2025 began with bangs and memes. Just a few weeks after the New Year, politically fueled memokine madness sent Crypto Twitter overdrive, and lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic increased the heat of stubcoins, securities laws and tokenized assets, usually with different approaches.
It was a whirlwind first quarter, shaped by Bitcoin’s domination in the crypto market and the political climate in the US that brought digital assets back to the spotlight. Q1 did not provide a shortage of storylines.
Would it be better for a journalist to break it all rather than track it in real time? In the latest episode of Decentralize with CointelegrapH, members of the editorial team sit for a roundtable in the unfiltered newsroom.
Podcast head Savannah Fortis and EU reporters head Gareth Jenkinson, chief of multimedia. Zoltan Vardai defeats news reporter for the EU news team. And US news reporter Vince Quill looks back on the biggest story of the first quarter and what they signal for the coming months.
Memokine, power, perception
As Mimecoin surged in early 2025, questions about their legitimacy and political entanglement intensified. For the Cointelegraph editorial team, Frenzy revealed more than just a market quirk, but deep tensions of innovation, opportunism and influence.
Jenkinson first commented on what President Donald Trump and the bigger political memocoin Frenzy might mean for the industry in the long run, saying, “I have a hard time trusting what the Trump administration and his group of advisors are doing.
“Yes, we’ve seen a more lucrative approach for the wider crypto industry, and that’s really great. But a lot of lobbying activities like Ripple, Circles and more was to make sure that their cryptocurrency was included in this bundle of assets the US wants to hold.”
Related: If bullish state is not picked up, Bitcoin could hit a wall for $84,000: Encryption
The team acknowledged that regulatory clarity and institutional support have created a more stable environment for crypto companies in general since the new administration took office, while the progress is hidden in spectacle.
More memes…
Trump’s big move appears to be caught up in the controversy of the famous memocoin that has spread far beyond national politics by Domino’s other political figures, namely Argentine President Javier Miley.
For industries that are seeking legitimacy, this type of engagement by world leaders sends a complicated message. “It’s terrible for the industry,” Jenkinson added. “Mylay was supposed to be Argentina’s savior after years of hyperinflation, and now he’s launching Memecoin with a known rug pillar.”
Still, the Round Table remained full of hope. “I’m an eternal optimist,” he continued. “At least we’ve got Bitcoin assertions. People now know what it is. The government is starting to keep it. That’s how good the basics are.”
Stablecoins and Altcoin Fallout
While much attention has been drawn to Bitcoin’s institutional growth and memo Coin spectacle, several members of the Cointelegraph team have expressed deeper concerns about the emerging Stablecoin Act and the quiet movements behind it.
“One thing I think I flew under the radar is that the Trump-linked world Liberty Forum actually launched a US dollar-backed stubcoin in March,” Valdai pointed out.
“These stubcoins will be perfectly in line with the requirements of both genius and stable conduct…but it could in fact be interpreted as Trump seeking to pass stable laws while having vested interests.
The fallout from politically aligned memokines weighs heavily on the broader crypto market, especially altcoins. “Altcoins have not won at all this quarter,” Valdai also pointed out.
“Memocoin has this premature rally and has been rallying independently of other cryptocurrencies. Many people are worried about whether Bitcoin’s rise will come before the ether and before the altcoin’s rise.”
So, what defined the first quarter of 2025? Join the complete episode to hear all the insights!
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