Crypto Traders Made $100 Million on Melania Trump Memecoin Launch

By: financefeeds|2025/05/07 07:00:07

A group of crypto traders reportedly made around $100 million in profit by buying Melania Trump’s memecoin just minutes before its official launch. According to a report by the Financial Times , the traders spent $2.6 million to acquire 16.7 million $MELANIA tokens shortly before the First Lady announced the project publicly on January 19. The price of the token climbed from roughly $2.00 to $12.95 following the announcement, a 550% increase, and the traders sold most of their holdings within 12 hours. The FT identified 24 wallets that accumulated the bulk of the pre-launch tokens, with another 22 wallets buying roughly $900,000 worth of tokens in the 42 seconds following the announcement. The suspicious timing raised concerns of insider trading or advance knowledge of the launch. The memecoin’s debut came just two days after Donald Trump revealed his own TRUMP token , which has also drawn scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers. Some politicians voiced concerns about potential corruption, conflicts of interest, and even foreign influence. Criticism intensified after it was revealed that top TRUMP token holders would receive invitations to a private dinner and tour with the president, prompting at least one senator to call for impeachment proceedings. Despite their explosive launches, both tokens have since seen steep declines. At the time of writing, MELANIA is trading at around $0.31, and TRUMP has dropped to $10.90. The TRUMP token did enjoy a brief price boost after the dinner announcement in April but quickly fell again. Adding to the controversy, two companies connected to Donald Trump reportedly control about 80% of the TRUMP token supply, although a large portion of those holdings is locked and set to vest over the next three years. Critics warned that the structure leaves room for insiders to potentially pull the rug on retail investors, especially as political and regulatory scrutiny over crypto and campaign fundraising heats up. For his part, Trump gave conflicting responses on whether he has financially benefited from his own cryptocurrency project during a Meet the Press interview released May 4. When pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker about profiting from the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin launched in January, Trump responded, “I haven’t even looked,” and insisted, “I’m not profiting from anything.” However, he added, “If I own stock in something and I do a good job, and the stock market goes up, I guess I’m profiting.”

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.

2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights

Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.

Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.

Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.

Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.

Core Consumer Food Business Performance

In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.

The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.

In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.

Bitcoin Reserve Update

In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.

As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.

As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC

Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC

DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."

Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation

About DDC Enterprise Limited

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.

The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.

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DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins