Shiba Inu (SHIB) is a decentralized cryptocurrency that emerged as a meme coin, inspired by the success of Dogecoin. It is part of a group of tokens based on the Ethereum blockchain (ERC-20 standard). Shiba Inu gained popularity due to its community-driven nature and strong online presence, especially on platforms like Reddit and Twitter. Key points about Shiba Inu (SHIB): - **Launched**: August 2020 by an anonymous developer known as "Ryoshi." - **Tokenomics**: Originally, one quadrillion tokens were minted. Half were sent to Ethereum's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, who donated a large portion to charitable causes and burned the remaining tokens. - **Ecosystem**: Shiba Inu has expanded its ecosystem to include: - **LEASH**: Another token with limited supply. - **BONE**: A governance token for voting on protocol decisions. - **ShibaSwap**: A decentralized exchange (DEX) for staking and liquidity. SHIB started as a joke but has since gained some utility, especially in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and as a speculative asset in the broader crypto market.