The crypto market is known for dramatic rotations. Meme coins like Shiba Inu (SHIB) once dominated headlines with spectacular rallies, but in 2025, the landscape looks different. With SHIB slipping again and struggling to regain its former firepower, traders and analysts are shifting their focus to a new type of contender: utility-driven DeFi protocols still available at ground-floor prices. One project leading that conversation is Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a DeFi token under $0.05 that combines innovative lending mechanics with explosive early momentum.
Shiba Inu (SHIB)
Shiba Inu’s early days were the stuff of crypto legend. A token launched in August 2020 for fractions of a cent rallied thousands of percent by October 2021, hitting an all-time high of $0.000088. That run turned a few hundred dollars into life-changing wealth for its earliest backers, cementing SHIB’s place in meme coin history.
But fast-forward to today, and the picture is less dramatic. SHIB trades near $0.0000120 with a market capitalization of about $7.5 billion. The coin has slipped around 3.55% in the past week and has struggled to build sustainable upward momentum. The problem is structural: with nearly 589 trillion SHIB tokens in circulation, each uptick in price requires billions in new inflows, a near impossibility compared to its early days.
SHIB still has a loyal community and remains relevant thanks to its Shibarium layer-2 project and ecosystem apps. Yet in terms of ROI potential, analysts suggest SHIB’s biggest gains are behind it. The meme coin model thrives on culture and virality, but in a maturing market, investors increasingly look for projects with utility to sustain long-term growth.
Mutuum Finance (MUTM)
This is where Mutuum Finance (MUTM) comes in. Launched in early 2025, Mutuum Finance is building a decentralized lending and borrowing ecosystem where lenders, borrowers, and liquidators all interact within a unified framework. Its design prioritizes sustainability, capital efficiency, and adoption, qualities that meme tokens like SHIB lack.
The protocol introduces dual-lending markets, blending protocol-to-contract (P2C) liquidity with pooled peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. Borrowers can select variable interest rates that adjust dynamically with liquidity conditions or stable-rate options that lock in predictability. Liquidators are incentivized to step in when collateral positions weaken, ensuring solvency and stability.
Depositors receive mtTokens, yield-bearing receipts that accrue interest in real time while staying liquid and transferable across DeFi. This allows users to earn passive income without locking up capital, a feature analysts describe as critical for long-term adoption.
Presale Momentum
To date, Mutuum Finance’s presale has raised more than $17.1 million, onboarded over 16,800 holders, and allocated upwards of 750 million tokens, signaling strong momentum well before launch. Phase 6 pricing remains at just $0.035, but with Phase 7 set to increase by nearly 20% to $0.04 and the final listing price fixed at $0.06, the structured price progression builds both urgency and clarity. Early backers from the first stages are positioned for significant MUTM value upside approaching listing, while new entrants still have room to benefit from the final presale phases. This predictable trajectory helps foster investor confidence, setting MUTM apart from many early-stage projects that rely on unclear or volatile pricing strategies.
Adding to investor confidence, Mutuum has passed a CertiK audit with a token score of 90/100, launched a $50,000 bug bounty program to harden security, and announced a $100,000 community giveaway to reward early supporters. Even whales are paying attention, with a recent $125,000 allocation made within the last 12 hours.
SHIB vs. MUTM: The ROI Contrast
The contrast between SHIB and MUTM is stark. SHIB rewarded its earliest adopters with astronomical returns, but its enormous market cap makes similar surges nearly impossible today. Even a doubling of price would require billions in new inflows and still leave investors with only modest percentage gains.
MUTM, by comparison, is still at the ground floor. Priced under $0.05 and backed by real utility, the token’s roadmap includes a live beta platform at launch, stablecoin integration to deepen liquidity, and future Layer-2 scaling to cut costs and boost adoption. Each of these milestones represents not just hype but tangible catalysts for demand, and analysts expect such moves as 25x token appreciation or more as they unfold.
The Next Big Crypto Shift?
By the end of 2025, SHIB will likely remain a cultural icon and part of crypto’s meme legacy. But for traders seeking exponential upside, the story is moving elsewhere. Mutuum Finance combines early pricing, proven presale traction, and functional utility that begins the day the token lists. With whales already accumulating and presale phases nearly sold out, the window for discounted entry is narrowing.
The market may remember SHIB as yesterday’s meme-fueled rocket, but MUTM is shaping up as tomorrow’s utility-driven growth story. The choice now is between holding onto nostalgia or stepping into a ground-floor opportunity that could shape the next wave of DeFi.
For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM), visit the links below:
Website: https://www.mutuum.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance
The post Shiba Inu (SHIB) Loses Momentum, While This $0.035 DeFi Token Surges 250% and Attracts Over 16,800 Investors appeared first on Cryptonews.
