TL;DR

Shiba Inus potential return to the top 10 hinges on expanding its ecosystem, like the continued progress of its L2 scaling solution, Shibarium. However, it faces growing competition from other meme coins. Dogecoin (DOGE), which seems poised for a good year due to Musks involvement in politics, remains its biggest rival.

The Necessary Factors

The popular meme coin performed quite well in 2024, and at one point, it had secured a position among the top 10 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Over the past several months, though, many of its rivals surpassed it. The self-proclaimed Dogecoin killer is currently the 19th-biggest digital asset, and we asked ChatGPT whether it can return to the top 10 club in 2025.

The AI-powered chatbot said this is possible but requires several vital factors to be in place. First, it claimed that SHIB could climb the crypto ladder if its ecosystem continued to expand this year.

One example is the further progress of the layer-2 scaling solution, Shibarium. The protocol, whose ultimate goal is to foster the development of the meme coin, recently reached a new milestone. As CryptoPotato reported, the total transactions processed on the network exceeded 800 million. 

Next on ChatGPTs list is the potential growth of SHIBs community in the next 12 months. The SHIB Army consists of millions of investors, developers, and proponents, and their collective actions, both positive and negative, can affect the tokens market performance. 

Third, the chatbot estimated that SHIBs eventual rally this year would also depend on the overall crypto market conditions. The current bullish environment and the upcoming pro-crypto president of the United States Donald Trump (according to his presidential campaign) suggest that the following months could be beneficial to the industry. However, only time will show whether this will be the case.

The Competition

It is important to note that SHIBs competitors and other new entrants may challenge SHIB to get a top position. Some examples include Pepe (PEPE), Pudgy Penguins (PENGU), ai16z (AI16Z), and more.

Shiba Inus biggest rival remains the largest meme coin in terms of market capitalization Dogecoin (DOGE). According to many industry participants, the OG meme coin may also experience a great year. 

After all, Elon Musk one of its biggest fans will enter the US political scene. He will lead a designated agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.). Its main goal will be to reduce government spending and solve the problem of the suffocating massive federal bureaucracy.

However, many Dogecoin proponents have noticed that the divisions abbreviation is the same as their favorite coin, envisioning good days ahead for the dog-themed token during Musks leadership.