By The Numbers: Over 1 Million New Crypto Tokens Launched Since April

The crypto community created over one million tokens across all chains in the past month, with Solana and Ethereum leading the crypto token frenzy. According to Coinbase’s director, these numbers doubled the tokens created in Ethereum between 2015 and 2023.

Over 22,000 New Crypto Tokens Created Daily

Coinbase’s director Connor Grogan shared on X that 1 million tokens have been launched since April 1, 2024. The tokens created in the Ethereum Network account for 36% of the total number, with 372,642 tokens launched in the past month and a half.

According to Dune Analytics, 327,553 tokens, around 88% of the total, were launched on the Layer-2 blockchain Base. The surge was seemingly propelled by the memecoin frenzy that has taken over this cycle.

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Additionally, Ethereum and Arbitrum saw a significantly smaller number of new crypto tokens launched, with 21,474 and 19,284 new tokens, respectively.

However, Solana took the crown after seeing the creation of 643,227 tokens since April 1. Out of those, 464,563 are memecoins, per Dune Analytics. Moreover, Grogan highlighted that Solana registers an average of 20,000 new tokens daily.

As reported by Solana Floor, on Monday, the blockchain reached a new all-time high (ATH) in newly created tokens, with 23,000. This could be attributed to the market pump propelled by the return of renowned crypto trader Roaring Kitty. Since his comeback to social media, several new memecoins have been created, and the top ones have surged.

The crypto community reacted to the astonishing numbers, with many expressing concerns. One user pointed out that most of these tokens are “just spam to farm sniper bots.” He alleged that some people launch tokens “just to rug pull bots that auto-bought.”

Another user playfully added, “The moral of the story is don’t buy projects created after February 2024.” This year, investors have seen many project launches promising big returns. Instead, investors have suffered rug-pull and other scams.

Overabundance Of Altcoins?

At the end of April, DeFi researcher and Web3 investor Thor Hartvigsen pointed out that while only four months into the year, the market had seen a massive increase in the supply of altcoins.

As a result, this increase accounted for $8.6 billion in additional liquid supply injected into the market. Hartvigsen added that crypto projects will unlock $70.5 billion over the years, with many tokens launched in 2023 “also unlocking this year with many cliffs ending.”

Moreover, the market observer highlighted that the average float in market capitalization and fully diluted valuation (FDV) for the tokens launched in Q1 2024 was just 13.6%.

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To him, this is only “the tip of the iceberg,” as the crypto market will continue to be flooded with new supplies and tokens. He offered a list of categories he believes will see the greatest number of new tokes this year.

His list included Modular Infrastructure protocols, Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRTs), Bridges and Cross-Chain Messaging solutions, and Perpetual Decentralized Exchanges (DEXes).

On Tuesday, DeFi researcher Ignas shared a list based on the recently launched low-float tokens shared by Hartvigsen. According to him, these tokens are down by 63.6% on average.

According to the researcher, tokens like JUP, ONDO, and STRK have registered a 49.2%, 30.5%, and 74.2% decrease from ATH prices.

crypto, TOTAL

Hedge Funds Fall For The Memecoin Frenzy: “Mind-Boggling” Returns Tempt Financial Giants

In a recent Bloomberg report, it has come to light that the hedge fund industry is increasingly drawn to the allure of the memecoin sector, given the recent price increases and substantial profits that surpass those of Bitcoin (BTC) or the largest altcoins in the market.

Memecoin Mania

One example of the appeal of memecoins to traditional finance institutions is Newport Beach-based Stratos, which launched a liquid fund with the Dogwifhat token in December. 

The Solana-based memecoin Dogwifhat, known for its mascot – a beanie-wearing dog – became a major player in the crypto world, with its price increasing more than 300 times. 

This substantial spike reportedly helped Stratos achieve a staggering 137% return in the first quarter of 2024, outperforming gains in the broader crypto market. However, Dogwifhat has since retraced more than 35% from its March 31 all-time high (ATH) of $4.83 and is currently trading at $3.09.

Interestingly, Stratos is not alone in venturing into memecoins; other hedge funds are also doing so. 

