Deep Dive
1. Exchange Delistings & Liquidity Crunch (Bearish Impact)
Overview: Bitfinex delisted SHM on 16 July 2025 alongside 10 other tokens, citing “internal liquidity requirements.” This followed CoinW’s May 2025 SHM listing, which failed to sustain momentum.
What this means: Delistings reduce trading access and liquidity, amplifying volatility. SHM’s 24h volume of $1.01M against a $1.29M market cap implies extreme sensitivity to sell-offs. The token’s 0.788 turnover ratio (volume/market cap) confirms thin markets, where even small trades disproportionately impact price.
What to look out for: Additional exchange support or delistings.
2. Founder Controversy Lingers (Bearish Impact)
Overview: Shardeum’s founder, Nischal Shetty, remains linked to the unresolved 2024 WazirX hack (CoinMarketCap), where $230M in user funds vanished. Shetty’s silence and focus on Shardeum have fueled distrust.
What this means: Negative sentiment persists despite Shardeum’s technical milestones (e.g., EU MiCA compliance). The project’s 77% decline from its peak aligns with community frustration over leadership accountability, deterring new investors.
3. Technical Weakness (Bearish Impact)
Overview: SHM trades below its 30-day SMA ($0.078) and 7-day EMA ($0.066), with RSI 14 at 46.17 (neutral but downtrending). The Fibonacci 23.6% retracement at $0.116 remains a distant resistance.
What this means: The lack of bullish momentum confirmation and failed rebound attempts suggest traders are sidelined. A break below the $0.0599 swing low (May 2025) could trigger another leg down.
Conclusion
SHM’s decline reflects a toxic mix of reduced liquidity, unresolved founder risks, and weak technicals. While community initiatives like node deployments (450+ nodes by August 2025) offer long-term promise, short-term headwinds dominate.
Key watch: Can SHM hold the $0.0599 support, or will delistings and sentiment push it to new lows? Monitor exchange liquidity and regulatory updates under MiCA.