Hot Tokens Learning Week 5: MEME Sector Heats Up Again | Onchain Cloud Mainnet May Become the Turning Point of FIL

Overview

ZEC has been attracting significant attention recently; a Grayscale report highlights privacy demand, and Bitwise has filed a ZEC ETF application.

In 2026, the Onchain Cloud mainnet is viewed as a potential turning point for FIL and may drive explosive enterprise adoption.

Dogecoin (DOGE) is the first meme coin, with fast transaction and low fees, suitable for micro-payments and tipping.

Pepe (PEPE) is a decentralized meme coin based on the Pepe the Frog meme.

Bonk (BONK) is a community-driven dog-themed meme coin that now has certain utility features.

ZEC

Project Introduction

Launched in October 2016, Zcash (ZEC) is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency developed by the Electric Coin Company (ECC) and the Zcash Foundation. Its core technology is zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge), which allow users to choose between transparent transactions (visible publicly like Bitcoin) and shielded transactions (fully hiding sender, receiver, and amount while proving validity). Zcash is considered the “privacy version of digital cash”, emphasizing financial privacy and making it suitable for everyday payments and long-term storage.

Ecosystem Highlights

ZEC has been the top performer among large-cap tokens, with the privacy narrative dominating in Q4 2025. A Grayscale report has emphasized privacy demand, and Bitwise has filed an application for a ZEC ETF.

Technical upgrades include Zebra 3.1 (launched in late 2025) to improve the core infrastructure, the Zashi wallet shielding transactions by default, introduction of cross-chain privacy swaps and the 2026 plan of Layer-2 programmable privacy.

Institutional dynamics show Whale accumulation (Cypherpunk has accumulated $28 million worth of assets.) and widening Grayscale trust premiums; other privacy coins like Monero have also rallied.

Challenges include regulatory pressure and some exchanges delisting privacy coins, but Zcash’s optional privacy mode helps to achieve compliance.

Community Views

The community is overall highly bullish, viewing ZEC as the “king of privacy coins” and potentially the “next Bitcoin”:

Bullish: Privacy is the core narrative expected to dominate in 2026 with institutional ETF interest and regulatory-driven demand; growth in shielded pools indicates real adoption; low overall awareness (only 8% voted in the poll) suggests upside potential, with active developers and strong cryptography.

Bearish/Cautious: A minority see ZEC as speculative pump-and-dump rather than genuine privacy adoption; regulatory risks remain; some prefer default-privacy coins like Monero.

Overall: After a breakout in 2025, the community believes privacy demand will drive ZEC's ongoing strength, though heed must be given to volatility and regulation.

FIL

Project Introduction

Built on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), Filecoin (FIL) is a decentralized storage network developed by Protocol Labs, launching its mainnet in October 2020. It aims to create a global open storage market where clients pay FIL to rent storage space, and storage providers (miners) earn FIL for reliably storing data. Core proofs include PoRep (Proof of Replication) and PoSt (Proof of Spacetime) to ensure secure storage of data, and in 2025 the network added Proof of Data Possession (PDP) to support proven hot retrieval performance.

Ecosystem Highlights

In 2025, the FVM (Filecoin Virtual Machine) ecosystem saw increased activity, with DeFi TVL surpassing $100 million. The launch of PDP enabled verifiable hot storage.

Major upgrades: Filecoin Onchain Cloud was introduced in November 2025 with active testnet and is expected to launch its mainnet in January 2026, offering verifiable storage, fast data retrieval, and programmable on-chain payments. Onchain Cloud supports AI/data workflows, automated payments, and has over 100 teams building on it.

Its development trend shifts toward DePIN + AI data narratives, S3-compatible storage (e.g., Akave Cloud), on-chain replication repair expected in 2026, expanded SDKs, and cross-chain integrations.

Challenges include competition from centralized cloud providers and selling pressure from miners. However, upgrades are increasing utility and demand is gradually rising.

The 2026 Onchain Cloud mainnet is viewed as a turning point, potentially catalyzing explosive enterprise adoption.

