Will Shiba Inu Die Out In 2026? On-Chain Data Hold the Answer

Shiba Inu has had a brutal year. SHIB is down ~70% YoY and over 90% from its all-time high, pushing many investors to ask the uncomfortable question:

👉 Is SHIB slowly dying?

After CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said meme coins are “dead,” citing collapsing dominance and fading speculation, SHIB looked like a prime example.

But price alone doesn’t tell the full story.

On-chain data paints a different picture.

🔻 Speculation Is Gone — And SHIB Shows It

Meme coin dominance has dropped to early-2024 lows

SHIB remains stuck below long-term resistance

Smart money wallets have steadily reduced exposure

Derivatives traders are cutting leverage

Simply put:

📉 Traders are not betting on fast rebounds or explosive rallies

Speculation — the fuel behind meme coins — has dried up.

🐋 Whales Are Accumulating Quietly

While traders step back, long-term holders are stepping in:

SHIB holders grew from ~1.46M to ~1.54M wallets

Large holder balances increased ~249% YoY

Mega-whale balances up ~28.5%

Exchange balances dropped ~22%

📌 Fewer coins on exchanges = less immediate selling pressure

In the last 30 days alone, whale balances jumped 60%+.

This looks like slow accumulation, not abandonment.

📊 Price Structure: Weak, but Not Dead

SHIB is still trading inside a long-term falling wedge.

Recently:

Price made a lower low

RSI made a higher low

This bullish divergence suggests selling pressure is weakening.

Key levels to watch:

🔑 Resistance: $0.0000092 (break = narrative shift)

🎯 Next zones: $0.000010 → $0.000014

⚠️ Support risk: $0.0000075

🧠 Final Take

Shiba Inu is not dead — but it’s not strong either.

• Speculation is gone

• Traders are cautious

• Quick gains are unlikely

Yet rising holders, whale accumulation, and exchange outflows show the chain isn’t abandoned.

If an altcoin cycle returns, SHIB still has a path forward.

For now, it’s in survival mode — not extinction.

📊 The answer isn’t emotional. It’s on-chain.