Ethena Founder: Crypto-Native Capital may have run out of steam to pump meme coin valuations, tokens backed by TradFi endorsement will undergo a complete divergence from regular meme coins

By: theblockbeats.news|2025/07/25 18:12:10
0
Share
copy

BlockBeats News, July 25th, Ethena Labs founder Guy Young posted on social media: "One of my major concerns is that the native capital of crypto may have been exhausted, unable to propel meme coins past the previous cycle's peak. Observing the total nominal market capitalization peak of meme coins in Q4 2021 and Q4 2024, both stopped at around $1.2 trillion (a value that is almost identical after adjusting for inflation). Perhaps this is the global retail capital's valuation ceiling for 99% of meme projects?"

However, for tokens with real business operations, tangible products, and generating revenue for real users, there exists a massive blue ocean to expand channels to stock market institutional investors. Compared to the global stock market capitalization, the entire meme coin market is just a drop in the bucket. The current NAV premium arbitrage is clearly a flash in the pan, with Saylor being the only exception, ultimately due to its unique leverage advantage in its capital structure (quasi non-redeemable + quasi).

But why did Ethena still support StablecoinX's ENA treasury strategy? The core goal is to build a gateway for stock market funds to enter—these funds have a significant excess demand for stablecoins and digital dollar field's hyper-growth enterprises. This is unrelated to short-term NAV arbitrage; the key is to open the gate to an untapped capital pool. Ethena faces the well-known dilemma of VC unlocking pressure, and I have personally made countless mistakes in fundraising and still reflect on them. There is a severe capital misalignment in the crypto world: private VC capital far exceeds the liquid capital required to support token valuations, creating a mirrored opposition to the Web2 world (where private capital is only a fraction of the stock market).

Of course, this does not apply to all junk coins. Zero-revenue meme projects, even if dressed in an equity shell, remain air. But I firmly believe that for the few tokens that can obtain traditional financial endorsement and align with long-term growth trends, this will be a significant positive. Apart from mainstream coins, such tokens globally do not exceed 10, and they will ultimately differentiate completely from coins that have never attracted TradFi."

-- Price

--

You may also like

AI within artillery range

“The cloud” is a metaphor, but the data center isn’t.

March 4th Market Key Intelligence, How Much Did You Miss?

1. On-chain Flows: $39.6M USD inflow to Hyperliquid today; $29.7M USD outflow from Base 2. Largest Price Swings: $EDGE, $POWER 3. Top News: Altman defends Pentagon deal at all-hands, calls backlash "really painful"; OpenAI also seeking NATO contracts

Taking Stock of Crypto's Washington Power Players: Who is Advocating for US Crypto Regulation?

These institutions have jointly defined the industry's underlying values, marking the U.S. crypto industry's shift to a "professionalized, ecological, and refined" era of policy gamesmanship.

DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.


2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights


Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.


Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.


Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.


Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.


Core Consumer Food Business Performance


In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.


The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.


In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.


Bitcoin Reserve Update


In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.


As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.


As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC


Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC


DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."


Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation


About DDC Enterprise Limited


DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.


The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.


Uncovering YZi Labs 229 Investment: Over 18% of the portfolio is already inactive, with an average project transparency score of 78

In terms of strategic direction, YZi Labs has begun to extend into areas such as AI and stablecoins, but overall it is still in the layout and validation stage.

The business of crypto VC is becoming promising

Homogenized industries are ultimately fragile; only when different species can emerge does the market truly come alive.

Popular coins

Latest Crypto News

Read more