Memecoins and artificial intelligence, particularly AI agents, have emerged as leading narratives of 2024. Binance has analyzed these market segments and shared its expectations regarding their prospects.
Memecoins were a standout trend of 2024 and dominated crypto mindshare. Not far behind was the AI narrative, with AI agents in particular picking up steam over the last few months.
We recently discussed these topics in our Full-Year 2024 & Themes for 2025 Report ? pic.twitter.com/zgh7Ps42AO
— Binance Research (@BinanceResearch) February 4, 2025
Researchers attributed the buzz around memecoins to their “fair launch”—the absence of hidden distributions among insiders and token unlocks.
An additional factor was accessibility through Telegram bots and platforms like Pump.fun.
In 2024, there was a surge in sentiment against venture companies, fueled by the disappointing performance of many assets.
The issue of “low circulating token volume and high FDV” created a perception that retail users “lost” while early investors “won.” This became “fuel” for the memecoin narrative.
Experts suggest that creating and trading memecoins at sky-high prices should be viewed as akin to an AAA game. The sector offered users the opportunity to seek high rewards amid increased risks.
The sector’s activity is distributed between Ethereum and Solana. The second-largest cryptocurrency continues to host the largest and most established coins like DOGE, SHIB, and PEPE.
Solana has taken the lead due to low fees and the absence of fragmentation in its product line. The popularity of Phantom, Jupiter, and Pump.fun also played a role.
AI Agents
Turning to AI agents, experts noted that the segment is formed by two main areas:
- the digital assistants themselves;
- infrastructure providers.
AI agents focused on the market and entertainment have gained the most popularity.
AI Agent Frameworks
In the second category, researchers highlighted the elizaOS project (formerly Ai16z). Using an SDK, the framework provides integrations into Discord, X, Telegram, and other apps.
Analysts noted that in the first quarter, elizaOS will launch an AI-managed investment DAO.
The roadmap includes tokenomics modernization, the launch of a launchpad for digital assistants, expanding their capabilities, and funding public goods.
Another project in this area—Virtuals—focuses on entertainment AI agents and implements a development model using assistant coins and its own Virtuals token. The G.A.M.E. framework places special emphasis on game integration.
Experts also highlighted Zerebro, Griffain, vvaifu.fun, and AIXBT. The latter provides market commentary and is particularly popular.
Moreover, the economy of AI agents operating on a SaaS model is growing.
Binance noted that teams are currently focused on creating so-called “swarms.” Such groups of digital assistants come together to solve complex tasks.
Many companies, including OpenAI and Google, are working in this direction.
Earlier, CoinGecko identified memecoins as the main trend among traders in 2024.
Previously, the community expressed doubts about the long-term popularity of AI agents.