A fake meme coin based on Eric Trump underwent a massive rug pull today, falling from a $160 million market cap to $30,000 almost instantly. The token displayed several dubious characteristics ahead of time.
The scammer tried to launch three failed Eric Trump tokens before this one started trending. One breakout success is more than enough to reward this duplicitous behavior.
Eric Trump Coin Gets Rug Pulled
Rug pull scams are a growing part of the crypto ecosystem, and fake meme coins are a core component of the “sector.” Today’s Eric Trump rug pull was particularly egregious, as it was clearly telegraphed in advance.
After the meme coin spiked 6,200% in less than a day, Bubblemaps investigated the asset, warning followers not to fall for it:
“A rug in the making. ERICTRUMP is currently trending on most platforms. Avoid it,” he stated several hours before the rug pull. The warning received more than 100,000 views.
Specifically, he noted that the token was bundled to an absurdly large degree. A small number of accounts held most Eric Trump tokens, facilitating an easier exit whenever the scammer decided to pull the rug.
When President Trump launched his own meme coin, the saga that led to this scam began. TRUMP broke new ground in combining fame and political success to boost a cryptoasset’s value, and an official MELANIA token came out shortly afterward.
After this, fake coins and rug pulls began using other Trump family members’ names, including Eric.
Those projects failed, but this coin started trending. Then, the scammer exited, and the token’s market cap fell from $160 million to $30,000 in the blink of an eye:
Even if the scammer’s first attempts failed, one multimillion-dollar success can go a very long way. It’s concerning that the ERIC TRUMP rug pull performed so well despite the blaring and well-publicized warning signs.
As long as cash grabs like this continue to succeed, they will damage the entire industry’s reputation and future.
As the SEC is signaling its willingness to approve new altcoin ETFs, 72 active proposals are awaiting a nod. Despite the growing interest from asset managers to launch more altcoin-based products in the institutional market, Bitcoin ETFs currently command 90% of crypto fund assets worldwide.
New listings can attract inflows and liquidity in these tokens, as demonstrated by Ethereum’s approval of ETF options. Still, given the current market interest, it’s highly unlikely that any crypto found will replicate Bitcoin’s runaway success in the ETF market
Bitcoin Dominates the ETF Market
Bitcoin ETFs dramatically changed the global digital assets market over the past month, and they are performing quite well at the moment. In the US, total net assets have reached $94.5 billion, despite continuous outflows in the past few months.
This flood has been so intense that there are currently 72 active proposals for the SEC’s consideration:
“There are now 72 crypto-related ETFs sitting with the SEC awaiting approval to list or list options. Everything from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x MELANIA and everything in between. Gonna be a wild year,” claimed ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.
However, Bitcoin has a sizable head start, and it’s difficult to imagine any newcomer disrupting its 90% market share.
Bitcoin Represents 90% of Global Crypto ETF Investment. Source: Eric Balchunas
To put that into perspective, BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF was declared “the greatest launch in ETF history.” Any new altcoin product would need a significant value-add to encroach upon Bitcoin’s position.
Recent products like Ethereum ETF options have attracted fresh liquidity. Yet, Bitcoin’s dominance in the institutional market remains unchanged.
Of these 72 proposals, only 23 refer to altcoins other than Solana, XRP, or Litecoin, and many more concern new derivatives on existing ETFs.
Some analysts claim that these products, taken together, couldn’t displace more than 5-10% of Bitcoin’s ETF market dominance. If an event significantly disrupted Bitcoin, it would also impact the rest of crypto.
Still, that doesn’t mean that the altcoins ETFs are a futile endeavor. These products have continually created new inflows and interest in their underlying assets, especially with issuers acquiring token stockpiles.
However, it’s important to be realistic. While XRP and Solana ETF approvals could drive new bullish cycles for the altcoin market, Bitcoin will likely dominate the ETF market by a large margin — given its widespread recognition as a ‘store of value’.
Bitcoin ETF outflows have nearly amounted to $750 million in the last two days as the crypto market consistently fell. BlackRock, the largest issuer, has offloaded around 2,000 BTC in the previous 24 hours.
Together, the ETF issuers sold off enough BTC that they collectively hold less than Satoshi. They surpassed him three months ago and continued buying huge amounts of Bitcoin, indicating truly massive sales.
This marks the seventh consecutive day of outflows for this ETF market. IBIT, BlackRock’s product, led these losses with $151 million in the last 24 hours.
“I know the markets are very ‘risk off’ at the moment with the Tariff uncertainty, but this is yet another outflow day from the US Spot ETFs, collectively now falling below Satoshi again. Given the bullish narrative from the SEC, Strategy raising 21 billion, State [Bitcoin Reserve] race and National [Bitcoin Reserve] bill, I find this a little surprising,” Edmondson claimed.
