Chainlink (LINK) surged 6.8% on Monday to $13.64, marking its highest level since January 18 and making it the best performer among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap. This rally comes as Bitcoin trades flat, falling back under $80,000.

The token's strong performance is attributed to two key developments: a partnership announced last week with Bottomline, a major SWIFT services provider for over 600 banks, which will integrate Chainlink's infrastructure to connect existing systems to public and private blockchains; and Charles Schwab's decision in late August to list Chainlink (alongside Solana and Avalanche) on its retail crypto trading platform, expanding beyond just Bitcoin and Ethereum. LINK's open interest in derivatives also hit an 11-month high of $784 million.