Memecoin risks: Investor loses $500k in Solana’s ANT token in under an hour

  • A trader lost $454,000 in an hour due to a poorly timed memecoin investment.
  • Centralization on Solana raises concerns about memecoins and scams, according to Edward Snowden.

As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in financial markets, I’ve seen my fair share of market fluctuations and investment pitfalls. The recent incident involving the trader losing $454,000 on ANT, a newly launched memecoin, serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with this volatile sector.


By 2024, the explosion of memecoins has drawn significant interest from the market and underscored potential dangers as well. One example of these risks was demonstrated by a substantial financial loss experienced by a cryptocurrency investor.

New memecoin ANT a flop show?

This investor’s ambitious investment into a newly launched meme coin, ANT, backfired dramatically, leading to a loss of approximately $454,000 within a mere hour.

As a crypto investor, I boldly invested approximately $587,000 worth of Solana [SOL], which amounted to 3,396 units, only to promptly lose heart upon acquiring an impressive 14.7 million ANT tokens in a single transaction.

As reported by the on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain,

“Less than 40 minutes later, he capitulated and sold it all for just 773 $SOL($134K).”

Details of the loss

The transaction took place on the Solana blockchain via the Raydium automated market maker, with ANT’s allure rooted in its distinctive origin.

Being the initial coin introduced on Solana with AnthropicAI’s Claude function, ANT was strategically placed as a groundbreaking AI-generated product, garnering considerable interest.

However, despite its initial excitement, the token has recently faced a significant sell-off.

It seems that the trader’s unfortunate timing of their investment coincided with a general drop in the value of ANT, and this was compounded by the volatile nature of the memecoin market. However, it’s important to note that the exact reasons behind this downturn are not entirely clear.

Hindsight of memecoin’s rise

During this period, there was a significant increase in the memecoin market, and it seems that the decline in ANT occurred simultaneously. As per the latest CoinGecko statistics, ANT currently holds a market cap of approximately $75.4 billion, marking a 1.6% fluctuation over the past day.

This revival has opened up opportunities for numerous meme tokens endorsed by celebrities. Among them is the recently unveiled $WAP, launched by the Grammy-winning artist, Cardi B.

On the contrary, instead of boosting trust in the cryptocurrency sector, these advancements have predominantly fueled fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), accompanied by a rise in “pump-and-dump” strategies, scams, cyberthefts, and substantial financial losses. These occurrences serve as stark reminders of the risks associated with the speculative nature of memecoins.

Solana takes center stage in memecoins scams

As a crypto enthusiast, I’ve noticed that many meme coins seem to have a connection with the Solana blockchain. This platform has been subject to criticism due to its more centralized structure, raising concerns among the community.

More recently, Edward Snowden, a previous NSA intelligence contractor turned whistleblower, voiced apprehensions regarding the centralization he observed. He pointed out that although this centralization might boost efficiency, it has unfortunately evolved into a breeding ground for memecoins and fraudulent activities.

As per Snowden’s statements, focusing too much on speed and performance in SOL unintentionally fosters an environment conducive to dubious initiatives. This has sparked concerns about the durability and safety of the entire blockchain over the long term.

Read Solana’s [SOL] Price Prediction 2024–2025

As expected he put it best when he said,

However, its usage is limited primarily to meme-based coins and fraudulent activities. It seems that when something substantial is added to it, governments start showing interest.

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2024-10-26 08:40