Most meme coins don't stick around long. Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) is one of the rare exceptions. It launched in 2020 and peaked in 2021, but it's still a recognizable name with a market cap of about $3 billion, and its price has increased 21% over the last month (as of Sept. 18). It's a welcome turnaround for a cryptocurrency that has mostly trended down since early 2025. Here's what has changed recently for Shiba Inu and what kind of price potential it has. Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1" -- the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue " Regulatory wins could be tailwinds for Shiba Inu Shiba Inu received good news on the regulatory front in March when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) classified it, along with 15 other major cryptocurrencies, as digital commodities. That classification means Shiba Inu doesn't fall under the SEC's strict securities rules. Exchanges can offer Shiba Inu trading, and institutions can own the meme coin, without the risk of a lawsuit for listing or holding an unregistered security. This also opens the door to the possibility that crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could hold Shiba Inu. Although there haven't been any applications for spot Shiba Inu ETFs so far, T. Rowe Price has filed with the SEC for permission to launch an active crypto ETF that would hold cryptocurrencies that fit its definition of eligible assets. Shiba Inu makes the list, alongside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, among others. In November, Shiba Inu was also the first meme coin to be added to Japan's regulatory Green List. That put it in the same category as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and it means that Japanese crypto exchanges that want to list Shiba Inu can do so without any delays. This meme coin has less upside than you might think Shiba Inu trades at around $0.000005, and while fans of this cryptocurrency sometimes speculate it could reach $0.01, that's not happening. There are about 589 trillion SHIB tokens in circulation, and if it reaches $0.01, Shiba Inu would have a market cap of $5.89 trillion. That's more than double the value of the entire crypto market. The regulatory wins and inclusion in T. Rowe Price's proposed crypto ETF are both beneficial for Shiba Inu, but they haven't moved the needle noticeably when the token is viewed through a wider lens. It's still down 94% from the all-time high it set in 2021, and down by 60% over the past 12 months. Even though Shiba Inu has met certain regulatory standards, I question the level of institutional adoption there will be for a meme coin with a cartoon dog as its mascot. Shiba Inu has occasionally gone on short upward runs, though their peaks have been lower since the big one in 2021. It reached $0.000045 in 2024, which is about nine times higher than its current price. It's certainly in the realm of possibility that Shiba Inu could build up some hype again and manage to double, triple, or more. However, that's entirely up to chance, and the likelihood of it happening is slim. I'd stay far away from Shiba Inu and stick to crypto investments with better odds of success. Should you buy stock in Shiba Inu right now? Before you buy stock in Shiba Inu, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now... and Shiba Inu wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $406,141!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,347,745!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 940% -- a market-crushing outperformance compared to 211% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks " *Stock Advisor returns as of September 19, 2026. Lyle Daly has positions in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, T. Rowe Price Group, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Original Source: Aol