Community Views

The community is cautiously optimistic, regarding FIL as a “DePIN storage king” and “backbone of AI data layers”:

Bullish: The Onchain Cloud mainnet (scheduled for January 2026) is expected to ignite adoption; FVM and PDP provide technical leadership; supply is entering a deflationary phase combined with an AI/DePIN narrative driving toward new all-time highs (forecast range $5-50+, long-term $150-200); recent technical breakout is bullish (wedge/flag breakout).

Bullish Forecast: Many market participants expect a strong rebound in 2026, with increasing whale accumulation and growing institutional interest.

Bearish/Cautious: FIL is down 99 % from its all-time high, with heavy selling pressure from miners; adoption has been slow and competition is fierce; a minority view it as a “dead coin” or argue it needs real demand to prove its value.

Views on X: Recent posts have been dominated by discussions of technical breakouts, price predictions, and excitement around Onchain Cloud; bullish sentiment is prevailing, though many also caution about volatility risk.

Overall: After 2025 upgrades, the community believes the 2026 Onchain Cloud mainnet will spark FIL’s resurgence with increasing adoption and supply dynamics as key metrics.

DOGE

Project Introduction

Dogecoin (DOGE) is the first meme coin, created in December 2013 by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer. It uses the Scrypt-based Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism, with about 1-minute block times, fast transactions, and low fees, making it suitable for small payments and tipping.

Community Views

The community is generally optimistic but pragmatic, seeing DOGE as the “king of meme coins”:

Bullish: The 2026 meme season and potential ETFs may fuel rebounds with whale buying and a loyal community; Elon Musk’s influence persists with popular “to the moon” sentiment.

Bearish/Cautious: Inflation has weighed on crypto prices; the market saw significant declines (more than 60%) in 2025 with relatively few developers involved. As many view DOGE as an "old coin", speculative enthusiasm waned and retail interest shifted to new meme tokens. Regulatory uncertainty and stricter scrutiny have also contributed to slower adoption.

Overall: After the 2025 lows, the community anticipates a 2026 revival driven by ETF and market sentiment, but acknowledges structural headwinds as well.

PEPE

Project Introduction

Pepe (PEPE) is a decentralized meme coin based on the Pepe the Frog meme. It was launched on the Ethereum network as an ERC-20 token in April 2023. Created by an anonymous team with no formal roadmap or utility, it is driven purely by community and meme culture, with an aim to "make meme coins great again". By following the successful path of Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, it emphasizes simplicity, zero-tax mechanics, and a burn system to appeal to retail and meme fans.

Community Views

The community is broadly bullish, regarding PEPE as a “leader among meme coins”:

Bullish: Expectations of explosive moves in 2026; whale accumulation and high community enthusiasm.

Bearish/Cautious: Zero inherent utility; the 2025 drawdowns have greatly hurt confidence; sufficient macro-market liquidity is required and if liquidity remains tight or there are no catalysts, prices could retest the lows.

Overall: After the 2025 lows, the community expects a 2026 rebound led by viral events and rotation, while noting structural risks.

BONK

Inspired by the Shiba Inu meme, Bonk (BONK) is a community-driven dog-themed meme coin created by an anonymous team. It aims to revitalize the Solana ecosystem, especially after the FTX collapse, and 50% of its initial supply was air-dropped to Solana NFT holders, developers, and artists as a “people’s currency”. Over time it has evolved toward utility, with 400+ application integrations across DeFi, NFT, gaming, and charity sectors.

Community Views

The community is highly upbeat, seeing BONK as the “Solana meme king” and "one of the first meme coins with utility":

Bullish: Strong ecosystem momentum (e.g., BonkFun leadership and burn mechanisms); expected breakout in 2026; deflationary dynamics and explosive Solana growth.

Bearish/Cautious: The valuation model has been questioned by the community; the sharp downturn in 2025 has weighed on confidence; FUD narratives label it as “useless speculation”; it needs real adoption to prove itself; a minority regard it as a “farm chain”, and competition is intense.

Overall: After 2025 ecosystem gains, the community believes utility and compliance in 2026 will drive BONK’s recovery, with a focus on token burns and market rotation, while cautioning against meme-coin risks.