SHIB Surges in 2026 as Whale Control and Memecoin Signals Reappear

Shiba Inu has started 2026 with strong momentum as price gains and wallet data pointed to renewed meme coin activity. Charts shared on X show SHIB rising about 32% year to date, while large holders retained firm control of supply.

Data from Santiment combines price action with wallet concentration, indicating a volatile yet active trading phase. The move followed months of consolidation in late 2025 and aligned with a renewed rotation of capital across meme coins.

At the same time, separate CryptoQuant charts tracked memecoin dominance across altcoin markets. Those charts showed ratios returning to levels that previously preceded major speculative cycles.

Whale Wallets Tighten Grip as SHIB Rebounds

Santiment data shows that the 10 largest SHIB wallets hold about 62.65% of the total supply. That share remained stable through late 2025 even as the price moved sideways.

The single largest wallet alone controls about 41% of all SHIB tokens. Santiment is valued at holding near $3.3 billion at current prices. Several other wallets each control between 2% and 6% of the supply. Many of these addresses link to centralized exchange custodial accounts or major liquidity hubs.

Price data shows SHIB trading within a broad range through late 2025. Early January 2026 then brought a clear rebound as buying pressure increased. Santiment said SHIB jumped about 13% on Sunday alone. The firm linked that move to continued memecoin rotation rather than to isolated token demand.

Memecoin Dominance Returns to Historical Support

CryptoQuant charts tracked memecoin dominance within the altcoin market from 2022 to early 2026. The ratio fluctuated between 0.04 and 0.08 through most of 2022 and 2023. By late 2023 and early 2024, the ratio fell into a shaded support zone between 0.03 and 0.04. That zone marked a period where selling slowed and accumulation formed.

Early 2024 then saw a rounded bottom followed by a rapid rise. Dominance surged toward the 0.10-0.11 range in late 2024. After that peak, dominance declined steadily through 2025. It has now returned to the same lower band seen before the previous breakout.

CryptoQuant described the setup as memecoins rising from the dead. Analyst Darkfost said the last time this level appeared, it preceded a massive memecoin season.

Two Data Sets Converge as Traders Watch Key Levels

Together, the charts show SHIB strength coinciding with broader memecoin positioning. Whale concentration remained high while dominance metrics returned to familiar ranges. These conditions appeared during prior cycles marked by sharp speculative moves across meme assets. Both data sets came from public charts shared on X.

Will sustained whale control, combined with renewed memecoin dominance, shape the next phase of altcoin trading? The data show that traders are monitoring wallet behavior and dominance ratios closely. Short-term volatility remains elevated as memecoin capital continues to rotate among assets.  

Also Read: SHIB and DOGE Gain as Memecoin Volume and Open Interest Rise

Conclusion

Shiba Inu opened 2026 with a substantial price rally as whale wallets kept firm control of supply. At the same time, memecoin dominance returned to levels seen before past sector surges. Together, these data points show SHIB trading within a market shaped by large holders and renewed speculative rotation.