One of the most popular meme coins, Dogecoin (DOGE), has inspired the making of Shiba Inu (SHIB). Now they have become competitors. SHIB is growing regularly in the meme-coin communities.
From a novice perspective, the two coins may seem so similar. Yet, their differences are apparent to experts. It is impossible to discuss Shiba Inu without mentioning Dogecoin, considering how the former was sought out as a potential replacement for the latter.
The current market for SHIB is multi-billions. It is surprising how such a parody coin has come this far. This blog will emphasize the growth and current success of Shiba Inu and its potential future.
Shiba Inu’s Origin
In 2020, an anonymous person or team named Ryoshi launched Shiba Inu. Their original inspiration wasn’t DOGE, but the Japanese dog breed itself.
Meanwhile, Dogecoin was already quite popular after starting its journey on December 8, 2013, at the hands of Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer. SHIB and DOGE have the following similarities-
- Both were created initially as parodies, and the creator didn’t expect them to go far.
- Both coins used the Japanese dog breed Shiba Inu as their mascot.
- Both of them have seen success far exceeding their creators’ expectations.
Various meme coins have been around at this time, with DOGE and SHIB being at the forefront. Others, including Baby Dogecoin, Floki Inu, or PEPE PEPE, were right behind (and they still are).
So, what are the differences between the two? Let’s see-
- Shiba Inu’s technicality is based on the Ethereum blockchain. It is an ERC-20 token.
- Dogecoin’s technicality is based on Litecoin. If we are honest, the former is a parody version of the latter.
Anyway, Ryoshi originally started Shiba Inu as an experiment on the decentralized blockchain (before it became famous).
The Shiba Inu Experiment
The Shiba Inu Experiment aimed to prove that a decentralized workforce (in blockchain or other areas) can outpace and outperform any centralized team or body. Ryoshi team started this project.
They were fully committed to the experiment and didn’t keep any coin to themselves even after its launch to establish a pure decentralization network.
Several exchange representatives, famous individuals in the field, and financial organizations contacted Ryoshi about Shiba Inu’s distribution. However, the founders refused to distribute them freely and wanted it to be fair. He set three rules, which are-
- Nobody in the team can keep any coin.
- Nobody in the marketing campaign can receive any crypto.
- No famous personalities or organizations will get free money and profit from it.
The establishment of fair distribution and true decentralization quickly garnered a lot of attention. The coin also had other unique, commendable sides.
For example, its liquidity was pure and not freely accessible. An organization named Uniswap managed this end. After the coin’s release, half of it was provided to this fund (alongside 10 ETH).
Another popular shareholder of SHIB was Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum. The other half of the SHIB coin was given to Buterin (not at the same time as the first half).
After getting that money, Buterin transferred a big sum (40% of the share) to an Indian COVID relief fund in May 2021. The exact amount was 50 trillion SHIB, which converts to around $1 billion.
This event is known as the ‘token burning’ because he sent the currency to a dead wallet, where it is locked and inaccessible.
After a while, Ryoshi introduced two new Shiba Inu tokens: the doge killer leash (LEASH) and the bone ShibaSwap (BONE). They were massively different in terms of supply.
- SHIB’s total supply of tokens is in the trillions (589.51 trillion).
- Bone’s supply is 250,000,000 tokens.
- Doge Killer Leash’s supply is 107,646 tokens only.
The authorities created a balanced ecosystem by using three tokens with a totally varied supply. The coins also have special purposes.
For example, Ryoshi uses Bone to let SHIBArmy vote on project and proposal decisions. So, it is basically their governance token.
SHIB’s Value Today
SHIB has seen a massive increase since last year. Its value currently sits at $0.00002503, a staggering 181.16% higher than last year’s cost. Meanwhile, the market cap is $14.75 billion, a 3.69% leap from the previous year.
Source: CoinMarketCap
This position puts Shiba Inu in second place in the meme coin ranking after Dogecoin and 13th place in the general ranking.
DOGE’s value is $0.3757 at the time of writing, and its rise is 369.91% from last year. The coin’s market cap is $55.15 billion, and it is seventh among cryptocurrencies (and first among meme coins).
Leash’s value is $271.20, which is 15.07% lower than last year.
Finally, Bone’s value is $0.4865 (a 27.28% drop from last year).
Reason Behind Shiba Inu’s Growth
Like any other coin on the market, Shiba Inu didn’t receive much recognition upon its release. However, the coin quickly became a prominent one in the market.
One part of its success also has to do with team Ryoshi’s determined goal of a fair distribution. Meanwhile, the SHIBArmy and many influencers helped it truly shine. If you are confused, Shib Army refers to the enthusiast or fanbase of the SHIB token or the whole ecosystem in general.
Additionally, Shiba Inu’s contribution to the decentralized blockchain network and finance earned people’s trust. They have so much going on in the industry now.
Shiba Inu’s Infrastructures and Projects
- Shibarium: Shibarium is a layer-2 blockchain network on Ethereum that ensures scalability and guarantees faster transactions at a lower cost. It is highly useful in eSports crypto betting.
- Shiboshi NFTs: The Shiboshi NFT collection includes around 10,000 unique NFTs. Unlike some low-quality NFTs, Shiboshi NFTs are popular and attractive to collectors due to their appealing features and uniqueness.
- True Decentralization: The drive to keep Shiba Inu properly decentralized is still there, and it allows for community-driven governance and the growth of the coin and ecosystem.
- Unique Supply Model: The supply of Shiba Inu has a deflationary feature, where a small percentage of the coin is burned during each transaction. This method gradually decreases the token supply, ensuring its value increases regularly.
- ShibaSwap: Shiba Inu worked in the decentralized finance industry, which resulted in the birth of ShibaSwap. It is a decentralized exchange (DEX) platform that ensures financial transactions are more secure. The ecosystem tells its users to trade using Bone and Leash. It helps the users stake or get liquidity.
- Shiba Inu Incubator: Shiba Inu’s incubator is a favorite among the SHIBArmy. This platform motivates people to engage more in various types of art forms, not only traditional ones. Any form of art can be welcomed here, including multimedia projects, digital arts, or abstract arts.
- SHIB Metaverse: The SHIB Metaverse is a medium the community uses to access virtual spaces.
Shiba Inu received significant success in the crypto market, even as an ERC-20 meme coin. For people to take them seriously, Ryoshi had to make a proper strategy and implement many services to their ecosystem.
Many expect the ecosystem to go even higher from here. While Shiba Inu may not overtake Dogecoin anytime soon, they will continue to be major rivals as the top two meme coins.