The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released a statement addressing the status of meme coins under federal securities laws. According to the Division of Corporation Finance, meme coins—crypto assets inspired by internet trends, characters, or current events—are not considered securities. This clarification highlights the speculative nature of these assets and their primary role in entertainment and community engagement rather than financial investment.

Meme Coins: Speculative Hype or Digital Collectibles?

Meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have gained traction over the years and have become a big part of the cryptocurrency market. Their value is primarily driven by social media, community speculation, and hype instead of any real use. The SEC’s statement is that meme coins are more akin to digital collectibles, rather than investment assets which underscored their extreme volatility and lack of any real utility.

Meme coins do not yield any profit, ownership in a company, or provide a stake in one which makes them unlike stocks and bonds. Therefore, the SEC ruled that subsequent transactions in meme coins do not constitute the sale of securities and thus, no regulatory registration is required. But on the flip side, this means that investors of these assets do not have any protection under federal securities laws, placing them into market risk and potential fraud.

Fan Tokens: A Similar but More Engaging Crypto Asset

While meme coins thrive on internet culture and speculation, Fan Tokens share some resemblance but capture bigger scopes. These tokens, which are issued by sports teams, allow for the holders to enjoy certain experiences like voting on merchandise in addition to special items for the fans.

The way meme tokens are made, Fan Tokens have the same concept. But the Fan Tokens value does not stem from speculative assets – it has real world benefits and interaction. Clubs like Atletico De Madrid have adopted the use of Fan Tokens as a marketing strategy to strengthen relationships with their fans while using blockchain.

Though the SEC proves that meme tokens are not securities, they bring in a nice discussion about how to classify the tokens. Given their objective of promoting club engagement and access to fan club activities, Fan Tokens may be considered digital assets of membership for mere speculative purposes.

As regulatory approaches will change for everything within crypto fandom, this movement will change how these assets are used in the future. At this moment, the only certainty is that they both will be user-based with value stemming from market demand and confidence.