In another positive step for crypto – from Bitcoin to meme coins – the US House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence has a new Vice Chairman, and it’s none other than Congressman Tom Emmer.
Emmer is known for his pro-crypto stance, making it even more likely that drive for digital assets regulation and innovation will be amped up following President-elect Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
As Emmer himself expressed in a post on X, ‘With President Trump in the White House, and Gary Gensler confined to the waste bin of Washington, we have an excellent opportunity to ensure that the future of digital assets is guided by Americans, with American values.’
Rather scathing words thrown in Gensler’s direction there. However, as Chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Gensler is decidedly anti-crypto. If crypto were Batman, Gensler would be The Joker. Gensler will step down from his position on January 20.
Emmer’s appointment was announced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, who added that ‘Together, our Committee will work to craft a regulatory framework that maintains America as a leader in innovation.’
It’s a statement that will warm the heart of the crypto market, which is no doubt feeling fragile after watching the Bitcoin ($BTC) price being left battered and bruised.
Despite hitting the $100K milestone in December, $BTC saw a sustained decline, with a particularly low point on January 13, when it briefly dipped below the $90K mark. Today, the $BTC price stands at around $97K.
Is it Really All Doom and Gloom For Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is no stranger to volatility. And while the new year has yet to be kind to the $BTC price, there’s still cause for cautious optimism.
‘Bitcoin’s historic rally, accelerating corporate and state adoption, and the onset of altcoin season signal a broader crypto bull market with BTC potentially reaching $180k by 2025,’ say VanEck analysts.
CNBC analyst Tom Lee is even more bullish, suggesting that Bitcoin could reach as much as $250K during the course of this year.
Of course, when Bitcoin does well, the rest of the market tends to follow suit, and that includes meme coins. Here are the meme coins that have been making waves in January, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
1. Wall Street Pepe ($WEPE) – A Record-Setting Presale Makes For an Exciting Year Ahead
Last year, we watched Pepe Unchained’s ($PEPU) presale hit unprecedented highs. But now, in a ‘Hold my beer’ moment, the Wall Street Pepe ($WEPE) presale is making Pepe Unchained’s presale look like kindergarten for tadpoles.
Since launching on December 3, the $WEPE token presale has already raised a phenomenal $48.5M. What’s behind the froggy feeding frenzy?
Wall Street Pepe despises market manipulation by whales hiding in insider groups.
So this Pepe the Frog in Wolf of Wall Street guise is forming a WEPE Army of retail traders, giving them exclusive trading insights and tips. And through those alpha calls, he’ll teach his frog army recruits to ‘trade like Pepe’ and turn them into whales in their own rights.
The WEPE Army is growing in leaps and bounds, and at this rate, the presale could end sooner than its original end-February closing date. Enlisting is a simple process as long as you have a crypto wallet like the Best Wallet app or MetaMask. But the clock is ticking if you’re considering buying $WEPE and joining the Frog Army at the current presale price of $0.000367.
2. Solaxy ($SOLX) – The World’s First-Ever Solana Layer-2 Ecosystem
Also currently on presale, the multichain Solaxy ($SOLX) meme token is building on the Solana blockchain to limit congestion issues and failed transactions. But, as they say in the classics, ‘That’s not all.’ Solaxy promises to unlock Solana’s full potential by adding scalability and more speed.
This alone is pretty exciting, but Solaxy will also be on Ethereum, bridging the gap between its DeFi and asset tokenization ecosystem and the Solana blockchain. No wonder investors are sitting up and taking notice.
Solaxy raised $350K within 24 hours of the presale launch on December 12 at a price of $0.001556 (with an APY of 5,039% APY). And as of today, the $SOLX kitty stands at nearly $10.5M.
A price increase is imminent, but if you make haste, you can get your hands on 1 $SOLX for $0.0016, with $ETH, $USDT, $BNB, or a bank card as the payment options.
3. Fartcoin ($FARTCOIN) – A Ridiculously Named Token You Should Take Very Seriously
Schoolboy-humor name aside, Fartcoin ($FARTCOIN) is another one to watch. Is the token itself useless? Absolutely. Fartcoin lets users claim initial tokens by submitting fart jokes and memes.
That’s in addition to its, ahem, ‘Gas Fee’ system. Each transaction produces the sound of a fart. Yet despite the odds, the Fartcoin price hit a personal best of $1.59 on January 3.
Fartcoin is listed on CEXs with a not-too-shabby $977.59M market capitalization, holding fairly well in the current market environment. It soared 47% in the first week of January, hitting the $1B market cap milestone at the same time.
The past week hasn’t been as kind to Fartcoin, but looking at the $FARTCOIN price over the last month, chances are 2025 is going to be a good year for this meme coin.
4. Pepe Unchained ($PEPU) – The Meme Coin Dedicated Blockchain That’s Living up to Its Presale Hype
Initially coined as the best-selling presale token of all time by Binance Square, Pepe Unchained ($PEPU) is currently being dethroned by its Pepe contemporary $WEPE. But since listing (after raising an impressive $74M), $PEPU has gone from strength to strength.
Having listed on both DEXs and CEXs in December, this Layer-2 blockchain for meme coins puts speed, security, and low transaction fees at its core.
In line with pretty much the entire crypto market, $PEPU hasn’t had much fun over the past week. But it’s keeping its froggy chin up – as it should, based on its performance over the last month.
Pepe Unchained’s market cap stands at $107.6M, and 1$PEPU currently costs $0.013327.
It’s too soon to tell what the crypto market will do once Trump’s inauguration is done and dusted. But if analyst forecasts are on point, it could be a very good year for Pepe Unchained and the rest of these meme coins.
However, before making any investment decisions, be sure to do your own research. After all, we’re not in the business of giving financial advice.
