Investors Shift Toward Utility as Memecoins Struggle to Gain Ground

Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Pepe (PEPE) have experienced divergent market sentiment in recent weeks, as investors assess their growth potential in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape. Shiba Inu has shown a modest 2% price increase in the last 24 hours, climbing to $0.000012. Analysts suggest that SHIB’s current market position—trading at a market cap of $7.3 billion and a total supply of 589 trillion tokens—makes it a speculative asset with limited upside potential due to its massive supply. The token’s price is still 86% below its all-time high of $0.000090, reached in 2021, and has struggled to maintain consistent momentum amid broader market volatility.

On the other hand, Pepe (PEPE), the latest entrant in the memecoin category, has seen growing interest from retail investors. However, specific data points about PEPE's price movements or trading volumes are not provided in the sourced material. Analysts have not released detailed predictions for PEPE, and its trajectory remains largely speculative. The contrasting investor behaviors toward SHIB and PEPE highlight the fragmented nature of the memecoin market, where community-driven adoption and token utility play critical roles in price dynamics.

Shiba Inu’s potential for growth faces several structural challenges, primarily its large token supply. With a circulating supply exceeding 589 trillion tokens, significant price appreciation would require massive token burns to reduce supply. Analysts have proposed five methods to accelerate SHIB’s deflationary pressure, including Shibarium auto-burns, payment gateway burns, NFT-powered burns, exchange burn support, and community-powered burns. For instance, Shibarium, a Layer-2 solution, allocates transaction fees toward SHIB burns, removing over 50 billion tokens from circulation since its launch in August 2023. However, the effectiveness of these methods depends on increased transaction volume and active community participation.

Meanwhile, emerging projects like Remittix (RTX) are attracting attention for their real-world applications and infrastructure development. With a presale revenue of $23.8 million and confirmed listings on BitMart and LBank, RTX is positioned as a PayFi solution offering instant crypto-to-fiat transfers across 30+ countries. Unlike SHIB and PEPE, which rely on community speculation and meme-driven hype, Remittix is backed by tangible infrastructure, including a mobile wallet set for a Q3 2025 launch and CertiK security audits. Its real-world utility—enabling cross-border transactions—could make it a more compelling investment for capital seeking stable, use-case-driven returns.

The broader market context further underscores the shift in investor priorities. Large-cap altcoins like Solana and Ripple have shown declining trading volumes and slower price movements, indicating reduced institutional interest. In contrast, projects with clear utility—like Remittix—are gaining traction among investors who prioritize long-term adoption over speculative gains. This trend aligns with the growing emphasis on blockchain solutions that address real-world problems, such as cross-border payments and financial accessibility.

While SHIB continues to trade in a tight range and PEPE remains unquantified in the data, the rise of projects like Remittix signals a potential market realignment. Investors are increasingly favoring tokens with clear use cases and scalable infrastructure over those driven solely by community sentiment. As the crypto market matures, the balance between speculative trading and utility-driven investment is likely to influence the trajectory of tokens across the board.

Source:

[1] SHIBA INU Price, SHIB Price, Live Charts, and Marketcap (https://www.coinbase.com/price/shiba-inu)

[2] Here