TLDR
- Memecoins are seen as the latest “retail mania” phase in crypto, following ICOs and NFTs
- Some executives believe the memecoin trend may not last long-term
- Memecoins are viewed as a way to attract new people to crypto
- Platforms are encouraged to embrace memecoins while they’re popular
- Diversification is seen as important for investors after speculative investments
Memecoins, the latest trend in cryptocurrency, are drawing attention from both investors and industry experts.
These digital assets, often inspired by internet memes or jokes, have gained significant traction in recent months. However, some crypto executives question whether this trend will maintain its momentum in the long term.
At Canada’s Futurists conference, Jelena Djuric, CEO of Appchain Noble, expressed skepticism about the longevity of memecoins in the market.
“Similar to ICOs, similar to NFTs, it’s not going to last forever, and it’s going to be interesting to see what’s next because inevitably, you know, it will end,” Djuric stated.
As of August 14, 2024, CoinGecko lists 1,673 memecoins with a combined market cap of around $41 billion. This substantial figure highlights the current popularity of these assets among investors.
Djuric views memecoins as the most recent “retail mania” phase in the crypto world, following previous trends like Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) in 2017 and the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) boom in 2020.
She noted that memecoins emerged at an opportune time, coinciding with low gas fees on the Solana blockchain and a pent-up demand for new investment opportunities in the crypto space.
Despite concerns about their long-term viability, some industry professionals see value in the memecoin trend. Dean Skurka, president of asset management firm WonderFi, believes that crypto platforms should embrace memecoins while they remain popular.
“I think there’s a clear trend here where there’s a real social element, a community element, with retail trading in general, certainly with memecoins as well. And I think it’s important for platforms like ours to embrace it,” Skurka explained.
Both Skurka and Maxwell Nicholson, co-founder and CEO of digital investment platform Blossom, view memecoins as a potential gateway for new investors to enter the crypto ecosystem.
They suggest that while people may initially be attracted by the speculative nature of memecoins, this interest can lead to broader cryptocurrency education and investment diversification.
Nicholson pointed out that the 2022 bear market was a learning experience for many new crypto investors. “They got really burned. It really taught people the sophistication.
We saw a lot of people start to diversify their portfolio,” he said. This market downturn led many investors to allocate a smaller portion of their portfolio to speculative assets like memecoins, while investing the majority in more established cryptocurrencies or traditional stocks.
