The explosive popularity of Manus, hailed as the "world's first universal intelligent agent product," has triggered a surge in similarly named cryptocurrencies. These tokens have experienced extreme volatility, with some soaring over 900% while others plummeted by nearly 95% within hours. This phenomenon highlights the speculative nature of meme coins—cryptocurrencies often created around viral trends or jokes—and raises serious concerns about their risks and legitimacy.
Industry experts emphasize that the barrier to issuing such tokens is remarkably low, with numerous platforms enabling "one-click coin creation." However, the vast majority of these coins lack substantive technological foundations or community support, leading to extremely high investment risks.
How Manus’ Popularity Fueled Meme Coin Mania
Manus quickly captured public attention, with its invitation codes reportedly resold for thousands of dollars. Almost immediately, this buzz spilled over into the cryptocurrency markets, where several tokens named “Manus” emerged.
These coins exhibited wild price swings. One token, for example, surged over 900% in just 24 hours, while another named “Manus AI Agent” on the Binance platform crashed by 95% in under three hours, rendering it virtually worthless.
In response to the confusion and potential scams, Manus’ co-founder and chief scientist, Yichao Peak Ji, publicly clarified that the company has no involvement in any cryptocurrency projects, token issuance, or blockchain initiatives. He stated that any projects using the Manus name for crypto activities are fraudulent and that the company is pursuing legal action against them.
Despite these official denouncements, new Manus-inspired tokens continued to appear on various exchanges, illustrating how difficult it is to control the narrative once a meme coin trend begins.
Meme Coins: The Habit of Riding Hot Trends
The practice of launching cryptocurrencies that capitalize on trending topics is not new. The rise of Manus follows a familiar pattern previously seen with other AI breakthroughs.
When ChatGPT and DeepSeek gained worldwide attention, they were quickly followed by a wave of impersonator websites and同名代币 (same-named tokens). A ChatGPT-themed token, for instance, saw its price rocket 1800% within five hours of launch, only to crash by 80% soon after. Today, that token is essentially untraceable.
These assets are typically categorized as "meme coins." They are cryptocurrencies named after people, animals, artworks, or, as in these cases, popular tech products. Their value is driven almost entirely by community sentiment and online hype rather than underlying technology or utility.
The danger extends beyond mere volatility. Malicious actors have used these trends to orchestrate exit scams. Following DeepSeek's rise, a fraudulent group promoted a fake "DeepSeek" blockchain project, collected significant funds from investors through a crowd sale, and then disappeared. The severity of such scams has even prompted official warnings from authorities like China's Ministry of Public Security about the associated risks and financial losses.
Why Are Meme Coins So Easy to Create?
The technical barrier to creating a new token is surprisingly low, which contributes to the proliferation of meme coins.
An industry insider simply noted, "There are many platforms that allow you to issue a coin with one click." Online tutorials further demystify the process, making it accessible to almost anyone with an internet connection.
However, OKX研究院高级研究员赵伟 (Zhao Wei, Senior Researcher at OKX Institute) provides crucial context. He explains that while creating a token is easy, its subsequent market performance depends on several complex factors, including smart contract development, liquidity pool management, and sustained marketing efforts.
He emphasizes that the ease of creation does not equate to value or longevity: "The vast majority of meme coins lack technical support and a community foundation. They ultimately lose liquidity due to insufficient market recognition. Meme coins that rely on short-term speculation have an extremely low survival rate and carry very high investment risks."
This sentiment is echoed by regulators globally. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has repeatedly warned investors that meme coins and similar assets are not protected by federal securities laws. Furthermore, because these tokens typically do not generate earnings or confer any rights to future profits or assets, their value proposition is exceptionally fragile.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a meme coin?
A meme coin is a type of cryptocurrency that derives its value primarily from internet culture, jokes, or viral trends rather than a fundamental technological innovation or utility. They are often created quickly to capitalize on the popularity of a specific event, person, or product.
How can someone create a new token so quickly?
The process has been simplified by various blockchain platforms that offer "no-code" or "one-click" token creation tools. These services handle the complex smart contract deployment, allowing anyone to launch a token with minimal technical knowledge, often for a small fee.
Are all meme coins considered scams?
Not all are intentional scams, but they are highly speculative and risky. While some are created as humorous community experiments, others are designed purely for pump-and-dump schemes or are outright frauds designed to steal investors' funds before the developers abandon the project.
What do regulators say about investing in meme coins?
Regulators like the SEC in the U.S. and financial authorities in China have consistently warned that meme coins are high-risk investments that lack the protections offered by regulated securities. They emphasize that these assets are often used for market manipulation and illegal fundraising activities.
What is the safest way to approach new trending tokens?
Extreme caution is advised. Investors should thoroughly research any project, understand that many such tokens have no intrinsic value, and be prepared to lose their entire investment. Relying on information from official, reputable sources rather than social media hype is crucial.
Why do these tokens continue to appear despite official warnings?
The decentralized and permissionless nature of many blockchains makes it difficult to prevent token creation. As long as there is a potential for quick profit driven by social media trends, developers will continue to create new tokens to exploit that demand.