CartelFi hits $1.5m in presale as memecoins move into DeFi

Memecoin markets are evolving, and CartelFi is betting that passive income will be the next wave.

With its presale crossing $1,542,503 in early May, CartelFi is positioning itself as a decentralised finance (DeFi) layer built for meme tokens—assets often known more for their volatility than their utility.

Instead of selling these tokens, CartelFi allows holders to stake them and earn yield through a native token called CARTFI. The platform’s pitch is clear: if meme tokens have value, they should work harder for their holders.

The project runs on Ethereum and offers staking rewards up to 1000% annual percentage yield (APY), far above typical DeFi returns.

While the platform is still pre-launch, the three-month presale format with fixed price increases and structured burns is gaining traction.

In a landscape dominated by speculative meme tokens like Bonk or Dogwifhat, CartelFi’s approach combines meme-driven virality with mechanisms usually found in more serious DeFi protocols.

Not just a meme: DeFi mechanics for idle tokens

Unlike PEPE or WIF, which trade purely on market sentiment, CartelFi introduces staking as its primary use case.

Users can deposit meme coins into fixed-term pools and earn rewards in CARTFI, which is then bought back and partially burned using protocol fees.

This model blends deflationary supply with redistributive rewards—both features aimed at increasing long-term token value.

The project has three staking tiers. The highest-yield option is a six-month lock at a 1000% APY. Four-month and three-month pools offer 250% and 150% APYs, respectively.

Though aggressive, the model is structured to incentivise long-term holding while driving transaction volume through burns.

Platform fees are used to buy CARTFI off the market, and 50% of those tokens are destroyed permanently—reducing supply as usage grows.

A fixed cap and rising presale

CartelFi’s token supply is capped at 1 billion CARTFI. Twenty-five percent is reserved for presale investors, with another 25% earmarked for liquidity and trading incentives post-launch.

The rest is split between ecosystem development, community marketing, staking rewards, and treasury.

The presale began on 8 April 2025 and will end in July. Every 72 hours, the token price rises by 5%—a model intended to reward early entrants. Buyers can use ETH, SOL, BNB, USDC, or USDT to purchase CARTFI.

At the time of writing, CartelFi has already moved through multiple pricing stages and raised over $1.5 million, with further interest expected as centralised exchange listings and staking pools go live in Q3.

How CartelFi compares in today’s market

CartelFi’s entry comes as the memecoin market faces saturation. Coins like Bonk and Dogwifhat exploded in popularity in late 2024, but offered no built-in yield.

WIF remains speculative, and Bonk, despite its community strength, lacks a deflationary supply or utility. CartelFi instead targets that gap—building on the assumption that meme assets are here to stay, and that holders will eventually want more than price speculation.

Compared to traditional DeFi tokens like AAVE or COMP, CartelFi’s model is narrower in scope but more aggressive in its design.

Where blue-chip DeFi platforms offer single- or double-digit APYs, CartelFi makes high-yield staking central to its protocol, with fees recycled into rewards and buybacks.

Whether this translates into long-term sustainability will depend on adoption post-presale, but for now, it presents a novel approach in a crowded market.

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