Dogecoin’s latest rally, climbing more than 23% in a week to reach roughly $0.23, reminded the market that the original meme coin still knows how to move. The surge saw whale wallets invest over $200 million in DOGE, boosting optimism. Despite the rise, the token remains below its all-time high, leaving investors to wonder if new meme coins will outperform in 2025. A wave of meme coins is gaining momentum with viral branding and market catalysts. Here are four standouts that could steal the spotlight from DOGE in the months ahead.
Little Pepe ($LILPEPE): A Meme-Powered Layer 2 with Big Ambitions
Little Pepe (LILPEPE) stands apart in a crowded meme coin market by combining playful branding with the architecture of a true Ethereum Layer 2. Built for speed, low fees, and scalability, it’s designed to host everything from NFT projects to new meme token launches. Its presale, now in Stage 10 at $0.0019, has raised about $18.4 million of its $19 million target, with demand showing no signs of slowing.
Unusually for a presale, Little Pepe is already listed on CoinMarketCap, adding credibility alongside locked liquidity, a 95% CertiK audit score, and a zero-tax trading policy. The team is also running a $777,000 giveaway, one of the largest in the meme coin space, which has fueled community buzz with 10 most active participants winning LILPEPE tokens worth $77,000. With price models suggesting potential moves toward $0.10 or even $1.00 by late 2025, early buyers see it as more than another meme token. It’s a rare case where viral energy is paired with infrastructure supporting lasting growth.
Bonk ($BONK): Solana’s Strong Entrant
BONK popped about 1.7% to $0.00002626, indicating fresh buying interest. Despite recent volatility, CoinDesk’s data shows BONK has held firm support in the $0.00002550–$0.00002600 range. In other words, bulls stepped in around $0.0000260, reducing downside risk and setting the stage for another leg up. Analysts note that if Solana’s ecosystem heats – more NFT launches, DApps, and institutional flows – BONK could easily triple or quadruple from current levels by 2026. For investors, BONK offers an asymmetric play on Solana’s revival: a modest price today but the potential for huge returns if Solana’s meme wave returns in force.
Floki Inu ($FLOKI): Robinhood’s New Meme Darling
In early August 2025, FLOKI launched on Robinhood – instantly opening the token to millions of U.S. traders. After this listing, the price spiked roughly 11% to ~$0.000118. Trading volume surged by 125% that day, reflecting a rush of retail interest. Importantly, the listing pushed Floki’s market cap past $1 billion again. That level of liquidity means large buyers can enter more easily without crushing the price, which can help sustain a rally. Given its proven track record (Floki once surged over 100× from launch) and new exchange distribution, many traders see it as a serious contender to outpace DOGE’s 2–3× moves in this cycle.
Moo Deng ($MOODENG): The Viral Hippo Token
MOODENG’s market cap jumped to about $230 million almost immediately after listing, a gain of over 836% in a month. In days, folks who got in early saw huge paper profits. Since then, Moo Deng has remained on traders’ radars. By the summer, it had settled at around $0.18. However, the setup is still explosive: many retail traders want in on the next crypto “meme mania,” Moo Deng has momentum, a strong community, and token burns to limit supply. It’s also now easy to buy on mainstream platforms. If another wave of meme fever hits (remember: these coins often jump by hundreds of percent overnight), Moo Deng could outshine Dogecoin’s milder gains in 2025.
The Bottom Line
Each of these four coins combines meme-driven hype with some concrete reason to watch: infrastructure (LILPEPE), network effects (BONK), exchange listings and partnerships (FLOKI, MOODENG), or tokenomics. Dogecoin may no longer be the only king in a bull market cycle led by memes and retail mania. These under-the-radar tokens have fundamental catalysts behind them, and they could easily outperform DOGE’s performance as investors look for the next big jump.
For more information about Little Pepe (LILPEPE) visit the links below:
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) was one of the most talked-about sectors in crypto and experienced substantial growth in 2024. However, as crypto metas like meme coins, NFTs, and others regain traction, DePIN has struggled to maintain its momentum.
