The YZY memecoin, created by artist Kanye West and launched on August 21, 2025, has caused significant volatility in the cryptocurrency market. Within the first hour of its launch, the token’s price on the Solana blockchain surged by 1400%, reaching $3, but by the next day, it had plummeted by over 77%, dropping below $0.70. At the time of this report, YZY is trading at $0.68, with a market capitalization of $87.4 million.
This is reported by Business • Media
Most of the Profit Went to a Limited Group
According to analytics platforms, significant profits from the sharp price increase were captured by only a select few market participants. Specifically, 13 crypto wallets managed to earn over $24 million by selling tokens at peak values, with each earning at least $1 million. Researchers note the coordinated actions of these addresses, indicating insider collusion — the addresses heavily purchased YZY at launch and then quickly sold it to retail investors during the price peak.
In total, over 56,000 crypto wallets participated in trading the YZY token, but most retail traders suffered significant losses. More than $1 is currently held on only 27,000 addresses, and among the top 99 buyers, the token is still held by only nine. Experts calculated that one investor lost $1.8 million, another lost $1.2 million, and yet another did not realize a loss of over $800,000. The number of affected individuals is in the thousands.
Insider Schemes and Expert Reactions
The research company Bubblemaps confirmed that there are signs of coordinated actions by major players in the market, who were the first to buy the token and then sold it at peak prices. Similar insider strategies have been repeatedly observed with other memecoins, including HAWK, released by TikTok influencer Heli Welch in December 2025. At that time, the token also saw a sharp price drop, and insiders made millions in profits. Similar cases have occurred with tokens from Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, Caitlyn Jenner, and Lindsay Lohan.
“Celebrity coins are often described as a way to attract people to their side. To me, it resembles a transfer of wealth that makes the rich even richer,” noted blockchain analyst under the pseudonym Dethtective.
The activity of insiders and their impact on the memecoin market once again illustrates the high risks for retail investors, as well as the need for increased caution when participating in such projects.