Defi Development Corporation has pushed the boundaries of crypto culture and corporate experimentation after launching what it describes as the world’s first memecoin created by a publicly traded company.

The company’s move has already ignited controversy across the Solana ecosystem.

The token, called DisclaimerCoin and trading under the ticker $DONT, briefly surged to a market capitalization of more than $26 million within hours of launch.

DFDV Launches $DONT Memecoin as a Corporate Experiment

The launch comes at a time when Solana’s memecoin market remains hyperactive, driven by speculation, rapid liquidity rotation, and a growing overlap between on-chain culture and institutional capital.

Against that backdrop, DFDV’s decision to issue a memecoin has raised questions not only about market behavior but also about how far publicly listed companies can go in embracing crypto-native norms without crossing regulatory or ethical lines.

DeFi Development Corporation said that $DONT was intentionally released without a utility, roadmap, or promises.

The company framed the token as a live experiment rather than a product, stating that it exists purely to test what happens when a real corporation engages directly with internet-native markets.

In a post confirming the launch, DFDV executive Dan Kang said the token was legitimate and reiterated a simple message to traders: “Don’t buy it.”

Despite this, on-chain activity of the token has seen massive activity.

Within two hours of launch on the Bonk.fun platform and Raydium liquidity pools, $DONT climbed rapidly, with early wallets recording outsized gains.

On-chain Data Flags Early Profits in $DONT Debut

On-chain data shows that some addresses were able to trade the token profitably before or immediately after the public announcement, fueling speculation about insider access or privileged information.

One wallet reportedly sold billions of $DONT tokens for hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit without purchasing them on the open market.

Meanwhile, other wallets linked by analysts to validator infrastructure associated with DFDV also posted gains.

The suspicious activity has added to skepticism, particularly given Solana’s history of high-profile memecoin launches tied to compromised social media accounts.

However, Defi Development Corporation has repeatedly affirmed the authenticity of the token that $DONT was officially issued by DFDV.

Tokenomics published by the company outline a fixed supply of 420 billion $DONT, with no inflation mechanism.

Thirty percent of the supply is held permanently on DFDV’s balance sheet, forty percent was allocated to public liquidity, and twenty percent was reserved for ecosystem and community purposes.

Additionally, ten percent is assigned to early contributors, including employees subject to predefined sales rules.

As a result of the price surge, the balance sheet allocation alone briefly translated into an estimated $8 million increase in the company’s reported on-chain assets.

DeFi Development Sticks With Solana Despite Treasury Drawdown

The move fits into a broader pattern of experimentation by DeFi Development Corporation, which has positioned itself as an unconventional digital asset treasury firm.

Since adopting its non-Bitcoin DAT strategy in 2025, the company has tokenized its stock on-chain, operated validators as a treasury function, and deployed capital into Solana DeFi protocols to generate yield.

The firm ended 2025 as one of the top-performing crypto-linked Nasdaq stocks, even as the broader Solana market faced declining prices.

That context is important, as Solana-focused treasuries have been under pressure in recent months. With SOL down sharply from late 2025 highs, many DATs have seen treasury values fall, and net asset values compress.

DFDV’s treasury, currently valued at roughly $283 million and centered around nearly 2.2 million SOL, has declined by more than 30% over the past three months, underscoring the financial strain across the sector.

The post Solana DAT’s $DONT Memecoin Hits $26M – But Degens Are Warned: “Don’t Buy It” appeared first on Cryptonews.

Community-driven Solana meme coin WhiteWhale experienced a sudden massive sell-off, with its market cap tanking 60% within 5 minutes.

On-chain data shows that WhiteWhale, which was launched 3 months ago on Pump.fun, witnessed the largest holder dump of $1.3 million in tokens on Monday.

The decline happened without a warning, causing heavy losses for holders. The event is widely described as a rug pull among the crypto community.

Early Investors Secured Larger Gains

Market analyst Darky initially flagged the massive crash on social media. He wrote that the “viral memecoin” plummeted from $200 million to $20 million within minutes.

However, per blockchain data, at least one investor secured larger gains. A trader named ‘Remus’ bought 1.5% of the total token supply for $370. The position later peaked at a value of $1.2 million during the rally. Remus later sold $220,000 worth of tokens, leading to the major crash.

The trader still holds close to $1 million in WhiteWhale, even though the value of the token has dropped.

