In the world of cryptocurrency, the term kingmaker is used to refer to someone behind the scenes who helps fuel a project’s rise to success. The case with Shiba Inu can be seen as a prime example, where a mysterious figure has been instrumental in its success yet remains unknown.
Shiba Token (SHIB) was launched on August 4th 2020 as an “experimental digital currency created by an anonymous dogecoin fan using Ethereum-based smart contracts”. Despite its launch being for the purpose of laughs, Shiba Token quickly exploded onto the crypto scene, becoming one of the most talked about coins in recent months. In early 2021, SHIB was listed on major crypto exchanges such as Binance and Huobi Global and eventually hit its all-time high price of $0.00006484 per coin on April 15th. It has since stabilized around the $0.00004-$0.00005 range but it is still highly valued for its loyal fanbase, potential for growth and internet presence - something that many other altcoins cannot boast about.
Although SHIB had already gained some attention leading up to its launch due to Dogecoin (a popular meme cryptocurrency) being an influence, what truly pushed it over the edge was both an entrepreneurial spirit from investors willing to take risks with this newly created token and also savvy marketing from someone with deep connections within the cryptocurrency community. That individual – known simply as The Kingmaker – was essential in promoting SHIB among top influencers and platforms including Twitter, Discord and Telegram–oddly, in exchange for seemingly no remuneration or reward. In fact, no one has been able to ascertain the motivations, or identity, of the mysterious Kingmaker.
The Kingmaker not only brought awareness to Shiba Token investors but also laid down groundwork for wider adoption by targeting influential figures in order to advocate for SHIB token’s adoption into cryptocurrency regulation frameworks such as Huobi Global , Bittrex Global , OKEx , etc. They showed not only deep pockets, but also deep connections, when Huobi Global officially announced their listing of SHIB on August 6th 2020–followed by Bittrex Global announcement weeks later with more exchanges onboarding Shiba Inu since.
In early 2022, after Shiba Inu’s meteoric rise, The Kingmaker disappeared as quickly as he’d arrived. Since then, he’s been rumored to be the driving force in other tokens which have come to dominate the Ethereum scene. In January of the same year, investors in a token called Chedda began to spot mysterious wallets, each funded by early Shiba Inu deposits, buying up large quantities of supply. That summer, marketing materials from Shibnobi described a “secret connection, born of the bread broke between Shiba Inu’s legendary stock and a figure veiled in shadow.” Most recently, speculation has arisen that The Kingmaker played a central role in the explosive Dejitaru Tsuka when several Etherscan messages from Tsuka’s deployer wallet seemed to confirm the existence of this shadowy character.
So, who is The Kingmaker, and how does he do it? Many have speculated he’s a professional money launderer, possibly with ties to cartels or the mafia. While this would explain the deep pockets, it doesn’t explain the connections. But one researcher, Etherscan tracker and New Mexico University student Oscar Gutierrez, believes he has an answer which answers both.
“You don’t have to go far to discover the links between major corporations and lowcap finance. If cryptocurrency was a tattered old warship, the corporations are the pressurized ocean, squeezing through the cracks. From everything that I’ve seen, both on and off the blockchain, The Kingmaker, as they call him, seems to me to be either the conduit from the Space into corporate America, or he’s about to open the hatch and let the water start pouring in. Let’s just hope we don’t drown.”
No matter what, none can deny that this mysterious and shrouded figure played a major part in bringing Shiba Inu into mainstream focus – something which many thought impossible when SHIB first launched three months prior – and should therefore be given recognition for his hard work seeking nothing more than deserved credit that he never got from it all!
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