Pudgy Pandas (PANDA) has rapidly gained momentum, raising $3.6 million in its presale since launching on September 15, with support initially booming in China and Korea before spreading globally. The meme coin went viral after a prominent presence at Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul, where billboards, airdrops, and attendees wearing panda masks fueled adoption. Presale funding surged by $200,000 within minutes of launch, driven by viral marketing campaigns in trendy Seoul districts like Gangnam.
The presale is scheduled to end on October 18, with token prices increasing every 72 hours—currently at $0.03138—and rumors of imminent listings on major exchanges like Binance and Bybit are accelerating investor interest. PANDA has trended worldwide on X (formerly Twitter), which has over 650 million monthly users, drawing comparisons to successful Asian meme coins like PEIPEI, which saw a 28,000% rally after Western adoption.
Holders of PENGU, a rival meme coin that peaked at a $2.7 billion market cap but has declined since September 15, are now rotating capital into PANDA. This shift highlights PANDA's perceived stronger community backing, contrasted with PENGU's slump amid broader meme market cynicism. Influencers such as Donald Trump Jr. and Arthur Hayes exposed PANDA to a global audience at KBW, bolstering its crossover potential.