Shiba Inu (SHIB) Price, Market Cap & Coin Guide

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is an Ethereum‑based meme token launched in August 2020 by an anonymous creator known as Ryoshi. Inspired by the Shiba Inu dog breed and the earlier Dogecoin phenomenon, SHIB quickly became one of the most recognized “dog coins” in crypto.

Originally positioned as a decentralized meme experiment, Shiba Inu has since grown into a broader ecosystem that includes a decentralized exchange (ShibaSwap), NFTs, metaverse‑related projects and a Layer‑2 network called Shibarium.

By category, SHIB is a meme coin and community‑driven ERC‑20 token. While it began as a speculative asset with a massive supply and ultra‑low unit price, the project has attempted to add utility through swaps, staking, governance and Layer‑2 activity.

The initial total supply was 1 quadrillion SHIB. Approximately half was locked to Uniswap liquidity at launch, while the other half was sent to Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin, who later burned around 41% of the total supply and donated the remainder to a COVID‑19 relief fund.

Today, SHIB’s narrative revolves around its large community, ongoing burn initiatives, Shibarium adoption and efforts to transition from a pure meme token into a more utility‑backed ecosystem.

The Shiba Inu price chart shows how SHIB has traded across different timeframes, from intraday moves to multi‑year cycles. Short intervals like 24H and 7D highlight near‑term volatility and reactions to social media trends, burn news or broader market moves, while 1Y and ALL views reflect SHIB’s history from launch through major bull and bear phases.

As a high‑profile meme coin, SHIB’s price has often been driven by community sentiment, influencer mentions, exchange listings and general risk appetite in crypto. The chart should be treated as a record of past price action, not as a forecast.

For context on what influences SHIB over time, users can refer to the sections on the Shiba Inu ecosystem and how SHIB’s tokenomics and burn mechanisms are structured.

Shiba Inu is an ERC‑20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, launched in August 2020 as a decentralized meme experiment. It was created to be a “Dogecoin killer” in spirit, leveraging the popularity of the Shiba Inu dog meme and the growing retail interest in crypto.

Unlike Dogecoin, which runs on its own blockchain, SHIB is an Ethereum token. This means it relies on Ethereum’s security and infrastructure, pays gas in ETH and can interact with Ethereum‑based dApps, wallets and exchanges.

Over time, the Shiba Inu brand expanded beyond a single token. The ecosystem now includes:

• ShibaSwap: a decentralized exchange for swapping SHIB and related tokens, providing liquidity and staking options.

• NFTs and metaverse projects: including Shiboshi NFTs and plans for virtual worlds and gaming experiences.

• Shibarium: an Ethereum Layer‑2 network designed to offer faster and cheaper transactions for Shiba Inu‑based applications.

SHIB itself remains the flagship asset and primary medium of exchange within this ecosystem, used for trading, staking, governance and participation in various community initiatives.

SHIB is a token, not a native coin, because it is issued on top of Ethereum rather than running on its own standalone blockchain.

Shiba Inu operates as a standard ERC‑20 token on Ethereum. Its smart contract defines the total supply, transfer rules and optional functions such as burning.

Key mechanics:

• Transfers: Users send SHIB by calling the token contract’s transfer function, paying gas in ETH. Transactions are recorded on Ethereum’s public ledger.

• Burns: The contract includes a burn function that allows holders to permanently destroy their own SHIB, reducing both their balance and the token’s total supply.

• Interoperability: As an ERC‑20 token, SHIB can be used across Ethereum wallets, decentralized exchanges, lending protocols and other dApps that support the standard.

Shibarium, the ecosystem’s Layer‑2 network, adds another layer. It is designed to process transactions more cheaply and quickly than Ethereum mainnet, using BONE as its native gas token. Part of Shibarium’s activity is intended to feed into SHIB burns, linking Layer‑2 usage to deflationary pressure on the main token.

From a user’s perspective, interacting with SHIB typically involves:

• Holding SHIB in an Ethereum‑compatible wallet.

• Sending or receiving SHIB via standard transfers.

• Using ShibaSwap or other dApps to swap, stake or provide liquidity with SHIB.

• Optionally participating in burn portals or Shibarium‑based applications.

Shiba Inu launched with a total supply of 1 quadrillion tokens. The distribution and early actions around this supply have shaped SHIB’s tokenomics ever since.

Key points:

• Initial supply: 1,000,000,000,000,000 SHIB (1 quadrillion).

• Initial allocation: 50% was locked to Uniswap liquidity pools at launch; the other 50% was sent to Vitalik Buterin.

• Major burn: In May 2021, Buterin burned approximately 410 trillion SHIB (around 41% of total supply) and donated the remainder to a COVID‑19 relief fund in India.

• Current supply: After that burn, the effective total supply settled around 589-590 trillion SHIB, with minor reductions over time due to additional burns.

Burn mechanisms:

• Manual burns: Holders can send SHIB to burn addresses via community portals, permanently removing those tokens.

• Shibarium‑linked burns: A share of activity on Shibarium is intended to be converted into SHIB and burned, though the scale relative to total supply remains small.

• Community campaigns: Periodic large burns by whales or coordinated efforts can temporarily spike burn rates but usually have limited long‑term impact on the overall supply.

SHIB’s tokenomics are characterized by:

• An extremely large absolute supply with a very low unit price.

• A deflationary narrative driven by burns, though the percentage of supply removed over time has been modest relative to the remaining hundreds of trillions of tokens.

• Heavy reliance on community sentiment and ecosystem development rather than strict scarcity.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is widely listed on centralized and decentralized exchanges. A typical path to buying SHIB looks like this:

1. Create an account on a centralized exchange that supports SHIB, or connect an Ethereum‑compatible wallet to a DEX that lists SHIB.

2. Complete any required identity verification if using a centralized platform.

3. Deposit fiat currency or another cryptocurrency, such as USDT, USDC or ETH.

4. Search for SHIB and choose a trading pair like SHIB/USDT, SHIB/USD or SHIB/ETH.

5. Place a market order to buy instantly or a limit order at a chosen price.

After purchasing SHIB, users can keep it on the exchange for short‑term trading or withdraw it to a non‑custodial wallet that supports ERC‑20 tokens.

SHIB can be stored in any wallet that supports Ethereum and ERC‑20 tokens. These include exchange wallets, browser and mobile wallets, and hardware wallets integrated with Ethereum.

For holding:

• Exchange wallets are convenient for active traders but place custody with the platform.

• Non‑custodial wallets allow users to control their private keys and interact directly with Ethereum dApps, ShibaSwap and other services.

• Hardware wallets offer an extra security layer by keeping private keys offline, while still enabling interaction with Ethereum‑based applications through compatible software.

Good practices:

• Use wallets that clearly support ERC‑20 tokens and display SHIB correctly.

• Back up seed phrases and private keys securely.

• Double‑check network (Ethereum), addresses and gas settings before sending SHIB.

• Be cautious of phishing sites and fake tokens that mimic SHIB.