Tiger King Coin shoots up 1,000% in price after backing from dogecoin investor
Cryptocurrency claims to have backing of imprisoned star Joe Exotic
![A promotional image used by the obscure cryptocurrency Tiger King Coin](https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/07/06/16/tiger%20king%20coin%20crypto%20price.jpg)
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
![Louise Thomas](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/louise-thomas.png)
Louise Thomas
Editor
An obscure cryptocurrency has suddenly shot up in value after receiving endorsements from prominent social media influencers.
Tiger King Coin has risen by more than 900 per cent since the start of July, partly on hopes that it will receive attention when a new season of the eponymous Netflix series is released.
>> Follow all the latest updates with The Independent’s live coverage of the crypto market
Popular YouTuber and dogecoin investor Matt Wallace, who has nearly a quarter of a million subscribers, tweeted his support for the token this week, prompting an immediate price surge.
“I feel like $Tking (Tiger King Coin) is going to go crazy when season 2 of Tiger King comes,” Mr Wallace tweeted. “I am buying it up fast.”
In a subsequent tweet he revealed that Tiger King Coin was his second largest cryptocurrency holding behind dogecoin.
Tiger King Coin was ranked as the 2,663rd most valuable token according to CoinMarketCap, with each coin worth just 7/10,000th of a cent.
The cryptocurrency claims to be the “official coin” of the popular Tiger King series, which launched on Netflix last year.
Tiger King Coin also claims to have the support of Joseph Maldonado, aka Joe Exotic, the controversial lead character of the hit show. He is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after being charged with animal abuse and attempting to hire someone to kill rival Carole Baskin.
“Joe will always be the Tiger King, but his colourful career has landed him with a hefty legal bill in a bid to fight a corrupt legal system,” the site states.
“Joe has received a percentage of $TKING supply secured during the stealth launch of the coin. Every buy will increase the value of his bag.”
The website details plans of a non-fungible token (NFT) launch in June, though no such NFT appears to exist.
“Sales from NFTs will be split between Joe Exotic’s legal defence team and tiger rescue funding,” the site states.
Last month, fellow Tiger King star Carole Baskin launched her own cat-themed cryptocurrency called $CAT, which has also seen massive price volatility in recent weeks.
“I’m investigating cryptocurrencies because I am concerned about the volume of US dollars that are being printed and distributed with nothing to back them up,” Ms Baskin wrote in a statement published in May.
“Our new $CAT coin is not a currency for investment, but rather is a purr-ency of our fans to show their love for the cats.”
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.
If you are interested in trading, eToro* and Coinbase are two of the biggest exchanges operating in the UK and a good place to start.
Cryptocurrencies are a highly volatile unregulated investment product and investing in them could lead to a loss of capital. *No FSCS or Financial Ombudsman investor protection. 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. *You should consider whether you understand how CFD’s work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments