by Coinstrooper Crypto Articles
Quick Take
  • In a report published Wednesday, research analyst Will Owens argues that the sector has matured into a cultural and economic force in its own right.
  • On the trading side, Owens notes that memecoins consistently generate some of the highest liquidity and fee volumes in the industry, rivaling mainstream assets.
  • Their volatility, he added, has turned them into a reliable revenue source for exchanges and liquidity providers.
  • One of the most striking developments highlighted in the report is the rise of Pump.fun, a Solana-based platform that lets anyone launch a memecoin in minutes.

What Happened

In a report published Wednesday, research analyst Will Owens argues that the sector has matured into a cultural and economic force in its own right. Galaxy estimates digital assets tied to memes now represent a meaningful share of trading activity and investor interest, extending well beyond Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.

One of the most striking developments highlighted in the report is the rise of Pump.fun, a Solana-based platform that lets anyone launch a memecoin in minutes. Galaxy said the service has turbocharged activity in 2025, creating thousands of new tokens and contributing to record-high fee generation on Solana.

For Galaxy, the conclusion is clear. What began as a sideshow is now a structural part of crypto — one that investors, developers, and policymakers can no longer ignore.

Market Context

A cultural and trading phenomenon

Owens wrote that memecoins “capture attention and capital” by blending humor with financial speculation, making them uniquely effective at onboarding new participants into crypto.

On the trading side, Owens notes that memecoins consistently generate some of the highest liquidity and fee volumes in the industry, rivaling mainstream assets. Their volatility, he added, has turned them into a reliable revenue source for exchanges and liquidity providers.

While many of these tokens fade quickly, Owens argued the platform illustrates how memecoins are reshaping crypto’s infrastructure. He believes that by driving experimentation in token issuance, liquidity bootstrapping and trading mechanics, memecoins are helping to pressure-test blockchain ecosystems at scale.

Why It Matters

Long-term implications

Details

Memecoins, once dismissed as little more than internet jokes, have cemented themselves as a permanent fixture of the crypto economy, according to new research from Galaxy Digital.

Galaxy’s research cites the growing number of users interacting with memecoins not only as traders but also as community members who build narratives, memes and digital identities around the tokens.

Pump.fun and infrastructure shifts

The report cautioned that most memecoins remain speculative and short-lived, but said the broader trend is undeniable: the sector is no longer a passing fad. “Memecoins are here to stay,” Owens wrote, emphasizing their ability to sustain user engagement and influence protocol economics across multiple chains.