Core Insights - Dogecoin, launched in 2013 as a joke, has become the ninth-largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of nearly $29 billion, driven by social media and endorsements from celebrities like Mark Cuban and Elon Musk [1] - Despite its popularity, Dogecoin lacks real-world utility and has a limited transaction capacity of 30 to 40 transactions per second [2] - The token is not considered a strong store-of-value due to its high supply of approximately 151.5 billion tokens, with an additional 5 billion issued annually [3] Network Improvement Initiatives - Investors often seek cryptocurrencies with strong real-world utility, and the potential development of a layer-2 blockchain solution for Dogecoin could enhance its demand [4] - Developers are exploring a network upgrade that would introduce smart contract functionality, allowing for the creation of decentralized applications (dApps) on the Dogecoin blockchain [6] - The initiative is led by the MyDoge team, which has secured $6.9 million in funding to support this effort [6]