Asset manager Brevan Howard, for instance, has reportedly made a “tiny” investment in memecoins. Pantera Capital, a crypto fund, recently emphasized the staying power of memecoins and the “enormous” trading opportunities they present. 

Is It Just Gambling?

Despite the enthusiasm from some hedge funds, the report notes that many crypto participants remain skeptical of memecoins. 

Quinn Thompson, the founder of Lekker Capital, a hedge fund experimenting with trading memecoins, likened the current frenzy to the speculative fervor seen in traditional markets with stocks like GameStop. 

In addition, Thompson described memecoins as the “tip of the spear for speculation” and emphasized the “gambling-like” nature of their trading.

Still, Cosmo Jiang, a portfolio manager at Pantera Capital, noted the evolution of memecoins beyond mere jokes, calling some “culture coins” that symbolize membership in a particular group or belief system. 

The report notes that the ease of creating and launching memecoins has increased with the availability of apps like Pump.fun, which allow users to mint coins in minutes. Blockchains like Solana and Coinbase’s Base, which offer low trading fees, have been flooded with these tokens. 

In light of these developments, Josh de Vos, research lead at CCData, highlighted the improved infrastructure supporting memecoins, including increased liquidity and the development of advanced futures markets on centralized exchanges (CEX). 

As more hedge funds take memecoins seriously, Rennick Palley of Stratos anticipates a growing focus on these crypto assets. 

Drawing parallels to the initial skepticism surrounding cryptocurrencies, Palley suggests that meme-only funds may emerge, mirroring the creation of non-fungible token (NFT) funds.

To further demonstrate the interest and adoption of these emerging tokens, in the first quarter of 2024, memecoins emerged as the most profitable crypto narrative, delivering massive average returns of 1312.6% across its top tokens, according to a recent study conducted by CoinGecko.

Memecoin

Currently, the largest memecoin on the market, Dogecoin (DOGE), is trading at $0.1616, up 5% in the last seven days. It has a market cap of $23 billion. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com

Cat-Themed Memecoins Growing Popularity: Traders Earn Millions With MEW and MOEW

The memecoin market has been dominated by dog-themed tokens for the past few years. Despite not being as popular and well-known as their canine crypto counterparts, cat-themed tokens are starting to appear at the forefront of the meme-inspired market.

Cats In A Dogs Crypto Market

Memecoins can become a market sensation overnight, and their communities can be some of the most supporting investors, as seen with the Vegas Sphere “wif on sphere” fundraiser campaign.

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu remain the biggest tokens by market capitalization in this category. About a month ago, eight of the ten largest memecoins by market capitalization were canine-inspired.

Nonetheless, cat-themed tokens have started infiltrating the pack of dogs after a recently launched player made it to the top ten memecoins list.

Cat in a Dogs World (MEW) launched on March 26 and just 48 hours later reached a $200 million market cap. MEW surpassed BONK, WIF, and PEPE as the fastest fair launch to accomplish this feat.

MEW’s market cap reached $644 million in just eight days, making it the eighth largest memecoin by this metric. Moreover, the token rallied over 50% on Wednesday after crypto exchange KuCoin announced its listing.

Crypto, memecoins

MEW’s performance in the past seven days shows an impressive 267.54% surge. Despite this, the token’s rally slowed down today. The cat-themed cryptocurrency lost over 15% of its value from the day prior. At writing time, MEW is trading at $0.00737049.

Similarly, its daily market activity took a hit, decreasing 35.3% to $208.4 million traded in the past 24 hours.

What Are They Feeding Cat-Themed Memecoins?

The growing interest in feline-inspired tokens has resulted in many newly launched memecoins quickly surpassing massive levels.

On Wednesday, a new token called Ansem’s Cat (HOBBES), inspired by Hobbes, the cat of crypto trader Ansem, broke a $100 million market cap on its launch day.

MOEW, a Base token launched on Wednesday, made the news after a trader turned $13,000 into $2 million in just one hour. According to data provided by Lookonchain, the crypto trader spent 3 ETH ($13,000) to buy 499.9 million MOEW, a 158x gain.