BlackRock alone has offloaded around 2,000 BTC since Edmondson posted yesterday’s daily tallies. It’s unclear how far the ETF issuers want to take this trend, but these Bitcoin sales are very concerning.
However, the US CPI report this morning was better than anticipated, which allowed Bitcoin a little breathing room. It’s anyone’s guess, however, how long this reprieve will actually last.
Solana has emerged as a powerful presence in the crypto industry. Since its inception in 2020, the network has dominated the market, demonstrating remarkable levels of user engagement and practical utility, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi). Many in the industry view it as the next natural contender to receive an ETF approval in the United States.
However, others are more cautious in their evaluations. BeInCrypto spoke with representatives from Gravity, Variant, and OKX to understand the areas where Solana is still lacking. Industry leaders referred to centralization, network reliability, and excessive regulation as points of contention for Solana’s ETF approval.
Bitcoin and Ethereum’s Precedent
The availability of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for prominent cryptocurrencies has grown over the past year. These funds offer investors diversified investment opportunities and act as a bridge between traditional finance and the increasingly mainstream cryptocurrency market.
Meanwhile, the deadline for some filings, including Grayscale’s, was extended until October. Nonetheless, posts on X and some analytical reports suggest yesterday’s deadline as a date of interest for an initial or consolidated SEC response to several applications.
2025 Predictions and Market Expectations
The tentative approval of a Solana ETF has generated much debate across social media platforms. ETF President Nate Geraci formally predicted that 2025 would be the year of crypto ETFs and that Solana would receive its approval this year.
Per previous reports, former Trump White House Secretary Anthony Scaramucci expressed that, with a Trump reelection, Solana ETFs could gain approval during Q1 of 2025. According to his predictions, Solana would receive the SEC’s green light during the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, the prediction market Polymarket estimates an 82% chance that a Solana ETF will get approved in 2025.
According to a Polymarket poll, Solana has an 82% chance of getting an ETF approval in 2025. Source: Polymarket
Several factors make an imminent Solana ETF approval seem plausible. Less than five years after the network launched, Solana quickly became a major player in the crypto industry, attracting users for its high transaction speeds and low gas fees.
“From a network perspective, Solana’s performance has been remarkable, now driving nearly 50% of all global DEX volume– a dominance that fundamentally reshapes the DeFi landscape. The blockchain is not just handling unprecedented transaction volumes… it’s transforming our understanding of blockchain scalability at scale,” Lennix Lai, Global Chief Commercial Officer at OKX told BeInCrypto.
Solana has established itself as a dynamic force in the crypto industry following a successful 2024.
A Messari report detailed particular growth in Solana’s final quarter across DeFi, liquid staking, NFTs, and institutional involvement. The total value locked (TVL) in Solana’s DeFi sector increased substantially, growing by 64% to $8.6 billion, which placed it behind Ethereum as the second-largest network based on TVL.
Solana’s positive performance, coupled with Donald Trump’s reelection to the US presidency, further amplified the crypto industry’s optimism over an ETF approval.
However, some industry experts have expressed more tempered expectations.
Experts Offer Tempered Expectations
A few days before Trump assumed the presidency, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart said Solana ETFs may not be launched in the US until 2026. He cited the SEC’s precedent of taking a lot of time to review filings as the cause for delay.
In another post, Bloomberg Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said that ETF approvals for other cryptocurrencies were more likely to occur before Solana.
“We expect a wave of cryptocurrency ETFs next year, albeit not all at once. First out is likely the BTC + ETH combo ETFs, then prob Litecoin (bc its fork of btc = commodity), then HBAR (bc not labeled security) and then XRP/Solana (which have been labeled securities in pending lawsuits),” Balchunas said.
Balchunas further explained that complex legal issues around Solana, relating to its status as a security, need to be resolved before it can gain ETF approval. Consequently, he deemed the approval of Litecoin or Hedera ETFs more likely.
Uncertainty over whether Solana classifies as a security is a major driver fueling doubts over its ETF approval.
Security Classification Concerns
Martins Benkitis, co-founder and CEO of Gravity, explained that Solana’s regulatory classification complicates its path to approval.
“It’s no secret there’s currently a lack of precedent for Layer-1 blockchains beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum in the ETF space, this suggests cautious optimism but with higher regulatory hurdles. Bitcoin, being a commodity in the SEC’s eyes, and Ethereum’s gradual transition to PoS had different legal considerations. Solana, on the other hand, faces concerns over potential classification as a security due to its token distribution and foundation’s involvement,” Benkitis told BeInCrypto.
