Meme Coins Are Fueling a Global Wave of New Crypto Investors: Gemini
Meme coins are driving a surge of first-time investors into the crypto market, according to a new report from Gemini. These speculative assets—often dismissed as jokes—are now acting as gateways for retail participation, despite their notorious volatility.
While purists scoff, the trend highlights crypto’s growing cultural penetration. Just don’t ask the ’Diamond Hands’ crowd about risk management—Wall Street’s already placing bets on who gets rekt first.
Diamond hands prevail
The crypto industry, meanwhile, has grown and matured well into 2025, steadying its commitment beyond retail behavior.
One sign of maturity can be seen in how users have been offloading their holdings, which has slowed to just 10% globally, down from up to 17% last year.
Meanwhile, roughly 39% of investors from the U.S. now see crypto as an inflation hedge, up from 32% last year, per the report, which pulled data from 7,205 consumers from six countries.
This stems from a "growing number of investors and corporations" who no longer see crypto, particularly Bitcoin, as a "risk-on asset," Ahmed said.
How investors behave has become "increasingly grounded in macro perspectives and strategic decision-making," Ahmed added.
Singapore leads global ownership at 28%, while Europe is experiencing robust growth following regulatory clarity, despite ongoing concerns about privacy.
Institutions rushing in
As major banks explore stablecoin-based solutions for cross-border transactions, favorable regulation under President TRUMP has also boosted confidence among 23% of U.S. non-owners, per the report.
Meanwhile, the launch of spot crypto exchange-traded funds has also transformed institutional access to crypto, with 39% of U.S. crypto owners now investing through these vehicles. Italy leads at 47%, followed by the U.K. at 41%, Gemini’s report shows.
Bitcoin, for one, has remained "sensitive to liquidity cycles and macro sentiment," Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, told Decrypt.
Despite this, notable improvements "in both liquidity and volatility" have been on the rise this year, Liu noted.
Still, while bitcoin "hasn’t yet reached the consistency of a safe-haven asset like gold," crypto ETFs have grown to signal "a path toward a more stable and strategic role" for investor portfolios, Liu said.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
