Avalanche's AVAX gains 50% in four weeks, outpacing Bitcoin and Ether

Avalanche's native token has had a very good month. AVAX climbed 49.7% over four weeks, according to The Defiant, leaving both Bitcoin and Ether behind over the same stretch.In mid-September 2026, AVAX was trading in a range of roughly $7.20 to $7.50. By the October 3 to 11 window, it had moved to a range of around $10.80 to $11.00.As of October 11, the token sat between $10.85 and $10.95. That price puts Avalanche's market capitalization at close to $4.8 billion.The first catalyst arrived on September 22, 2026, when the Helicon upgrade went live on Avalanche's mainnet. The update was pitched as a meaningful performance boost, with claims of block verification running up to 100x faster.Helicon did more than tune the engine. It also shortened staking periods, which means people locking up AVAX to help secure the network do not have to commit their tokens for as long.The upgrade also included changes aimed at reducing AVAX issuance over time.The second catalyst came from real-world assets, or RWAs. These are traditional financial instruments, such as stocks or funds, represented as tokens on a blockchain so they can be traded and settled onchain.In the 30 days through September 29, Avalanche added $266 million in RWA market capitalization. That was the largest 30-day gain among tracked chains, and more than the combined growth of its closest competitors.Tokenized equities played a big role in that jump. In the week before the RWA growth figures were reported, inflows into tokenized stocks on the network reached $131.2 million.Recent institutional developments include integrations involving Goldman Sachs and testing tied to ICE and the New York Stock Exchange for tokenized assets.There has also been discussion around exchange-traded fund inflows into AVAX products.Even after a nearly 50% climb, AVAX remains approximately 92% below its all-time high of around $145, set in November 2021.What to watch next: whether RWA inflows sustain their late-September pace, whether Helicon's speed claims hold up under real-world load, and whether ETF-related demand for AVAX products turns from discussion into measurable flows.