The SEC identified Solana as a security in lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase over the past two years, although these lawsuits have since been dropped. The SEC argued that these tokens could be considered investment contracts under the Howey Test.
While some interpreted the SEC’s lawsuit withdrawal as a softening stance on Solana’s security classification, others quickly challenged this assumption.
“There is no reason to think [the] SEC has decided SOL is a non-security. That they don’t want to do discovery on a dozen tokens in the Binance case appears to be a litigation tactic, not a change in policy,” said Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant, following the Binance lawsuit withdrawal in July 2024.
Others believe that a pro-crypto administration should be enough to influence the SEC to consider Solana as a non-security. Lai disagrees.
“The changing political landscape, particularly with Trump’s victory and pro-crypto stance, could create a more constructive environment for innovative blockchain platforms like Solana. However, the technical and market structure considerations will remain crucial regardless of administration changes,” he said.
In the meantime, there are several other requirements Solana must meet.
On his part, Lai added other aspects to the list of considerations.
“While Polymarket shows high odds for 2025 approval, several critical factors suggest a more complex pathway: Solana’s technological architecture presents unique challenges with its PoS mechanism; The absence of CME futures raises liquidity and risk management concerns; Historical network downtime incidents need addressing; Centralization questions relative to BTC and ETH remain unresolved; Institutional interest hasn’t matched BTC and ETH levels despite the network driving 48% of global DEX volume; [and] the temporary nature of trending themes suggests caution in using current volumes as primary indicators,” Lai told BeInCrypto.
Concerns about centralization and scalability have long been discussed regarding Solana, even outside of discussions over an ETF approval.
Since 2021, Solana has suffered over a dozen network outages varying in severity. These outages have jeopardized the network’s reputation as stable and reliable– two strongly considered characteristics during the ETF approval process.
“From a market making standpoint, network reliability is crucial as any downtime or congestion can significantly impact trading operations and order execution,” Benkitis affirmed.
However, Solana has successfully curbed the number of outages it has experienced. Once notorious for the frequency of its shutdowns, the last time Solana experienced one was in February 2024.
Meanwhile, developers designed Solana’s upcoming Firedancer validator client to improve network stability and transaction processing. Its distinct codebase offers greater resilience against widespread outages and will enhance Solana’s performance.
Yet, Solana must also mitigate centralization concerns to improve its chances of obtaining ETF approval.
Centralization Concerns
Solana’s validator node requirements, which demand significant hardware investments, can create barriers to entry. These obstacles can potentially concentrate power within the network among those capable of affording the necessary infrastructure.
In turn, the protocol’s limited number of validators compared to other networks raises concerns over centralization. For context, while Solana currently has around 2,000 active validators, Ethereum passed the one million benchmark last year—the largest number recorded by any blockchain network.
Though Solana’s hardware reliance speeds up the network, it also raises decentralization concerns. Benkitis factored this aspect into his evaluation of an ETF approval.
Its currently underdeveloped futures market infrastructure further complicates Solana’s viability as an ETF candidate.
Its filings were unprecedented because the network did not have a previously established futures market. This factor was crucial in determining an ETF approval for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“The lack of CME futures and institutional frameworks comparable to BTC/ETH could influence [the SEC’s] evaluation,” Lai said.
He added that the proliferation of meme tokens minted on Solana could present themselves as a potential roadblock.
“Market reactions reflect Solana’s emergence as the primary driver of this cycle, with DEX volumes exceeding $100 billion and dominating major aggregators. However, I believe the temporary nature of trending themes suggests continued volatility. While technological advancement and growing institutional adoption may provide stronger foundations, we need to maintain perspective on the cyclical nature of crypto trends,” Lai said.
This more recent development in Solana’s attraction also brings its set of downsides.
Meme Coin Influence and Regulatory Concerns
The expanding meme coin market on Solana partially explains its popularity. Platforms like Pump.fun allow anyone to launch their tokens, and this design has even led to celebrities launching their tokens on the platform.
More recently, political figures like Donald Trump and Argentine president Javier Milei have also launched meme tokens on Solana platforms. Yet, these activities have proven to be high-risk. In many cases, meme coin investments have caused smaller retailers millions of dollars in losses.
Benkitis said that the SEC might frown upon the speculative nature of these trading activities.
“While an ETF approval could unlock liquidity opportunities, the market’s heavy dependence on speculative sentiment calls for a measured and cautious approach,” he said.
With so many considerations, approving a Solana ETF in 2025 is far from guaranteed. The SEC’s eventual decision will be a defining moment for the network and the broader crypto industry.