WhiteWhale memecoin community called it a planned liquidity event to spread ownership and reduce risks.

By Tuesday, the token has recovered to a $33.8 million market cap at $0.033 per token at press time.

Half of Meme Coins Have Already Failed – Research

A recent CoinGecko analysis shows that more than 50% of cryptocurrencies have failed.

“In 2025 alone, 11.6 million tokens failed, representing a large majority of token failures, or 86.3%,” the report read.

Memecoins took the blow of broader market turbulence throughout the year, leading to a sharp decline in token survivability.

“Alarmingly, the fourth quarter of 2025 alone saw the collapse of 7.7 million tokens, making up 34.9% of all recorded project failures.”

Besides, 2024 saw nearly 1.4 million projects fail, accounting for 10.3% of all failures in the past five years.

The post Meme Coin WhiteWhale Plummet 60% After Rug Pull Accusations, Large Holders Dump $1.3M in Tokens appeared first on Cryptonews.

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a new cryptocurrency called “NYC Token” on January 12, 2026, drawing quick attention and equally fast criticism.

According to reports, Adams presented the project in Times Square and framed it as a way to support education and to fight anti-semitism and anti-American sentiment. The token is built on the Solana blockchain, based on information released at the launch.

Token Launch And Purpose

According to the official pitch and subsequent statements, proceeds from the token were to help fund scholarships and blockchain training programs for underserved communities.

Adams described the coin as a civic symbol tied to New York’s identity and global reach. The launch was promoted with promises of community benefits, but critics said the public information about governance and fund handling was thin.

Market Moves

The market reacted in a rush. Based on reports, the token briefly showed an implied market cap of about $580 million–$730 million in the first hours after trading began. Then prices tumbled.

Proud to launch @buynyctoken, a new token built to fight the rapid spread of antisemitism and anti-Americanism across this country and now in New York City.

Now live at https://t.co/zowY9Ri3aK pic.twitter.com/qBMzV88Tmj

— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) January 12, 2026

Trades showed a fall of roughly 80% as the token’s price dropped from near $0.46 to about $0.10 shortly after markets opened for the asset. Trading volume spiked and then collapsed, leaving many traders facing big losses.

On-chain observers and crypto analysts flagged sudden withdrawals of liquidity minutes after the token’s debut. Reports have disclosed that millions of dollars were pulled from trading pools, which prompted accusations of a rug pull from some corners of the crypto community.

The token’s official website was also criticized for missing or nonfunctional links to key documents, and there was little detail about which groups would receive funds or how decisions would be made.

Eric Adams is no stranger to digital assets. During his time in office he converted parts of his salary to Bitcoin and Ethereum and pushed policies to attract blockchain firms to the city.

His successor, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, declined to take part in the token project and did not endorse it. That split in approach raised questions about whether a former official should use his public profile to promote a privately issued coin.

Analysts called for transparency and urged a closer look at on-chain data. Based on reports from blockchain trackers, some transfers and liquidity extractions were visible publicly on the Solana network, which added to the scrutiny.

Community groups and investors asked for clearer disclosures, while legal experts warned that investigations or regulatory attention could follow if money was moved in ways that harmed ordinary buyers.

Featured image by ThomasShanahan / iStock.com, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin Magazine

Eric Adams’ NYC Token Crashes 80% in Hours, Offering a Stark Lesson in Why Bitcoin Is Different

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing a lot of heat today after his high-profile launch of a new cryptocurrency, dubbed the NYC Token, crashed within hours of launching. Adams launched the token on Monday, but the coin lost 80% of its value within a couple hours. 

Adams unveiled the Solana-based token at a Times Square event on Monday, promoting it as a tool to generate funding for social causes including the fight against antisemitism and “anti-Americanism,” as well as blockchain education and student scholarships.

Eric Adams told Fox Business that proceeds would support nonprofits like Combat Antisemitism and historically Black colleges and universities without raising taxes.

The announcement came less than two weeks after Eric Adams left office as mayor, where he had long championed crypto adoption — including converting his first mayoral paychecks into Bitcoin and other crypto and signing an executive order to promote digital assets.

A mayoral ‘pump and dump’ from Eric Adams

Investor interest was strong for the first couple of hours following the coin’s launch, briefly driving the NYC Token’s market capitalization into the hundreds of millions of dollars. But within hours of its debut, the token’s price collapsed — dropping more than 80% from its peak, according to market data.

