Another textbook-level failure case. PEPE bought in at 27 cents, with unrealized gains soaring to 57 million, but it got stuck at the withdrawal stage—blacklisted by the contract, assets completely frozen. This isn't a story; it's a tragedy that repeats itself throughout the crypto world.

This exposes a harsh truth: holding tokens in your wallet ≠ truly owning that money. As long as the smart contract still holds the highest permissions, project teams can change rules, freeze accounts, or increase issuance at any time. All the prosperity is built on trust, and trust is most fragile when the potential for huge profits tempts the most.

Does the MEME track have no way out? Not necessarily. Opportunities in 2026 might be hidden in projects that truly dare to decentralize authority. For example, some new MEME tokens have completely destroyed the highest permissions—no more issuance, no contract modification options, liquidity permanently locked. All rules are hardcoded on-chain, with no backdoors, no privileged accounts, no "delete key."

Under this architecture, project teams can't scam you. Risks are thoroughly sealed off at the contract level. Bull markets are never short of stories of getting rich quickly; what’s truly scarce is the story of being able to withdraw your money safely after getting rich.

In the next market cycle, projects with high transparency and clean permission structures are worth paying attention to. Before jumping in, remember to do one thing: review the contract code to confirm permissions have truly been relinquished and liquidity genuinely locked. This verification process might be the difference between you and the next PEPE.