MEMECOINS：笑話加密貨幣的興起正在吸引年輕的新加坡投資者

Memecoins是加密貨幣，通常以笑話或病毒模因開始。像許多其他加密貨幣一樣，Memecoins也沒有明顯的使用，也沒有由真實資產的支持，因此它們僅根據人們願意為其支付的錢而受到重視。

A Singaporean investor, who declined to be named, told The Straits Times that he started investing in Bitcoin in 2021 after hearing about it from his friends.

一位拒絕透露姓名的新加坡投資者告訴《海峽時報》，他從朋友那裡聽到了他的朋友後，於2021年開始投資比特幣。

But two months later, he decided to pull out his money from Bitcoin and park it in memecoins instead, as the latter offered a much lower barrier to entry, with many costing less than US$1 (S$1.37) a coin.

但是兩個月後，他決定從比特幣中掏出錢，然後將其停在Memecoins中，因為後者提供的入境障礙要低得多，許多硬幣的價格低於1美元（1.37美元）。

If he gets lucky, his memecoins will give him outsized returns when they soar in value. “I have very little to lose and a lot to gain,” he told The Straits Times.

如果他幸運的話，他的成員將在價值飆升時給他帶來超大的回報。他告訴《海峽時報》：“我幾乎沒有損失，要收穫很多。”

Rising popularity of memecoins among Singaporean investors

新加坡投資者中成年人的普及不斷提高

Memecoins are cryptocurrencies that often begin with a joke or a viral meme. Like many other cryptocurrencies, memecoins have no obvious use and are not backed by real assets, so they are simply valued based on what people are willing to pay for them.

Memecoins是加密貨幣，通常以笑話或病毒模因開始。像許多其他加密貨幣一樣，Memecoins也沒有明顯的使用，也沒有由真實資產的支持，因此它們僅根據人們願意為其支付的錢而受到重視。

The original memecoin – Dogecoin – emerged in 2013, but it was only after endorsements by tech billionaire Elon Musk in 2021 that it became mainstream.

最初的Memecoin（Dogecoin）出現在2013年，但直到2021年技術億萬富翁埃隆·馬斯克（Elon Musk）的認可才成為主流。

Memecoins re-entered the spotlight in 2023, with several new dog-themed coins, such as Floki Inu and Tamadoge, reaping in billions of dollars, at least on paper.

Memecoins在2023年重新引起了人們的關注，其中有幾枚以狗為主題的硬幣，例如Floki Inu和Tamadoge，至少在紙上獲得了數十億美元的收穫。

TikTok trend of cryptocurrency in Singapore

新加坡加密貨幣的Tiktok趨勢

ST has yet to come across any published studies that look at the popularity of memecoins among Singaporean investors specifically.

ST尚未遇到任何已發表的研究，這些研究專門研究新加坡投資者中的Memecoins的普及。

However, a 2024 survey by Independent Reserve – a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian – found that 44 per cent of Gen Z investors in Singapore own memecoins.

但是，一項由加密貨幣交易所和保管人進行的獨立保護區的2024年調查發現，新加坡自己的Z投資者有44％的投資者。

Conversely, older investors have a smaller appetite for this asset class, with only 12 per cent of Baby Boomers reporting that they own memecoins.

相反，年長的投資者對該資產類別的胃口較小，只有12％的嬰兒潮一代報告說他們擁有Memecoins。

In terms of awareness, Gen Zs topped the charts, with 80 per cent of them being aware of memecoins.

就意識而言，Z Gen Sp榜首，其中80％的人意識到了Memecoins。

As for memecoins, young millennials aged 26 to 35 and Gen Zs were the most clued in, with 70 per cent and 75 per cent being aware of them respectively.

至於Memecoins，年齡在26至35歲之間的年輕千禧一代和Z世代最有可能，其中70％和75％的人意識到了它們。

Mr Ahmed said: “Memecoins have brought a lot of buzz to the cryptocurrency space in recent years.”

艾哈邁德（Ahmed）先生說：“近年來，Memecoins引起了加密貨幣空間的嗡嗡聲。”

“While some see it as just hype, it has undeniably brought a massive wave of new users into the space.”

