Crypto
COVID-induced social isolation drove cryptocurrency investment up 75%
Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic saw an exponential rise in cryptocurrency investments which was partially driven by the stress of social isolation, QUT researchers have found.
The study’s results have major implications for financial advisors, marketers and policymakers on how to curb excessive risk-taking among isolated individuals.
The article, “Social isolation and risk-taking behavior: The case of COVID-19 and cryptocurrency,” was published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
Dr. Thusyanthy Lavan and Professor Brett Martin, from the QUT School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, with overseas colleagues, studied the consumer interest in cryptocurrency during the pandemic.
Dr. Lavan said the team looked at the impact of the pandemic’s prolonged enforced social isolation coupled with economic instability that drove risk-taking behavior, particularly in cryptocurrency investment.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, in January 2020, market capitalization of these online currencies was about $191 billion but had surged to $769 billion by December 2020,” Dr. Lavan said.
“This shift is underscored by the significant increase in the Bitcoin price, up 700% from March 2020 to March 2021.
“The attraction of these high-risk investments could be linked to their perceived potential for high returns during times of economic instability and market volatility.
“A further factor might be people’s tendency to try to reinstate some control in their lives and gravitate toward more autonomous and seemingly empowering activities, such as trading in cryptocurrencies.
“With this in mind, our aim was to look for the broader psychological responses to social isolation that catalyzed these changes in consumer decision-making, particularly in adopting new, and potentially riskier behaviors.
“Previous research has established the direct effects of social isolation on risk-taking behavior in non-purchase situations such as sharing of personal information on social media, but this is one of the first studies to examine risky purchase behavior.”
Professor Martin said they conducted a survey in December 2022 during a lockdown period in Australia of 216 participants screened for awareness of and familiarity with cryptocurrency but who were not current investors.
“By focusing on potential future investors, we aimed to capture unbiased perceptions and insights into cryptocurrency investment decisions,” Professor Martin said.
“Our survey sought to identify how three psychological constructs—perceived stress, sense of control and neuroticism—might underlie the relationship between social isolation and risk-taking behavior.
“Perceived stress is a personal interpretation of stress regarding a situation in a person’s life they consider to be beyond their adaptive capacities, while sense of control reflects a person’s belief in their ability to influence events and outcomes in their life.
“Neuroticism is a tendency to experience negative emotional states such as anxiety and impulsiveness.
“Our analysis of the results showed that perceived stress, rather than a sense of control or neuroticism, plays a key role in driving risk-taking behaviors during periods of social isolation.
Professor Martin said the researchers were not criticizing cryptocurrency.
“To be clear, my recently published research has shown how the process of cryptocurrency investing can have a positive effect on peoples’ lives.
“In this project, we looked at the effect of lockdowns and isolation-induced risk-taking. This research can provide insights on developing better support strategies for vulnerable populations.”
The research team comprised Dr. Lavan, Professor Martin, and Professor Weng Marc Lim and Professor Linda Hollebeek from Sunway University, Malayasia.
More information:
Thusyanthy Lavan et al, Social isolation and risk-taking behavior: The case of COVID-19 and cryptocurrency, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103951
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Crypto
New Cryptocurrency Pepeto Takes $10 Million as Solana Drops and Cardano Stays 92% Below Its Peak
The Senate Banking Committee passed the Clarity Act in a 15 to 9 vote, giving crypto its first real regulatory framework from Washington. Bitcoin jumped to $82,000 on the news before dropping to $77,800, but the new cryptocurrency pulling the most capital right now is not on any major exchange yet. Pepeto https://pepetocoin.com/ has collected more than $10 million in a presale led by the same person who created the original Pepe coin, and the approaching Binance listing is where early wallets plan to collect.
New Cryptocurrency Interest Grows as the Clarity Act Clears Its First Senate Hurdle
The Clarity Act passed the Senate Banking Committee on May 14 in a bipartisan 15 to 9 vote, according to CNBC, marking the first wide ranging crypto regulation bill to clear a Senate panel. Bitcoin hit $82,000 on the vote before inflation data sent it down to $77,800, triggering $580 million in liquidations across crypto, as CoinDesk reported. The new cryptocurrency space benefits because the bill splits oversight between the SEC and CFTC, which clears the fog that kept serious capital on the sidelines.
Where Regulation Meets the Presale Entry That SOL and ADA Cannot Match
Pepeto: The Trading Hub That Protects Capital While Large Caps Bleed
Speed decides everything in crypto, and a single candle can turn a winning position into a loss before most wallets notice. Tokens that climbed 10% on the Clarity Act vote gave it all back within hours when the inflation numbers landed. Wallets without the right tools to check what they are buying or move fast enough between chains end up watching others profit.
That exact gap is where Pepeto https://pepetocoin.com/ sits, and the trading hub fills it for every wallet that enters. This is not a project waiting to go live. Every tool runs today. Worried about a contract that could drain capital? The risk scorer reads the code and flags danger before a single token leaves. Need to transfer assets across chains without bridge fees? The cross chain bridge moves them at zero cost, so every dollar arrives whole.