This year, it has fallen behind in the race for investor attention. Nonetheless, Naman Kabra, CEO and co-founder of NodeOps, a DePIN protocol, emphasized that the sector isn’t dead; rather, it will have an inevitable breakthrough in 2025.
Why Was DePIN Famous?
Naman Kabra explained that DePIN’s initial growth was driven by crypto’s promise of decentralizing critical infrastructure. Projects like Helium demonstrated how decentralized networks could efficiently deploy physical infrastructure, outpacing traditional telecom providers.
“This wasn’t cost arbitrage but proof that decentralized coordination could outperform centralized planning in complex infrastructure deployment. For those of us who understood Bitcoin’s distributed consensus breakthrough, seeing similar principles applied to physical infrastructure felt like crypto’s natural evolution,” Kabra told BeInCrypto.
He added that DePIN offered investors a solution to the artificial scarcity and geographic monopolies controlled by traditional providers. For developers, it provided the chance to build on infrastructure that would grow more decentralized over time rather than succumb to the rent extraction and platform risk posed by centralized services.
Nonetheless, this year the sector hasn’t had the best time. According to Onchain Magazine, the total market capitalization of DePIN projects reached $25 billion in 2024. However, since then, the market has experienced a noticeable decline in value.
Despite this, Kabra noted this ‘slowdown’ is simply the sector maturing. He said that this process,
“Represents the sector’s transition from speculative excitement to infrastructure reality, a process that always appears less dynamic than token-driven narratives but creates more sustainable value.”
“Early Bitcoin adoption was driven by ideological conviction and speculative opportunity. The first major cycle brought mainstream attention but also unsustainable expectations. The crash and subsequent bear market winnowed out projects that couldn’t deliver utility without speculative support. DePIN is following a similar path,” he mentioned.
Kabra stressed that the initial surge of interest provided crucial attention and capital to validate the technical viability of DePIN projects. Now, in this ‘apparent slowdown’ phase, focus is shifting from speculative token growth to proving long-term utility. Thus, filtering out weaker projects ultimately strengthens the sector by highlighting what approaches deliver real value.
Why DePIN’s ‘Boring’ Trajectory Is Its Biggest Strength in 2025
While DePIN’s potential is strong, its popularity isn’t. According to data from Sharpe AI, over the past three months, layer1, DeFi, meme coins, and real-world assets’ mindshare has grown, continuing to dominate crypto discussions. In contrast, DePIN remains a little far down in this list.
This raises the question: Is DePIN the most boring crypto narrative in 2025? According to Kabra, this narrative that DePIN is ‘boring’ reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how transformative infrastructure operates.
“This perception actually signals DePIN’s maturation beyond speculative excitement into genuine utility. The most successful technologies become invisible precisely because they work so well they fade into the background,” the executive said
Kabra pointed out that technologies like TCP/IP protocols and Amazon Web Services, though crucial to our digital lives, rarely make headlines or trend on social media. This invisibility paradox suggests that DePIN is transitioning towards real utility, moving beyond speculative hype into something more foundational and impactful.
“Infrastructure becomes interesting only when it fails, see for example power grids make headlines during blackouts, internet providers trend during outages. DePIN’s ‘boring’ trajectory indicates it’s achieving the ultimate infrastructure goal: reliable invisibility. While crypto focuses on meme coins and AI tokens, DePIN builders are constructing the infrastructure foundations for Web3’s next phase,” he added.
The DePIN proponent also noted that the sector faces a mismatch with crypto’s attention economy. In the crypto space, narrative velocity, short-term price fluctuations, and speculative excitement often overshadow the delivery of real utility and long-term value.
DePIN operates on infrastructure timelines, measured in years of steady development, whereas crypto’s attention spans are more attuned to rapid narrative cycles measured in just weeks.
This leads to the undervaluation of the sector, which generates real revenue from service delivery, compared to tokens promising unproven breakthroughs.
“The irony is profound: while speculators chase AI tokens that may never deliver on their promises, DePIN networks are solving real infrastructure problems that become more valuable as AI adoption accelerates. The computing resources needed for AI workloads don’t materialize from token speculation—they require the unglamorous work of coordinating distributed hardware, managing service quality, and creating reliable infrastructure,” Kabra highlighted.
