Why most new crypto tokens struggled to hold value in 2025
For much of 2025, a simple rule held: if a new token hit the market, its price probably went down.
Data from Memento Research, which tracked 118 token generation events last year, shows that roughly 85% are now trading below their initial valuations. The median token is down more than 70% from where it started.
That stands in stark contrast to the previous bull cycle in 2021, when a number of high-profile tokens — including MATIC, FTM and AVAX — surged after launch, buoyed by a frothy altcoin market and insatiable risk appetite.
A rough year to be new
The weakness showed up early and persisted throughout 2025. Tokens that debuted on major centralized exchanges, including Binance, often sold off almost immediately. Instead of signaling…