On-chain analysts and traders quickly accused the project of a rug pull, a scenario in which insiders withdraw liquidity from a token to the detriment of ordinary investors. 

The coin hit $580 million in market cap before crashing -80% in a matter of minutes. Nearly $500 million in market cap was lost, as of earlier January 13.

Social media and trading forums erupted with criticism. Many in the crypto space saw this dump coming. 

Some retail traders accused the coin’s pattern as a classic pump-and-dump scheme, while others questioned the token’s sparse disclosures, limited technical details, and the absence of named partners or a working project roadmap.

The case for Bitcoin

Here we go again. This classic moment and rug pull shows the risks inherent in the broader memecoin and altcoin market and makes a strong argument for Bitcoin’s relative stability. 

Projects like this are prone to large liquidity withdrawals, either immediately after a token’s launch or as it reaches new highs. Popularity alone can make it easy to attract buyers, giving insiders an opportunity to sell. When they do, it often triggers sharp price drops and significant investor losses — practices that are manipulative and, frankly, resemble a scam.

Bitcoin, in contrast, offers a longer track record, transparent issuance, and decentralized governance. Its fixed supply and consensus mechanisms are its key to resilience, setting it apart from short-lived tokens with concentrated control or opaque structures.

Eric Adam’s token exemplifies recurring pitfalls we see in speculative, celebrity- or politically branded coins: opaque tokenomics, centralized supply, and sudden collapses that leave retail investors exposed. 

Bitcoin’s architecture is designed to mitigate these risks through decentralized proof-of-work security and a predictable issuance schedule. Bitcoin’s decades‑long resilience has stood the test of any speculative churn coming from memecoins.

Crypto pump-and-dump schemes like this one from Eric Adams really highlight why Bitcoin stands apart from the broader crypto market.

This post Eric Adams’ NYC Token Crashes 80% in Hours, Offering a Stark Lesson in Why Bitcoin Is Different first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Dogecoin (DOGE) traded at $0.14 on Friday, up 0.25% in the last 24 hours, according to market tickers. The coin’s weekly performance showed a fall of 7.40%. Trading activity has eased sharply, with one source reporting a drop in volume of 50%.

Key Momentum Readings And Moving Averages

According to market data, DOGE RSI sits at 52.70 with a signal line at 52, which points to fairly balanced momentum and no clear bias. Exponential moving averages line up as follows: EMA 20 at $0.13, EMA 50 at $0.14, EMA 100 at $0.15 and EMA 200 at $0.17.

The EMA set shows a downward curve overall, and the EMA 50 is being watched closely as a short-term barrier. The coin’s market capitalization stood at $23.60 billion.

Analysts Offer Targets As Price Forms Higher Lows

Crypto analyst Jonathan Carter set a ladder of upside targets at $0.15, $0.18, $0.20, $0.24 and $0.28, saying that those levels correspond to past reaction points on the chart. Based on reports, Carter views price action above the 50-day average as an early sign that momentum is returning.

#DOGE Descending Channel Breakout Imminent

Dogecoin is poised to break out from the descending channel formation on the daily chart

Price action above the MA 50 indicates a potential reversal from a prolonged downtrend structure

Upside targets: $0.153 $0.182 … pic.twitter.com/EfRjyg6tfo

— Jonathan Carter (@JohncyCrypto) January 11, 2026

DOGE has been building higher lows, which would be a positive structure if it holds. Other analysts identified the all-time high at $0.73 as a long-term reference and noted a fourfold minimum growth target from current prices under the existing trend.

CoinGlass data showed trading volume down by 43% to $1.30 billion in one report, even as Open Interest rose 1.70% to $1.80 billion. Total liquidations in the last 24 hours were listed at $596K, with long positions making up $431K and shorts $165K. This split suggests more long exposure among leveraged traders at the moment.

Traders are sizing up several clear levels. A sustained move above EMA 50 at $0.14 could invite more buyers. A failure to hold the EMA 20 support at $0.13 would raise questions about the short-term strength. While momentum indicators are neutral now, a decisive break either way would likely be followed by sharper swings given low volume.

The current picture is mixed: signals of regained momentum sit beside declining volume and a downward slope in longer EMAs. Positions are being kept, as shown by rising Open Interest, but many market participants appear to be waiting for confirmation. If buying pressure returns and volume recovers, the analyst targets listed above could come into focus. If not, the chart may remain in a tight range for some time.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

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