Bittensor price surges 12% as TAO defies market slump

• Bittensor price continued higher despite the overall crypto market dump.
• TAO was up by more than 12% amid catalysts such as Grayscale’s Bittensor Trust news.
• Bulls could target $715 and then the psychological $1,000 mark.

Bittensor (TAO) has surged by more than 12% in the past 24 hours to rank among the top market performers today, with TAO trading to highs of $475 as it bucks the trend across most altcoins.

While the uptick came alongside a bounce for decentralized AI protocols, what else helped the Bittensor price up?

Why is Bittensor price up today?

TAO’s impressive gains align closely with the recent launch of a liquid staked TAO token, which enhances staking efficiency and liquidity within the Bittensor ecosystem.

Liquid staking allows users to earn rewards on their TAO holdings without locking assets, enabling participation in DeFi activities like lending or yield farming.

Platforms such as Tensorplex have facilitated this by bridging TAO to Ethereum and Base networks, issuing stTAO tokens that represent staked positions.

On October 13, 2025, the Tao. App announced the launch of Virtual TAO (VTAO), a new omnichain liquid staked TAO token powered by LayerZero.

Users can bridge vTAO from Bittensor to any Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible chain.

The token is available across Base, Ethereum and Arbitrum and will soon go live on Solana.

Also catalysing TAO price gains is the momentum that followed Grayscale’s Bittensor-related news.

The company filed a Form 10 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a Grayscale Bittensor Trust ($TAO) on October 12.

This filing marks the initial step toward converting the trust into a full SEC Reporting Company under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

TAO’s price has surged amid forecasts that the move could fast-track the potential launch of a Bittensor exchange-traded fund.

TAO price forecast

Despite the dip to lows of $224 on October 11 amid a crypto bloodbath, Bittensor’s price has received a boost with the above tailwinds.

After bouncing to highs of $475, TAO’s technical outlook points to potential upside continuation.

Key indicators on the daily chart, such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), give bulls an upper hand.

While the daily RSI has climbed to 71, entering overbought territory, it’s not overextended.

This signals likely buying momentum and investor conviction, and TAO could climb further before pullback amid profit-taking.

Also, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) recently executed a bullish crossover.

The histogram has expanded and signals more gains.

Short-term projections for TAO include a surge to a new year-to-date high above $500, with bulls likely to eye December 2024 peak above $715.

The $1,000 level is a major target for buyers.

However, risks such as broader market corrections could allow bears to test levels below the $300–$360 support zone.

$225 and then $180 are key levels.