Then, the trader sold 116 million MOEW for 99 ETH, around $328,000, when the rice surged. At the time of the report, the trader had 388.24 million MOEW left, worth over $1.7 million.

Similarly, another trader made a profit on MEW’s opening day. In 20 minutes, this crypto trader made almost $900,000 in profits from selling SOL and buying the memecoin.

Nonetheless, the community has questioned these whale moves. Many wonder whether the cat-themed profits come from strategic trading or insiders from the projects.

Whichever the case, cat-themed tokens are starting to make a sound in the crypto market. Ultimately, the crypto community has begun noticing potential in the feline-inspired coins.

memecoin, MEW, MEWUSDT, Cat-themed tokens, crypto

Crypto Analyst Touts Base As Next Memecoin Hotspot: Top 8 Picks

In an analysis shared with his nearly 100,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), the crypto analyst known by the pseudonym Xremlin (@0x_gremlin) has pinpointed Base as the burgeoning hub for memecoin enthusiasts and investors. This proclamation follows a season of unprecedented gains in the Solana memecoin market, with tokens like BOME, WIF, and SLERF achieving returns ranging from 300x to 1000x.

Xremlin’s insight into the crypto market dynamics suggests a potential replication of these astronomical returns on Base, underlined by a tweet stating, “Meme traders on Solana printed millions this season: BOME: 800x, WIF: 1000x, SLERF: 300x. BASE season is just revving up, and might have a similar rally.”

The transition of focus towards Base is attributed by the analyst to its association with Coinbase and an upcoming product launch aimed at simplifying on-chain trading. Xremlin elaborates, “Why Base? Coinbase has a large user base in the US, but trading on-chain can be too complex for normies. Soon, Coinbase will launch a product that enables its CEX users [100M+] to trade on Base without requiring seed phrases or private keys.”

This move is anticipated to significantly lower the entry barriers for new investors, potentially catalyzing a memecoin rally on the Base platform.

However, amidst the excitement, Xremlin issues a word of caution to their followers: “Remember: Investing in memes is high risk. Only bet what you can afford to lose. Projects might rug, slow rug, or suddenly tank by 50%-70% when the hype fades.” This cautionary advice reflects the inherent volatility and risk associated with memecoin investments, where the line between significant gains and losses can be remarkably thin.

Diving Into The Top Crypto Memecoins On Base

Xremlin’s curated list of Base memecoins is not only varied but also rich with potential, highlighting projects inspired by cultural references, pets of notable figures, and even caricatures of industry leaders. Here’s a closer look at the analyst’s picks:

  • TOSHI: Touted as a tribute to Brian Armstrong’s cat, named after the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto, TOSHI represents a playful investment opportunity. Xremlin notes, “TOSHI could be the flagship memecoin of Base, drawing on the crypto community’s reverence for Nakamoto and Armstrong’s influence.”
  • DEGEN: With its strategic distribution to Farcaster users, DEGEN taps into a community already engaged and familiar with crypto, setting a precedent for community-driven value.
  • DOGINME: This memecoin capitalizes on the popular phrase “Got that dog in him,” embodying the resilience and tenacity celebrated in crypto trading circles.
  • MOCHI and PONCHO: Both cat-themed coins seek to attract the attention of cat lovers, just as dog-themed memecoins such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and FLOKI attract that of dog lovers. MOCHI is based on Brian Armstrong’s pet.
  • TYBG: Self-described as “The most based meme on Base,” it signifies the meta-culture of memes within the crypto space, where self-referential humor often garners substantial community support.
  • BRIUN: A direct caricature of Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, BRIUN embodies the intersection of meme culture and crypto’s leadership, underlining the community’s penchant for satire.
  • ELONRWA: Inspired by a sketch of Elon Musk, this project aims to bridge the gap between digital tokens and real-world assets, representing the innovative and often speculative nature of memecoin investments.

Xremlin further emphasizes the importance of community and research in navigating the memecoin market: “For those interested in researching Base memes, I recommend joining the /base channel on Warpcaster. Community insight is invaluable, and collective due diligence can help mitigate risks associated with memecoin investments.”

At press time, TOSHI traded at $0.000321653, up 210% in the last three weeks.

TOSHI price