What started as a joke is worth more than IBEX 35 companies: the case of this crypto

What started as a joke is worth more than IBEX 35 companies: the case of this crypto

Dogecoin, born as a joke, has surpassed IBEX 35 companies in value. Its impact reveals how meme cryptocurrencies have evolved into multi-billion-dollar assets with real adoption and growing economic influence.

Dogecoin (DOGE) was created in 2013 by engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a sort of parody of the crypto market. 

Its creators were inspired by the popular internet meme of the Shiba Inu dog, with the initial purpose of satirize rampant speculation that characterized Bitcoin and altcoins at the time. However, what began as a digital joke has transformed into a cryptocurrency with a strong community, commercial adoption, and a market capitalization that today exceeds 27.000 million.

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Dogecoin outperforms most IBEX 35 companies

Dogecoin's current market capitalization places the memecoin above IBEX 35 companies such as ACS, Acciona, Banco Sabadell, Celnext Telecom, Grifols, Sacyr, Logista, IAG, Meliá Hotels or Unicaja BancoThe comparison is not trivial: we're talking about companies with decades of experience, thousands of employees, and an international presence. Therefore, the fact that a cryptocurrency born as a joke has surpassed its stock market value reflects not only the power of digital storytelling, but also the impact of meme culture on the contemporary economy.

Listed companies of the IBEX 35.
Listed companies of the IBEX 35.
Source: Five days

The push from figures like Elon Musk has been instrumental in the exponential growth that Dogecoin's price has experienced since its inception. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has promoted Dogecoin on multiple occasions, calling it “the people's cryptocurrency”Both companies have accepted DOGE as a payment method for select products, and its use has expanded to charitable donations and sporting events, such as transactions for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team. This adoption has cemented Dogecoin as a functional asset, beyond its humorous origins.

Dogecoin (DOGE) market capitalization.
Dogecoin (DOGE) market capitalization.
Source: CoinMarketCap
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The Strength of Community: The Legacy of Dogecoin

Originally, Dogecoin emerged as a technical derivation of Litecoin, based on the Scrypt algorithm. This technological foundation has allowed it to be an agile cryptocurrency, facilitating transactions with a remarkable speed and surprisingly low fees, features that made it ideal for the sphere of micropayments and digital tipping. 

Furthermore, unlike Bitcoin, which has a finite supply, Dogecoin stands out with an inflationary model, adding approximately 5 billion new coins per year to its ecosystem. While this quality has sparked debate among some analysts, it has also been instrumental in maintaining Dogecoin's accessibility for newcomers to the crypto world.

Likewise, the community that supports DOGE has been key to its evolution. From campaigns like "SaveDogemas"—created to recover funds after a theft in its early days—to fundraising initiatives for social causes, Dogecoin supporters have demonstrated an organizational capacity that rivals much more formal projects. On platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), the meme coin has maintained a constant presence, fueled by memes, discussions, and technical updates.

Other meme cryptos also outperform the IBEX 35

Dogecoin is not alone in this category. Cryptocurrencies such as Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Pepecoin (PEPE), although not born as a direct joke of the crypto market, have also reached capitalizations that exceed many companies in the IBEX 35. SHIB, for example, was launched as a “Dogecoin killer” and has achieved a massive community, with a presence on global exchanges such as Bit2Me and utility projects like Shibarium, its own blockchain network.

At the time of writing, Shiba Inu has a market capitalization of $7.300 billion, surpassing companies such as Crp Acc, Fluidra, Grifols, Indra Sistemas and MERLIN Prop., listed on the IBEX 35. 

Pepecoin, for its part, is based on the popular meme of Pepe the Frog and has experienced explosive growth in short periods, driven by social media virality and speculative interest. Although its value is more volatile, its market capitalization has reached over $4.000 billion, placing it above companies like Acerinox, Enagas, Inmob Colonial, Logista Integ and PharmaMar.

These cryptocurrencies, more than just memes, have become investment vehicles, capable of mobilizing communities and generating liquidity in a matter of hours.

The cryptocurrency meme phenomenon

In the world of digital finance, meme cryptocurrencies have burst onto the scene with unexpected force, sparking curiosity and skepticism in equal measure, leading to questions about whether they are simply a speculative game or could become a legitimate store of value. While only time will tell, Dogecoin, which began as a "joke" to the crypto world, reflects the potential these assets have for earn a place in the financial ecosystem.

Shiba Inu and Pepecoin, while still facing challenges in terms of utility and sustainability, have also demonstrated a strong ability to attract users and generate a high transaction volume that cannot be ignored. 

In this context, the comparison with IBEX 35 companies is not intended to belittle these companies, but rather to highlight how the financial paradigm is changing. The fact that a cryptocurrency born as a joke is more valuable than an international airline or a hotel chain is a fact that deserves attention. Not necessarily because Dogecoin is "better," but because it reflects a profound transformation in how value is constructed and perceived in the digital age.

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