Most 2025 ICOs Disappoint: PUMP, WLFI, MON Post Big Losses After Huge Raises
Top token sales of 2025 largely underperformed after high-profile fundraising rounds. Pump.fun led 2025 with a $600M sale for PUMP, yet the token is down ~70% from launch and roughly 80% from its peak, pressured by whale selling, meme-market slowdown and token fatigue despite buybacks and DEX revenue. World Liberty Fi raised $550M for WLFI (including a $30M Justin Sun stake); WLFI fell from $0.24 peak to about $0.14 amid weak altcoin conditions. Monad (MON) raised $217M but dropped ~50% from recent highs after a rally to $0.04. Major L2 projects MegaETH and Aztec have delayed token launches, citing unfavorable market conditions. Overall, high-profile ICOs and token launches in 2025 often led to immediate selling pressure and negative sentiment; some projects opted to remain tokenless or pursue alternative funding (IPOs). Key figures and stats: PUMP $600M raise, PUMP down ~70% vs launch (IPO price $0.004; latest ~$0.0017), WLFI $550M raise (Justin Sun $30M), WLFI peak $0.24 -> ~$0.14, MON $217M raise, MON down ~50% from recent rally. Implication: token sales amid a weak altcoin environment have tended to harm short-term token prices and market sentiment.
Bearish
The overall effect of 2025’s top token sales is bearish. Large raises (PUMP $600M, WLFI $550M, MON $217M) were followed by immediate selling pressure, significant drawdowns and worsening sentiment. Causes include whale dumps after allocations, a weak altcoin market that reduces liquidity and speculative demand, token fatigue from frequent launches, and delayed launches from major projects (MegaETH, Aztec) which signal market caution. Historically, large token offerings in a bear or sideways altcoin environment often lead to short-term price declines (examples: several 2017–2019 ICOs and 2021 large token launches that dumped into thin markets). Short-term impact: elevated volatility, sell-the-news episodes, and downward pressure on altcoin pairs and sector ETFs. Traders should expect continued weakness in newly issued tokens, increased correlation among meme/launch-related tokens, and opportunistic shorting or wait-for-liquidity strategies. Long-term impact: if projects deliver product/usage growth (DEX revenues, protocol adoption), some tokens could recover, but recovery timelines depend on macro crypto cycle and on-chain fundamentals. Risk management: avoid allocating large positions at launch, monitor whale flows, on-chain transfers, and secondary-market liquidity before entering.