The trading hub is shaped for speed and clarity at every level, and the cofounder behind the original Pepe coin built this from the ground up while SolidProof completed a full audit on every contract to make sure the money inside stays protected. Staking earns 172% APY while the listing draws closer.
Analysts project this new cryptocurrency at 100x to 300x from its presale entry of $0.0000001871, and that ceiling sits far above anything Solana or Cardano can offer from their current levels. More than $10 million in committed capital already sits in the presale, and the approaching Binance listing is what turns those positions into gains. That listing ends the presale permanently, and every day outside costs ground to the wallets already inside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPX8yXeLk00
Solana (SOL)
SOL trades at $87.26 after dropping 5% in a single session following the inflation selloff, according to CoinMarketCap. Goldman Sachs exited its Solana ETF position in Q1 2026, and even with the Firedancer upgrade moving forward, the $293 peak sits 71% above current levels. That math gives roughly 3.5x, which makes SOL a recovery play but not the new cryptocurrency entry that changes a portfolio.
Cardano (ADA)
ADA sits at $0.25 with a market cap that has barely moved since early 2026, according to CoinMarketCap. The chain remains 92% off its $3.10 peak, and no DEX on Cardano competes with the volume top exchanges handle. Even a return to $1 delivers roughly 4x, which is steady recovery but cannot compete with the multiplier a presale entry offers.
The Verdict
The Clarity Act gives every new cryptocurrency a clearer path, and Bitcoin’s jump to $82,000 proved the market agrees. But the biggest returns never come from large caps that already ran. Analysts project Pepeto at 100x to 300x, and that number stays on the table while the presale remains open. Every cycle produces winners who entered during fear and collected during recovery, and the $10 million committed to Pepeto while the market dropped follows that same pattern. The Pepeto official website shows the window is still open, and the wallets entering now will be the ones everyone reads about when the listing hits.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale: https://pepetocoin.com/
FAQs
Is a new cryptocurrency like Pepeto safe to enter?
SolidProof audited every contract and the same person who built the original Pepe coin leads this project. More than $10 million committed in a bearish market confirms the conviction behind it.
Which new cryptocurrency gains most from the Clarity Act?
Pepeto’s approaching Binance listing and working tools position it as the new cryptocurrency set to benefit most as clearer regulation pulls fresh capital into presales.
How does Pepeto compare to SOL and ADA for returns?
SOL offers roughly 3.5x to its peak and ADA about 4x from here. The Pepeto official website shows a presale entry where analysts project 100x to 300x returns from the current price.
Disclaimer:
The material presented here is for informational purposes only and does not represent financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments involve high levels of volatility and risk, including the potential loss of your initial investment. Always consult a licensed advisor or conduct independent research.
Contact: Dani Bonocci
Website: https://www.tokenwire.io
Phone: +971586738991
SOURCE: Pepeto
Press release distribution
This release was published on openPR.
This episode features two guests from the Wadoozie team. The project is led by Mr. Wadoozie, Senior Internet Architect Engineer of Software, who brings more than a decade of experience in the cryptocurrency industry. He is joined on this episode by Tay, Operations Manager, who has a background in marketing and management and has run operations for multiple crypto projects.
The token launches with a roughly one billion effective supply (two billion minted, 999,999,999 burned at launch), 0% buy/sell tax, a DAO-governed locked liquidity pool, and a renounced contract — every parameter publicly verifiable on Etherscan and audited by CertiK.
At the center is Wadoozie himself: a returning signal that takes a character’s form, traveling the country by tour bus to “activate” each state as a node in a fractured cultural network the mythology calls The Feed. The mission is structured as eight narrative Acts opening with the Austin Flagship and closing back in New Orleans, with seven Flagship cities — Austin, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, NYC, Miami, and Nashville — anchoring the arc across roughly four and a half months. After the 48 states wrap, the network expands to Europe.
About Our Guests
Mr. Wadoozie is the Senior Internet Architect Engineer of Software on the project, with more than a decade of experience in the cryptocurrency industry. He sits at the center of the mission — the returning signal that takes a character’s form, traveling the country by tour bus to activate each U.S. state as a node in a fractured cultural network the mythology calls The Feed.
Tay is the Operations Manager at Wadoozie, with a background in marketing and management and prior operations experience across multiple crypto projects. Tay runs the @wadoozie X account and sets the public voice of the mission as the network activates one state at a time. On this episode Tay represents the operational side of the project — the people moving the bus, dropping the Signal Fragments, and building out the Publishers Network across the 48-state route.
To learn more about the project visit Wadoozie.com, and follow the team on X, Telegram or Discord.
The Bitcoin.com News podcast features interviews with the most interesting leaders, founders and investors in the world of Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Finance ( DeFi), NFTs and the Metaverse. Follow us on iTunes or Spotify.
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