He stated that the ultimate goal for DePIN isn’t to win mindshare within the crypto space but to become so integral to digital operations that its decentralized nature fades into the background as essential infrastructure.
“DePIN can be as boring as water… until you’re thirsty. And for many organizations facing AI-driven compute scarcity and cloud oligopoly pricing, that thirst is approaching rapidly,” Kabra commented.
“Far from being dead, 2025 marks DePIN’s inevitable breakthrough, not through speculative fervor, but through the quiet revolution of shared ownership meeting genuine necessity,” he disclosed to BeInCrypto.
Kabra argued that DePIN represents a return to crypto’s core principles. It offers a solution beyond the false choice between institutional adoption and mainstream utility. Furthermore, the space creates enterprise-grade and community-owned networks, addressing the growing scarcity of infrastructure driven by AI demand.
He added that as centralized providers focus on profit, DePIN provides a decentralized alternative that is becoming essential. This shift mirrors historical patterns, like the rise of alternative lending platforms after the 2008 financial crisis.
“The choice won’t be between decentralized and centralized infrastructure but between shared ownership and digital feudalism. DePIN offers a path where infrastructure serves users rather than extracting from them, where network effects benefit participants rather than platform owners,” Kabra declared.
Expert Sees Untapped Potential in DePIN
The NodeOps CEO outlined several key opportunities for innovation within the DePIN space, emphasizing that it is far from reaching its peak.
“Rather than reaching peak innovation, DePIN is entering its most crucial development phase. The infrastructure layer of any technology stack typically follows a predictable evolution: initial proof of concept, speculative expansion, market correction, and mature optimization,” Kabra claimed.
He explained that DePIN’s modular approach enables horizontal innovation throughout the infrastructure stack. The opportunities include:
AI-Native Infrastructure: DePIN can optimize infrastructure for AI workloads, offering dynamic resource allocation, specialized hardware for AI tasks, and geographic distribution for edge computing. This addresses demands that traditional infrastructure struggles to meet.
Edge Computing Democratization: DePIN networks are well-suited for the distributed model required by the growing number of IoT devices. By coordinating resources across diverse locations, rather than relying on centralized data centers, DePIN can optimize for latency, cost, and reliability.
Revenue-Based Tokenomics: Kabra highlighted the potential for DePIN projects to implement burn-and-mint mechanisms tied to infrastructure usage. This would establish sustainable token demand based on utility.
Hybrid Economic Models: Innovation is also happening in combining traditional business models with cryptoeconomic coordination, which can expand DePIN’s appeal beyond crypto-native users.
Evolving Economic Coordination Models: Lastly, he pointed out that a critical innovation opportunity lies in moving beyond simple token-for-service models to more sophisticated economic mechanisms. Early DePIN projects faced challenges with token utility design, creating artificial demand through staking or governance participation that didn’t align with the actual infrastructure value.
Kabra also identified several promising, yet underexplored, use cases for DePIN, offering new opportunities.
“The most promising unexplored territory lies at the DeFi-DePIN intersection, where infrastructure becomes financialized through new primitives. We’re seeing early experiments in infrastructure bonds, compute futures, and bandwidth derivatives that let users hedge or speculate on network capacity,” he revealed.
The expert drew attention to another significant frontier: the transformation from “rented ownership” to true ownership. In this model, end-user devices such as smartphones, laptops, or IoT devices become monetizable network nodes.
“This creates new economic models where users capture value from their own infrastructure usage rather than paying rent to platforms. These primitives enable infrastructure-backed lending, yield farming on network capacity, and governance tokens tied to actual resource provision—fundamentally restructuring how we interact with and benefit from digital infrastructure,” Kabra elaborated.
What Is Hindering DePIN’s Adoption?
In addition to focusing on its use cases, Kabra acknowledged several challenges preventing DePIN from mass adoption.
Technical Complexity: This arises from the gap between blockchain development and traditional IT expectations. Early projects required users to manage crypto wallets and understand tokenomics, creating friction.
User Engagement: These issues stem from forcing users to act as token traders, creating barriers for organizations that want infrastructure without crypto complications.
