Cuba launches and rugs three memecoins in 24 hours, first coin pumps to $30M market cap

Cuba launched and rugged three memecoins back to back within a span of 24 hours. The first Solana-based meme coin, CUBA, pumped to a $30M market cap before vanishing into thin air. All the coins were launched through the Pump.fun meme creating platform.

According to crypto trader Ash Crypto, Cuba launched CUBA, then CUBA 2.0, and lastly, JUSTICE FOR CUBA, but rugged them all. The posts announcing the memecoins have since been deleted from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs official X account, ‘Cancillería de Cuba’, suggesting a possible hack.

What would have been a great initiative by Cuba to launch the country’s first-ever meme coin reflected a strategic adaptation to global crypto trends. The failed initiative(s) revealed the complexities regarding public adoption and the inherent volatility witnessed in the crypto industry.

The series of memecoin launch scams leaves the crypto community startled

Did we have the first ever country to launch a pumpfun?🤣@CubaMINREX official country account launched 2 $CUBA back to back & rugged them!🪦

X is hacked but I would've not been surprised if I was witnessing a country launch its coin at this point!

TIME TO CTO A COUNTRY?!😂 pic.twitter.com/n6tkw28wi5

— Momin (@mominsaqib) January 20, 2025

A shocking series of events today saw Cuba reportedly launch not one, but three memecoins within a period of 24 hours. Each one of the coins was ‘rug pulled’ shortly after. The developers abruptly abandoned the meme projects and withdrew all the liquidity from the three coins, causing their values to plummet. The scams caught the attention of the crypto industry, highlighting the risks within the memecoin sector. The three coins followed a similar pattern where they were launched, promoted, gained traction, and then rugged, leaving investors at a loss on all three occasions. 

The events documented through various X posts saw the users express disbelief and frustration. According to the Anti Rug Agent platform, CUBA had a safety score of 41.56%, with the highest individual holder owning nearly 4.2% of the coin’s total supply. While minting was locked, the project had over 14K wallets 5 hours after its launch. The top ten holders owned about 20% of the token’s supply, valued at $1.7 million, and the LP burn status remained unknown. The total value of all the CUBA tokens in supply was approximately $8.4 million as of the time of publication. 

The scam introduction of CUBA came after years of Cuba recognizing and in the process of regulating crypto, largely due to the U.S. embargo restricting traditional financial interactions. Crypto use in Cuba has been on an upward trend, with use cases ranging from sending remittances to online shopping and local transactions. The actual penetration into every Cuban citizen’s everyday life is, however, still limited by technological illiteracy and little access to the internet.

Cuba’s rugged memecoins leave behind hard lessons

The supposed rapid rise and fall of the three meme coins serve as a cautionary tale for crypto investors in the high-risk, high-reward memecoins landscape, where the allure of quick gains often overshadows due diligence. The deceptive event today led to calls for strict regulations and oversight to protect investors. 

Deleted tweets from the ‘Cancillería de Cuba’ X account left behind a trail of hard lessons for those involved. Most of the tweets collectively painted a picture of coordinated efforts to take advantage of the hype surrounding national-themed meme coins.

Despite the unfortunate turn of events, Cuba’s initiative to recognize and regulate crypto represented a significant shift aimed at integrating into the global crypto economy while tackling challenges in local financial systems. The scam launch of CUBA revealed the potential impact of similar crypto projects on the island country. 

CUBA’s introduction was seen as an effort to facilitate crucial financial services in a country where international sanctions hindered traditional banking. The central bank of Cuba was setting up crypto regulatory frameworks aimed at fighting money laundering and fraud while pushing for innovation. One X user noted that Cuba had entered the crypto arena with the Solana-based CUBA but the excitement was short-lived.

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