“雖然有些人將其視為炒作，但無可否認，它將大量新用戶帶入了該空間。”

For Dr Don Lee, a senior lecturer in finance at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School, the rise of memecoins is a “fascinating phenomenon”.

對於新加坡國立大學（NUS）商學院金融高級講師Don Lee博士來說，Memecoins的興起是一種“令人著迷的現象”。

He said: “Memecoins give people a system to transfer money and something to laugh about – why wouldn’t you put money in it?”

他說：“ Memecoins為人們提供了一個轉移資金的系統，還有一些要笑的東西 - 您為什麼不把錢投入其中？”

Growing frustration at the rising costs of living, and the banality of working a nine-to-five job, has also drawn many to the get-rich-quick potential of memecoins, said Mr Ahmed.

艾哈邁德說，對生活成本的上漲以及工作九到五個工作的平庸性越來越令人沮喪，這也吸引了許多成員的富裕潛力。

“To put it simply – no risk, no ‘Rarri (Ferarri)’,” said Mr Tan, poking fun at a slogan used by cryptocurrency influencers on social media.

譚先生說：“簡而言之 - 沒有風險，沒有'rarri（ferarri）'。”

Akin to gambling or buying a lottery ticket, memecoins are attractive as their possible returns are asymmetric, said Dr Lee.

李博士說，類似於賭博或購買彩票，Memecoins很有吸引力，因為他們的可能收益是不對稱的。

“You put in a little, but the potential gain is rapid and outsized,” he said.

他說：“您投入了一點，但潛在的收益迅速而巨大。”

The pervasiveness of cryptocurrency success stories online has also contributed to its appeal.

網上加密貨幣成功案例的普遍性也有助於其吸引力。

“I see a lot of people around the same age as me – very young, getting into memecoins,” said Dr Lee.

李博士說：“我看到很多人與我相同的年齡 - 很年輕，進入成員。”

But Dr Lee warns that online narratives on cryptocurrency may be biased, as those who lose money may not be inclined to divulge their losses.

但是李博士警告說，在線敘述有關加密貨幣的敘述可能會有偏見，因為那些損失金錢的人可能不願意洩露他們的損失。

He added that memecoins are largely unregulated, which makes it easy for them to be manipulated.

他補充說，模因在很大程度上不受限制，這使他們容易被操縱。

Dr Lee said: “Memecoins are very much a Wild Wild West, so things that are illegal in equity, like insider trading – or trading before news is released – may occur.”

李博士說：“紀念物是一個非常野生的西部，因此可能發生股權，例如內幕交易或新聞發布之前的交易 - 可能發生非法的事物。”

Pump and dump – a phenomenon where investors coordinate the buying of a coin to “pump” up its prices, and later “dump” their shares at inflated prices – may also happen.

泵和垃圾場 - 一種現象，即投資者協調購買硬幣以“抽出”價格的購買，後來以誇張的價格“傾倒”其股票。

For regulated assets such as stocks, pump and dump schemes are illegal.

對於諸如股票之類的受監管資產，泵和垃圾箱方案是非法的。

“This is to protect all the investors, as markets should not just be a playground for a group of people to manipulate prices to benefit themselves,” said Dr Lee.

李博士說：“這是為了保護所有投資者，因為市場不僅應該成為一群人操縱價格以使自己受益的遊樂場。”

Investors also have to be prepared for wild swings in their portfolio values.

投資者還必須為其投資組合價值的野外擺動做好準備。

Mr Tan said he invested about 70 per cent of his savings into memecoins in 2023.

譚先生說，他在2023年將大約70％的儲蓄投資於Memecoins。

At the time of this interview, his portfolio was valued at around 200 per cent of his initial investment.

在接受采訪時，他的投資組合的價值約佔他最初投資的200％。

“In 2023, I was able to quit my job and travel the world,” he said.

他說：“在2023年，我能夠辭職並環遊世界。”

Dr Lee said that investors may still consider memecoins, but should proceed with caution.

李博士說，投資者仍可能會考慮成員，但應謹慎行事。

“It’s a high-risk, high-return asset

“這是高風險，高回報的資產