Shiba Inu price (SHIB)

What is Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is an ERC-20 token launched in August 2020 by the pseudonymous developer Ryoshi as a dog-themed alternative to Dogecoin. It began with no product roadmap, but the project has since built out ShibaSwap, a decentralized exchange, and Shibarium, a layer-2 network, in an attempt to convert a speculative community asset into a functioning ecosystem with real transaction demand behind the token.

SHIB itself has no chain of its own; it settles on Ethereum, with Shibarium handling cheaper transactions using BONE as its gas token. One quadrillion SHIB were minted at launch, and roughly half were sent to Vitalik Buterin, who burned about 410 trillion tokens in May 2021 and donated much of the rest. Ongoing burns, partly funded by Shibarium fees, remove additional supply, though at a slow pace relative to the circulating total.

During the 2021 memecoin cycle SHIB briefly flipped Dogecoin by market value and reached an all-time high in October of that year. Shibarium went live in August 2023 after a rocky first day, and companion tokens LEASH and TREAT extended the ecosystem. As of early 2026 SHIB remains among the two largest meme tokens by capitalization, with a circulating supply near 589 trillion.

What moves the SHIB price?

Retail sentiment dominates SHIB’s price history: viral social-media waves, Dogecoin rallies, and broader memecoin rotations have produced most of its large moves. Exchange listings mattered early, with the Coinbase and Robinhood additions in 2021 and 2022 each triggering sharp repricing. Whale wallets hold a large share of supply, so single large transfers can move the market.

Burn statistics and Shibarium activity are the project-specific variables traders watch. Spikes in the daily burn rate or in layer-2 transactions have coincided with short-lived rallies, while announcements around TREAT, the Shib Name Service, and ShibaSwap upgrades act as catalysts. Because supply is so large, price moves in tiny fractions of a cent, amplifying percentage swings.

Shiba Inu FAQ

What is Shiba Inu used for?

SHIB functions mainly as a speculative and community asset, but it also pays for goods at merchants that accept it, serves as a trading pair on ShibaSwap, and can be staked or burned through ecosystem programs. Shibarium, the project’s layer-2, uses BONE for gas while routing part of its fees toward SHIB burns.

How does SHIB’s supply and burn mechanism work?

One quadrillion SHIB were minted in 2020. Vitalik Buterin burned roughly 410 trillion in 2021, and community burns plus Shibarium fee burns have removed more since. About 589 trillion circulate as of early 2026. There is no ongoing issuance, so the supply only shrinks, though burns are small relative to the total.

Is Shiba Inu a good investment in 2026?

SHIB has a large community, deep exchange liquidity, and a shrinking supply, but it lacks fundamental cash flows, depends on retail sentiment, and competes with newer memecoins. Its drawdowns have exceeded 80% in past cycles. Weigh that volatility against your own risk tolerance; this is general information, not financial advice or a recommendation.

Where can I buy SHIB?

A regulated venue such as CEX.IO lists SHIB against USD, EUR, and stablecoins, with card and bank-transfer funding. New users who enter promo code FREECRYPTO receive a 100 USDC trading-fee bonus after their first deposit, valid for 30 days.