James Wynn Predicts PEPE Could Reach $69 Billion Market Cap by 2026 as Meme Coins Rally

James Wynn, a prominent trader known for his high-profile activity on Hyperliquid, has reignited the meme coin narrative after predicting that PEPE could surge to a staggering $69 billion market capitalization by the end of 2026. The bold forecast has already sent ripples through the crypto market, triggering aggressive buying activity and renewed interest in meme coins.

Wynn’s conviction in PEPE is not new. When the token’s market cap was hovering around just $600,000, he publicly stated that it had the potential to evolve into a multi-billion-dollar asset. Blockchain data later confirmed that his early bet paid off handsomely, with Wynn reportedly earning tens of millions of dollars from the trade, all of which was transparently recorded on-chain.

In his latest analysis, Wynn drew a direct comparison between PEPE and Shiba Inu, one of the most explosive meme coin success stories of the previous cycle. SHIB famously climbed from a $3.5 billion valuation to more than $41 billion in less than a month. According to Wynn, PEPE’s current social engagement metrics are even stronger than SHIB’s were at the time, suggesting that a similar or even larger move could unfold.

“Now, I’m calling PEPE to go from $1.7 billion to $69 billion+ in 2026 or I delete my account,” Wynn stated, doubling down on his conviction.

The market reacted swiftly. Shortly after the prediction was shared, PEPE’s price jumped nearly 20%, pushing its market capitalization close to $2 billion. If Wynn’s forecast proves accurate, PEPE would need to rise roughly 35 times from its current valuation, a scenario that has reignited debate around meme coin cycles.

Wynn’s journey with PEPE, however, has not been without setbacks. During the prolonged price decline that began in July, he opened multiple highly leveraged long positions, several of which resulted in liquidations. Despite these losses, Wynn has remained publicly bullish, framing the recent pullbacks as temporary pauses rather than structural weakness.

Meanwhile, analyst SΞA offered a different perspective on PEPE’s recent rally, pointing to U.S. tax dynamics as a key catalyst. According to the analyst, many American investors were sitting on unrealized losses toward the end of 2025 and chose to sell their holdings to lock in tax deductions. This wave of tax-loss harvesting temporarily pressured prices lower, converting paper losses into realized losses.

As the 2026 tax year began, bullish investors quickly re-entered the market, buying back their PEPE positions almost immediately. This sudden influx of demand pushed PEPE’s 24-hour trading volume above $600 million, the highest level recorded in over a month, according to CoinGecko data.

PEPE was not alone in its resurgence. The opening weeks of 2026 saw a broader meme coin rally that revived speculation about an upcoming meme season. Milady Cult Coin (CULT) doubled in price after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin posted “Milady is back” and updated his profile image to a Milady avatar. Floki (FLOKI) also staged a notable recovery, climbing roughly 10% over the same period.

Investor sentiment around meme coins remains sharply divided. Some market participants see PEPE’s rally as the early signal of a broader risk-on shift, while others remain cautious. One investor commented that PEPE often acts as a leading indicator for meme coin bull phases, suggesting that explosive moves tend to begin there before spreading across the sector.

On-chain analytics firm CryptoQuant, however, shows that overall memecoin dominance remains relatively low, with no definitive confirmation that a sustained meme season has begun. Analysts warn that Bitcoin has yet to demonstrate clear strength, leaving room for another market pullback if broader conditions deteriorate.

Despite the uncertainty, supporters of meme coins argue that these assets play a crucial role in crypto’s attention economy. While fundamentally driven altcoins appeal to long-term investors, meme coins often attract retail participants, generate viral momentum, and inject liquidity into the market. As history has shown, when speculation returns, meme coins are frequently the fastest to react.

Whether PEPE can truly reach a $69 billion valuation by 2026 remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the meme coin narrative is far from dead and traders like James Wynn are betting that PEPE will once again lead the charge.