Editing KOL

**KOL** (key opinion leader) is the crypto industry's term for an influencer, usually on X or Telegram, whose posts or "calls" move token prices; projects pay KOLs in cash or tokens to promote them.[^1] Memecoin tracking tools label such accounts' wallets "KOL wallets" for others to follow.[^2]

## How it works
### Paid posts
On 1 September 2025 [[ZachXBT]] published a leaked spreadsheet of more than 200 influencers contacted for one token campaign: about 160 accepted, quoted fees ranged from hundreds of dollars to five figures per post, payments went to [[Solana]] wallets, and fewer than five labelled their posts as ads.[^1] The US Federal Trade Commission requires influencers to clearly disclose material connections in posts.[^1]
### Allocations
KOLs also receive tokens. Kaito, a platform that ranks crypto influencers by attention, airdropped tokens at its 20 February 2025 launch; Cointelegraph reported that [[Ansem]] sold all of a $230,000 allocation and Anthony Sassano all of $185,000.[^3]
### Wallet following
Platforms such as [[GMGN]] highlight KOL wallets and offer one-click tools to copy their trades, which makes KOL buying itself a signal in the [[Trenches|trenches]]; see [[Copy trading]].[^2]

## Regulation
On 3 October 2022 the SEC charged Kim Kardashian with violating the anti-touting provision of securities law by not disclosing a $250,000 payment for an Instagram post about EMAX tokens; she paid about $1.26 million without admitting or denying the findings and agreed not to promote crypto asset securities for three years.[^4] SEC enforcement director Gurbir Grewal said investors "are entitled to know whether the publicity of a security is unbiased".[^4] See [[Celebrity memecoins]].

## Criticism
ZachXBT accused [[Murad]], promoter of the [[Memecoin supercycle]] thesis, of making bold predictions "while controlling the supply" of coins he promoted; in July 2025 Cointelegraph reported that wallets labelled as his held over $70 million in memecoins. Murad did not respond to Cointelegraph.[^5]

## Timeline
- 2022-10-03: SEC charges Kim Kardashian over an undisclosed paid crypto post[^4]
- 2025-02-20: Kaito airdrops tokens to influencers[^3]
- 2025-09-01: ZachXBT publishes leaked KOL rate sheet[^1]

## See also
- [[Glossary of trenching terms]]
- [[List of memecoin traders]]
- [[Liquidity pool]]
- [[Mint authority]]
- [[Sniping]]
- [[Bundling]]
- [[Community takeover]]
- [[Bonding curve]]

## References
1. [ZachXBT says over 100 crypto influencers accepted promo deals without disclosing paid ads](https://www.theblock.co/post/368956/zachxbt-says-over-100-crypto-influencers-accepted-promo-deals-without-disclosing-paid-ads), The Block, 2025-09-01
2. [Resisting Manipulative Bots in Meme Coin Copy Trading: A Multi-Agent Approach with Chain-of-Thought Reasoning](https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.08641), arXiv (WWW '26), 2026-01-13
3. [Kaito token rises 50% post-airdrop](https://cointelegraph.com/news/kaito-token-rises-50-percent-post-airdrop), Cointelegraph, 2025-02
4. [SEC Charges Kim Kardashian for Unlawfully Touting Crypto Security](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022-183), US SEC, 2022-10-03
5. [Influencer who coined 'memecoin supercycle' sits on $68M profit, data suggests](https://cointelegraph.com/news/murad-mahmudov-memecoin-supercycle-spx-holdings-controversy), Cointelegraph, 2025-07-28