Coordination Challenges: It involves balancing supply and demand, with DePIN needing to bootstrap both sides while maintaining decentralization.
He explained that the solution to improving user engagement lies in creating multiple interaction layers. In this system, crypto users can engage directly with tokens, while mainstream users access infrastructure through traditional methods.
To tackle coordination challenges, Kabra suggested,
“The breakthrough occurs as networks reach critical mass, where market dynamics become self-sustaining. Early adopters provide initial supply and demand, token incentives bridge the gap during growth phases, and eventual network effects create organic coordination that doesn’t require constant intervention.”
What Will Make DePIN Interesting Again?
While Kabra advocated previously that DePIN doesn’t need to win mindshare, he still acknowledged the need to take steps to attract investor attention again.
“DePIN projects need to ignite curiosity rather than hide behind boring infrastructure narratives! The opportunity lies in making decentralized infrastructure irresistibly compelling—not just functionally superior,” he remarked.
According to him, to regain momentum in 2025 and beyond, DePIN projects can:
Gamify Participation: Make infrastructure engaging by offering interactive experiences like deploying nodes, earning credits, or contributing bandwidth.
Create Multi-Channel Experiences: Host events, workshops, and challenges that turn infrastructure into tangible, shareable moments.
Form Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with traditional infrastructure giants while demonstrating DePIN’s advantages, creating market tension.
Introduce Novel Access Models: Use subscription, pay-per-use, or passive income models to make infrastructure personally compelling.
Promote Shared Ownership: Help users realize they co-own the internet’s future, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Create a Movement: Position decentralized infrastructure as a movement, not just a service, to inspire excitement and participation.
Thus, these strategies can make DePIN more engaging, compelling, and attractive to users and investors.
AI coins like HOLLY, PROMPT, and DSYNC have seen notable Smart Money accumulation in recent weeks. Over the past few weeks, these three projects have stood out in on-chain activity.
Specifically, HOLLY brings visual storytelling to blockchain, PROMPT powers AI interactions across chains, and DSYNC focuses on AI and DePIN infrastructure. Despite contract risks flagged by GoPlus Security, these AI coins show rising adoption, strong trading activity, and expanding holder bases.
h011yw00d by Virtuals (HOLLY)
HOLLY, short for h011yw00d, is an AI-powered cinematic agent that turns internet conversations into short visual films. Unlike traditional formats, it tells stories without dialogue or captions, using only visuals to express emotion and narrative. As a result, the project offers a new way to interpret online interactions through AI filmmaking.
The team launched HOLLY four days ago on the Base chain. Since then, it has reached a market cap of $1.2 million and gathered over 48,000 holders.
Smart Money Holders and Total Balance for HOLLY. Source: Nansen.
According to Nansen, the number of Smart Money wallets holding HOLLY increased from 5 to 10 since April 18. Together, these wallets now hold around 13.4 million tokens. Additionally, the team launched the token via the Virtuals Protocol platform, one of the biggest players in the crypto AI agents space.
One of HOLLY’s top holders uses a wallet that Nansen, an on-chain analytics platform, labeled as linked to LongHash Ventures. Meanwhile, GoPlus Security, a crypto security firm, points out two key risks: the team can modify HOLLY’s tax, and they didn’t renounce ownership—both important factors for traders to monitor.
PROMPT
PROMPT is the native token of Wayfinder, an omni-chain tool designed to enable AI systems to operate across blockchain environments.
Wayfinder aims to create new methods for machine intelligence to interact with decentralized networks, facilitating more advanced on-chain AI integrations. PROMPT serves as the core asset within this ecosystem, supporting the platform’s operations and functionality.
Smart Money Holders and Total Balance for PROMPT. Source: Nansen.
Between April 9 and April 14, Smart Money wallets holding PROMPT jumped from zero to 20. That number has stayed the same for the past eight days.
PROMPT runs on the Ethereum blockchain. It has around 5,600 holders, a market cap of $53 million, and a daily trading volume of $706,000.
GoPlus Security flagged two risks. The team didn’t renounce ownership, and the contract allows new tokens to be minted. That could increase supply and push the price down.
