Dogecoin looks set to join the ETF era this week, with the Rex-Osprey DOGE ETF ($DOJE) expected to debut in U.S. markets under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The launch would marks the first U.S. exchange-traded fund built around a token with no intended utility beyond speculation and culture, Bloomberg senior analyst Eric Balchunas, who flagged the launch, said in an X post.
The product, distributed by Foreside Fund Services, is backed by REX Shares and Osprey Funds, the same team that brought a Solana staking ETF ($SSK) to market earlier this year. Traders expect heightened volatility in the weeks ahead, with DOGE already trading up 17% in the past week on expectations of the forthcoming launch.
Jordan Jefferson, CEO of DogeOS and MyDoge, called the ETF a watershed in a note to CoinDesk.
“Dogecoin started as a joke, and now Wall Street finally gets it. The ETF approval proves that institutional investors recognize the real value in community, culture, and accessibility,” he said. “When pension funds are buying the asset that started as a joke, you know we’ve reached a unique moment in financial history.”
“Institutional capital flowing into DOGE provides new liquidity and stability while the Dogecoin ecosystem continues expanding with apps, games, and utility through DogeOS. The combination of Wall Street investment and grassroots community creates a foundation for sustained growth that few assets can match,” Peterson added.
The DOGE ETF also comes as other memecoin products push for SEC approval. Canary Capital Group recently filed for a spot ETF tied to TRUMP Coin, a Solana-based token linked to President Donald Trump.
A wave of 1933 Act filings remains pending with the agency, while $DOJE will slip through under the 40 Act structure already used by $SSK.
Market participants will watch closely to see whether inflows into DOGE ETFs expand the memecoin trade into regulated products, or whether liquidity remains concentrated on centralized exchanges.
Either way, the listing is indicative of how cultural tokens are moving into mainstream financial wrappers — an institutionalization of memecoins few would have anticipated even a short time ago.
