The Shiba Inu (SHIB) ecosystem has experienced a notable shift in its deflationary activity at the start of 2026. After beginning the year with an explosive surge in its token burn rate—reportedly increasing by over 10,000%—the metric has now entered a period of decline. Data from Shibburn reveals that the SHIB burn rate slumped by 17% over a 24-hour period ending January 3, marking the first significant drop of the new year.
Despite this daily slowdown, the absolute number of tokens removed from circulation remains substantial. In the last day, 3,200,022 SHIB were burned. This follows an even larger single-day burn of 3,777,885 SHIB reported on January 2, which itself represented a 97.83% drop from the peak burn rate seen at the year's onset. On a weekly basis, the burn activity tells a more consistent story, with 193,830,385 SHIB burned in the past week, representing a massive 502% increase compared to the week prior.
This sustained burning has a tangible effect on the total supply. The circulating supply of SHIB now stands at approximately 585.28 trillion tokens, down from a previous total of around 589.25 trillion. The primary goal of these regular burns is to reduce the asset's massive circulating supply, thereby increasing scarcity with the long-term aim of supporting its price.
Concurrently, SHIB's market performance has remained robust. The memecoin has reclaimed the $0.000008 price level, trading at $0.000007924 at the time of reporting, reflecting a 3% gain in 24 hours. Weekly performance is even stronger, showing a 7.35% increase. Trading volume has also surged, rising 35% to surpass $134 million. Market analysts are watching key resistance levels at $0.000008 and $0.000011, with support holding around $0.000007.
Looking ahead, SHIB developer Kaal Dhairya has outlined a vision for 2026 focused on consolidation and sustainable development, prioritizing the repair and building of long-lasting projects for the Shiba Inu community, suggesting a strategic shift from pure hype to foundational growth.
