SUI, the native token of the high-performance layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, has seen a remarkable rally this week

SUI, the native token of the high-performance layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, has seen a remarkable rally this week, surging over 74%

The native token of the high-performance layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, SUI, has seen a remarkable rally this week, surging more than 74% against the US dollar in seven days.

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The price surge has captured the attention of the broader crypto community, which is largely attributing the move to speculative fervor over The Pokémon Company possibly using the Sui blockchain.

Pokémon rumors ignite web3 hopes

An update to the Pokémon HOME mobile app, a cloud-based platform for storing and transferring Pokémon across games, unexpectedly included a quiet revision to its privacy policy in certain regions.

Now, the policy mentions Parasol Technologies as a developer that may access user data. This detail sent crypto Twitter into a frenzy, as Parasol was recently acquired by Mysten Labs, the core development team behind the Sui blockchain.

Parasol Technologies is named as a developer in the privacy policy update for the Pokémon HOME app.

Earlier this year, Mysten Labs announced the acquisition of Parasol, a studio known for creating trading card games.

On the same day, the Sui Foundation published a blog post introducing Parasol’s upcoming trading card games built on Sui: Capybara Fusion and Code of Joker: Evolutions.

Though Pokémon was not mentioned, the timing and overlap have been enough to fuel speculation that Pokémon could be eyeing a web3 strategy, and that Sui might be its chosen launchpad.

However, no official confirmation has emerged linking Pokémon directly to any blockchain initiatives.

Capybara Fusion is a trading card game set in the vibrant and diverse world of "Capybara".

Photo: Sui Foundation

Earlier this year, rumors of a Pokémon NFT game on the Flow blockchain also sparked huge interest, though they never materialized into a concrete launch.

Payments push: Sui teams up with xPortal and xMoney

Aside from the speculative buzz, real-world utility is also contributing to the SUI token’s momentum.

Sui recently announced a landmark partnership with xPortal, a crypto super-app, and xMoney, a regulated financial infrastructure provider. Together, they are bringing a custom Sui wallet experience to xPortal’s 2.5 million users, complete with integrated crypto functionality and a branded virtual Mastercard.

This integration will enable xPortal users to effortlessly spend SUI tokens at over 20,000 merchants across Europe. The virtual Mastercard can be added to Apple Pay and Google Pay today, with a physical card expected later this year.

Sergiu Biris, CEO of xPortal, commented: “Sui stands out for its combination of high performance, user-friendly design, and its active, engaged community. This partnership allows our users to seamlessly tap into Sui’s real-world utility, all within a single, beautifully designed super-app.”

xPortal will integrate support for the Sui blockchain and its native token, SUI, into its crypto super-app.

Image: xPortal

Meanwhile, xMoney CEO Greg Siouronis added: “Partnering with Sui allows us to provide builders and users with the compliance, infrastructure, and UX required to make crypto payments as easy and intuitive as any banking app.”

The partnership positions Sui as one of the few layer 1 blockchains offering frictionless, compliant financial services. It represents a significant milestone in making crypto spendable in everyday life, a use case that could help drive mainstream adoption.

Ecosystem tokens ride the wave

The broader Sui ecosystem is also enjoying a strong upswing, with several native protocols and dApps seeing explosive growth in token prices:

These projects represent key pillars of DeFi on Sui, ranging from lending protocols to order book trading platforms, and their strong performances underscore growing user interest and liquidity flowing into the ecosystem.

Algorithm predicts Sui to hit new all-time highs

The Sui price prediction algorithm on CoinCodex is currently extremely bullish on the coin, expecting it to reach as high as $17.53 by the end of 2025. This would represent a 371% increase over the current price of SUI.

However, it's important to understand that the forecast, which is solely based on price history and current market conditions, can change quite drastically. It's difficult to imagine such a large price rally for SUI unless the entire cryptocurrency sector enters a major bull market.