Dogecoin ETF to debut soon, price expected to skyrocket

The crypto community is expecting the first U.S. exchange-traded fund (ETF) linked to a meme coin to debut on Sep. 18.

While the Rex Shares-Osprey Dogecoin ETF (DOJE) could indeed mark a breakthrough for the pioneering meme coin, its apparent lack of utility has triggered questions.

Related: What are meme coins? Explained

"Pretty sure this is first-ever US ETF to hold something that has no utility on purpose," Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas earlier remarked.

Balchunas clarified he wasn't judging DOGE but people should own the fact that meme coins are for "fun and speculation."

However, there is more to the Dogecoin ETF than its lack of utility. Ray Youssef, CEO of the financial communication super app NoOnes, told TheStreet Roundtable that investor demand is driving the fund's launch.Ray Youssef listens during the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, Florida, U.S., on Saturday, June 5, 2021. The biggest Bitcoin event in the world brings a sold-out crowd of 12,000 attendees and thousands more to Miami for a two-day conference.

Youssef said that DOJE's launch for TradFi signifies that investor demand and not the question of “utility” is now the primary driver in shaping choices for the next wave of crypto-linked investment products.

The launch will prove the "sustainability" of the memecoin ETF category despite the absence of coin utility, he added.

"But these very characteristics could make it popular among retail investors and high-frequency traders who treat crypto as a proxy for internet culture and social momentum."

Youssef predicts 30% DOGE rally

If risk appetite returns to the market decisively, the ETF's strong performance could convince TradFi investors to diversify their portfolio from other coins into Dogecoin, Youssef added.

Even modest inflows into DOJE could lead to Dogecoin rallying to $0.35 by Q1 2026, he predicted. As the meme coin was trading at $0.2681 at the moment, it would be a jump of 30%.

However, Youssef predicted an underwhelming flow to cause a "cascading decline" to $0.24.

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Youssef predicts 30% XRP rally

The Rex Shares-Osprey XRP ETF is also expected to be launched this week.

Youssef predicted that strong inflows into the fund, coupled with synchronized approvals for other XRP ETFs, could drive XRP's price to $3.50 with a breakout to $4 in Q1 2026.

As XRP was trading at $3.03 at press time, it would be a jump of more than 30%.

Related: What are meme coins? Explained

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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