According to CoinGecko, SHIB trades near $0.0000065, down over 92% from its 2021 peak, and on-chain metrics in early 2026 have renewed debate about the token’s viability. Weak activity on Shibarium and a slow burn mechanism are the main concerns driving questions about value.
Total value locked on Shibarium sits around $1.44 million, and fewer than 7,000 transactions occur daily. By contrast, Base processes over 2 million transactions each day, highlighting the usage gap.
Low network fees have limited the SHIB token burn, making supply reduction minimal at present. At the current rate, burning 10% of the total supply would take over 1,000 years (Ed. note: this pace effectively prevents meaningful supply reduction for generations).
After roughly 50 days offline, Shytoshi Kusama re-emerged on January 26, 2026 and said “I am here because what I have been building, alone, at the request of a small company and with the grace of God, is nearing completion and today is the day ordained to begin speaking on it.”
The Q2 2026 roadmap includes a privacy upgrade using Fully Homomorphic Encryption, developed with Zama. The team says this update could create a niche in privacy-focused DeFi.
A team member, Lucie, added “The strongest contributors are often the ones doing the unglamorous work, improving small things, or quietly pushing ideas forward.” Whether Shiba Inu is worth holding depends on roadmap delivery and increased utility.
