About Mona

Monacoin is the first-ever cat-themed memecoin, launched in December 2013 in Japan — just weeks after Dogecoin. It was born from the Japanese message board 2channel, inspired by the popular ASCII cat character “Mona” (モナー), and quickly became a symbol of Japan’s crypto subculture.

While Dogecoin was gaining traction in the West, Monacoin was more successful early on — reaching an $850 million market cap faster than DOGE. It was even accepted by real shops in Japan, with functioning ATMs and real-world use cases years before memecoins were taken seriously.

More than just a coin, Monacoin played a critical role in spreading meme coin culture, especially in Japan. It showed the world that internet-native humor, art, and community could power real networks and economies.