XRP News Today: Memecoin ETF Launch Anticipated by 2026 Amid Market Surge

An analyst has expressed optimism about the potential launch of an actively managed memecoin ETF in the United States by 2026. This prediction comes as the market anticipates a surge in demand for niche cryptocurrency products by late 2025. The analyst believes that while the first wave of actively managed cryptocurrency ETFs is expected to hit the market by winter 2025, a memecoin-focused ETF may not debut until 2026. This projection reflects the growing interest in memecoins, which were once dismissed as mere internet jokes but have since gained significant traction in the cryptocurrency space. The analyst's forecast is based on the increasing acceptance and regulation of cryptocurrencies, which could pave the way for more specialized investment products like memecoin ETFs. However, the analyst also acknowledges that there are hurdles to overcome, including regulatory approvals and market acceptance. Despite these challenges, the analyst remains confident that the launch of a memecoin ETF is a real possibility in the near future.

Memecoin trading has exploded this year, especially among retail traders, propelling its total market capitalization over $60 billion. This could encourage ETF issuers to develop products that tap into this emerging sector of the crypto market. The analyst's comments came in response to a post by the Russia-focused memecoin team at “Vladcoin,” which suggested that there should be an ETF that actively trades memecoins, buying and selling based on performance. An actively trading fund would “hold the promising ones and sell off the weaker ones,” they added. This differs from a non-active ETF, which provides exposure to a single asset rather than a dynamically changing basket of assets.

Several ETF issuers, including Grayscale, Bitwise and 21Shares, have filed for a spot Dogecoin ETF this year. Osprey Funds and Rex Shares submitted filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission for Dogecoin, Official Trump (TRUMP), and Bonk (BONK) ETFs in January. The regulator has yet to approve a memecoin-based ETF or any other altcoins, such as Solana (SOL), XRP (XRP), or Litecoin (LTC), which are among the slew of crypto ETF applications that have been filed this year. The analyst said in February that there is a 75% chance that the SEC will approve a spot Dogecoin ETF this year, but odds on blockchain prediction platform Polymarket had fallen to 44%.

The memecoin bubble peaked in January and has deflated since, with most higher capitalization tokens tumbling by more than 70% from their peak prices. The official Trump coin failed to maintain momentum after the president’s son Eric said the family DeFi project, World Liberty Financial, planned to acquire a significant amount of the token on June 6. TRUMP remains down 86% from its all-time high of 73% on Jan. 19, and most memecoins are in similar pain, with Dogecoin down 75%, Shiba Inu (SHIB) having lost 85% and Pepe (PEPE) slumping almost 60% from their respective all-time highs. Despite the volatility, the analyst remains optimistic about the future of memecoin ETFs, citing the growing interest and market capitalization of memecoins as key factors in their potential success.