Metavesco, Inc., a diversified holding company and architect of the OTCfi ecosystem, has congratulated DeFi Dev Corp on launching its DONT memecoin, making DeFi Dev Corp the second publicly traded company to enter the memecoin market. This development follows Metavesco's own historic launch of OTCfi in September 2025, when it became the first publicly traded company to launch a memecoin via Pump.fun on the Solana blockchain.
The significance of this announcement lies in its validation of the OTC market's capacity for financial innovation. Ryan Schadel, CEO of Metavesco, stated that competition validates their thesis, noting that when a Nasdaq company follows a path pioneered on the OTC, it demonstrates that innovation doesn't require a big board listing but rather vision and execution. This perspective challenges traditional hierarchies in financial markets, suggesting that smaller exchanges can lead technological adoption.
Metavesco has established a consistent track record as a first mover at the intersection of public markets and blockchain technology. The company was the first fully reporting public company to launch liquidity pools on Uniswap, the first to recognize revenue from an airdrop (specifically ApeCoin), and the first to own a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, which was the source of that airdrop. Following their memecoin launch, Metavesco also became the first public company to claim creator rewards on Pump.fun and to airdrop a token to the trading community.
Schadel emphasized that innovation happens everywhere, not just on major exchanges, pointing out that the OTC market has over 10,000 securities and a passionate retail trading community. He added that Metavesco recently became the first public company to have its memecoin listed on CoinGecko, further demonstrating the OTC market's potential for leadership in digital asset development.
The timeline of Metavesco's memecoin initiative includes several key milestones. In August 2025, the company released a white paper titled "Tokenizing the OTC: A Vision for Transparency, Liquidity, and Growth" ahead of an SEC roundtable with Commissioner Hester Peirce. This was followed by announcements of forthcoming historic developments, culminating in September 2025 with the first token airdrop by a public company and the first public company claiming creator rewards on Pump.fun.
OTCfi, described as the Community Token of the OTC, aims to unite traders, holders, and issuers to bring transparency, liquidity, and social energy on chain. Built on Solana, it is designed to become the digital asset treasury token of choice for OTC issuers. Metavesco is developing a suite of tools within the OTCfi Ecosystem for OTC issuers and investors, with more information available at otcfi.io.
This development matters because it signals a broader acceptance of cryptocurrency initiatives by publicly traded companies, potentially increasing legitimacy and adoption of digital assets in traditional finance. The entry of multiple public companies into the memecoin space could influence regulatory discussions, market structures, and investment strategies, bridging the gap between conventional securities markets and emerging blockchain technologies.
