was no tomorrow. At the time of writing, ESP was in full-on expansion mode, beating nearly every major token like a pro at an arcade game.

Volume explodes and Open Interest hits all-time highs

If there was any doubt that this was not your average pump, the numbers didn’t lie. Volume exploded to a staggering $881M, according to CoinGlass data. Yes, you read that right. $881M. That wasn’t some puny liquidity surge; this was like the stock market on Red Bull.

That volume wasn’t just retail noise-it was pure, uncut commitment. Investors weren’t just casually dipping their toes in the water; they were diving in headfirst, expecting a deep pool. No shallow end here. And just when you thought things couldn’t get more intense, Open Interest shot up to $56.03M. It was like every trader on the planet suddenly got a PhD in leverage.

And with that kind of commitment came risk. The kind that makes you sweat and question your life choices as the market swings. But hey, who needs sleep when there’s serious capital at play?

Is this the start of a run to a $1B valuation?

If there’s one thing we know about Korean listings, it’s that they don’t do things halfway. Upbit and Bithumb have historically been like rocket fuel for altcoins, propelling them into stratospheric rallies. And with Binance backing Espresso like a well-oiled liquidity machine, this wasn’t just a flash in the pan. This was a full-on party with real access, reach, and market depth.

The $881M volume? That’s not a typo. That’s capital moving, shifting, rotating like a high-stakes game of musical chairs. And if this keeps up, the $1B valuation may no longer be a pipe dream. It could become a reality-provided the hype doesn’t crash faster than you can say “leveraged trading.”

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Keeping that momentum? It’ll take stable demand, disciplined positioning, and a boatload of liquidity. So don’t start planning your retirement just yet.

Final Summary

  • Espresso [ESP] surged 80% in 24 hours, hitting $0.173 after aggressive capital inflows.
  • Korean exchange listings on Upbit and Bithumb triggered a sharp sentiment shift and liquidity spike.

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2026-02-25 05:11