Destra Network (DSYNC)
Among emerging AI coins, Destra Network positions itself as a decentralized solution for DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) and AI computing, aiming to streamline access to these technologies through a unified platform.
Currently, DSYNC has a market cap of $140 million and is held by over 48,000 wallets.
Smart Money Holders and Total Balance for DSYNC. Source: Nansen.
Since April 1, the number of Smart Money wallets holding DSYNC has grown from 41 to 44, and the token has seen a price increase of more than 13% in the past 24 hours. Over the same period, its trading volume reached $455,000.
According to GoPlus Security, DSYNC has two points of caution: the contract’s tax settings can be modified, and the token’s ownership has not been renounced—factors that could pose risks depending on future changes to the contract.
Japan’s Financial Services Agency will approve the nation’s first yen-denominated stablecoin. This approval allows fintech firm JPYC Inc. to issue its digital token. The company plans to launch the stablecoin later this year.
According to a Nikkei report published on August 18, the regulator plans to register JPYC as a money transfer service provider within the month, with the token’s distribution to begin shortly thereafter. The initiative marks a milestone in Japan’s push to modernize its financial system, introducing a stablecoin designed to function as a digital representation of the yen while adhering to strict domestic regulations.
A Digital Yen Alternative in the Payment Landscape
The stablecoin’s issuer, JPYC Inc., was established in 2019. It is a fintech company based in Tokyo, Japan. The firm specializes in blockchain technology and digital assets, focusing on stablecoins pegged to the Japanese yen.
In 2021, Circle, the issuer of USDC stablecoin, invested in JPYC through Circle Ventures. JPYC raised approximately 500 million yen in Series A funding. JPYC’s yen-pegged stablecoin operates as a prepaid payment instrument, enabling 1:1 yen accounting treatment.
In response to BeInCrypto’s request for comment, JPYC’s CEO, Norikata Okabe, posted on X confirming the investment, including Circle’s.
“JPYC receives investments directly or through CVC from listed companies such as Circle, Asteria, Densan System, Persol, Aiful, and others. In addition, there are listed companies that have invested in JPYC on a non-disclosure basis. Furthermore, we have commissioned Simplex to develop our trading system.”
The stablecoin, branded as JPYC, is available as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum as well as other blockchains like Polygon and Shiden. The stablecoin maintains parity with the Japanese yen. JPYC backs its issuance with bank deposits and government bonds. These liquid assets provide safeguards that ensure price stability.
In practical use, consumers can apply for the token by transferring funds, after which the equivalent amount of JPYC will be credited to their digital wallets. This structure mirrors the operational frameworks already common in dollar-denominated stablecoins, which have grown into a global market worth more than$285 billion.
Regulatory Oversight and Market Integrity
The FSA views this approval as more than a regulatory formality. The stablecoin aims to foster a safe domestic ecosystem. It could support cashless transactions and international remittances. The system also enables corporate payments.
A yen-pegged stablecoin offers individuals a new digital payment method. Companies can reduce foreign exchange costs in cross-border trade. The stablecoin presents opportunities for both groups.
Despite its promise, stablecoins continue to raise concerns over money laundering, illicit transfers, and systemic risk. The FSA has emphasized that JPYC’s operations will fall under the framework of Japan’s Payment Services Act, with enhanced monitoring and compliance obligations.
JPYC Inc. has pledged to prioritize regulatory adherence. In July, Okabe spoke at the IVC Summit 2025. He stated that JPYC was preparing a “new version.” The update reflects evolving regulatory and market demands.
Competitive Pressures and Strategic Outlook
Japanese market already features exposure to U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, most notably through SBI VC Trade’s handling of USDC. However, JPYC’s approval as the first yen-based token introduces a new market dimension. Its success will depend on whether it can achieve widespread adoption in a field dominated by dollar-linked instruments.
Looking ahead, yen stablecoins could intersect with broader financial innovations. Potential applications range from e-commerce platforms to digital securities markets. The stablecoin could integrate with these systems easily. It might also bridge with a possible central bank digital currency. If yen-pegged tokens gain traction, they could accelerate the digitalization of Japan’s payment infrastructure, reshaping consumer behavior and corporate finance.
