Winning over young voters with crypto-friendly policies has become a proven political strategy, and Donald Trump’s successful playbook has not gone unnoticed. As South Korea gears up for a crucial presidential election, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) is taking a page from Trump’s book, positioning itself as the champion of digital innovation.
Let’s dive into the evolving landscape.
South Korea’s Presidential Election: The Battle Lines
South Korea, a major Asian economic hub, is preparing for a high-stakes presidential election. The contest is primarily between the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DP).
According to recent polls, the Democratic Party currently leads with 47% support, while the PPP trails at 35%. In a bid to close the gap, the PPP is banking heavily on crypto reforms to win back disenchanted voters.
PPP’s Bold Crypto Agenda: Major Promises for 2025
At the heart of the PPP’s campaign is a direct appeal to the country’s growing crypto community. The party has promised to abolish the controversial law that requires crypto exchanges to form exclusive partnerships with local banks—a regulation that has stifled competition and forced many smaller exchanges to shut down or limit their services.
But the promises don’t stop there. The PPP’s 2025 agenda outlines several major crypto initiatives, including:
Launching corporate crypto trading platforms before the end of 2024.
Establishing a Virtual Asset Special Committee to oversee sector development.
Creating a stablecoin regulatory framework aligned with global standards.
Clarifying crypto tax regulations to foster greater transparency.
By aggressively targeting regulatory barriers, the PPP aims to position South Korea as a global leader in digital assets.
Where the Democratic Party Stands
While the Democratic Party hasn’t made sweeping crypto promises, it maintains a generally pro-crypto stance. Some leaders have floated the idea of establishing a national Bitcoin reserve, and the party has signaled its intention to reform South Korea’s existing crypto regulations.
However, their messaging is notably less aggressive compared to the PPP’s bold reform proposals.
Why Crypto Matters: The Battle for Young Voters
Both major parties recognize the political power of younger voters, many of whom see cryptocurrencies as symbols of financial freedom and technological innovation. By embracing crypto narratives, South Korea’s political forces hope to win over a generation that could ultimately decide the fate of the 2025 election.
Following years of anticipation, Shiba Inu’s Layer-2 (L2) solution Shibarium launched on August 16, 2023. Despite being designed to bring speed, scalability, and reduced costs to SHIB holders, network data shows that Shibarium’s daily activity has significantly lagged behind competing L2 networks like Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism.
This piece looks at how Shibarium has performed this year and what its slow growth means for the wider Shiba Inu ecosystem, especially for BONE, the token that powers Shibarium, and SHIB itself.
Shibarium’s User Engagement Falters After Meme Market Rally
According to Shibariumscan, Shiba Inu’s L2 network had an unimpressive start to the year. In the first quarter of 2025, daily active addresses on the network were relatively low, showing little user engagement.
It was not until April that activity began to pick up on Shibarium. This spike in network usage was driven by the surge in meme coin activity across the broader crypto market.
For context, between April 10 and May 10, the meme coin market capitalization rose 56% as demand for these assets rocketed.
Riding that wave, Shibarium saw a surge in activity, peaking at over 21,000 daily active addresses on May 12, its year-to-date high. However, this momentum did not last.
As the meme coin market mania began to fade in late May, user activity on Shibarium also declined. By June 5, the number of daily active addresses had fallen to around 9,000—a drop of more than 55% in just three weeks.
Shibarium Daily Active Accounts. Source: Shibariumscan
Why Shiba Inu’s Layer-2 Network Is Falling Behind Other L2s
This pattern of user activity on Shibarium suggests a lack of sustained utility or use cases that keep users engaged beyond speculative trading.
In an exclusive interview with BeInCrypto, Dominick John, an analyst at Kronos Research, noted that while Shibarium experiences “bursts of community-driven activity,” it still lags behind other Layer-2 networks like Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism.
“Those networks benefit from robust ecosystems and composability in DEFI beyond the memecoin hype. For Shibarium to stand out, it must evolve and cultivate a unique DeFi ecosystem that delivers long-term value,” John explained.
According to John, Shibarium’s muted growth “reflects project-specific hurdles, limited dApp adoption, ecosystem fragmentation, and fierce L2 competition more than meme-token fatigue.”
On-chain data from DefiLlama confirms this narrative. Currently, Shibarium hosts just 18 decentralized finance (DeFi) projects— a stark contrast to more established Layer-2s like Base and Arbitrum, which support 549 and 741 projects, respectively.
Lynn C., SONEX’s CMO, echoes the same sentiment. Lynn acknowledges that meme-token fatigue may be partially responsible for Shibarium’s slow adoption, but emphasizes that much of the challenge lies in project-specific scaling strategies.
“On one hand, there is certainly meme-token fatigue in the market as users look for more utility-driven projects. On the other hand, Shibarium’s growth challenges may be specific to how the network is structured and its approach to scaling. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and different projects take different paths toward growth,” she said.
Despite its challenges, Shibarium has introduced utility benefits to the Shiba Inu ecosystem. John noted, “Shibarium has strengthened the Shiba Inu ecosystem by enabling cheaper transactions, supporting SHIB burns, and giving BONE real utility.”
For Lynn, the L2 “has added an important component to the Shiba Inu ecosystem by offering a Layer-2 network that promises to scale transactions and reduce costs.”
BONE Token Struggles Amid Shibarium’s Slow Adoption
BONE serves as the primary gas token, facilitating transactions and enabling users to interact on Shibarium. With fewer transactions taking place on the L2, the practical need for BONE as gas has diminished. This lack of on-chain utility has impacted the token’s market performance, falling 38% YTD.
John echoed this concern, stating that, “from a market-making perspective, token utility needs to translate into recurring on-chain demand and transactional velocity. At this stage, BONE demonstrates some early use cases, but it has yet to establish consistent capital retention across the ecosystem.”
On the other hand, Lynn holds a more cautiously optimistic view of BONE. In her words:
“BONE has certainly played a role within the Shiba Inu ecosystem, but like many tokens, it’s still working on building its utility beyond speculative trading. It’s common for newer tokens to find their footing as they grow and develop more use cases. The demand for tokens like BONE will evolve as the ecosystem matures and as more opportunities for real utility emerge.”
For the SHIB meme coin, Shibarium’s lackluster performance also has its impacts.
“If Shibarium fails to scale meaningfully, SHIB holders face several risks: reduced utility due to low transaction volume and limited dApp adoption, weaker SHIB burn rates, and stagnating token value,” John added.
Lynn, on the other hand, struck a slightly more optimistic tone. According to her:
“If Shibarium doesn’t scale, it could slow down the momentum of the broader Shiba Inu ecosystem, especially in terms of user adoption and network effects. However, it’s important to remember that blockchain and DeFi projects face various challenges as they grow, and Shibarium’s trajectory will likely continue to evolve as the team adapts to feedback and market needs.”
Metaplanet, popular as Japan’s MicroStrategy, announced its decision to issue its 13th Series of Ordinary Bonds, and raise a total of $25 million for fresh Bitcoin purchases. Through its EVO FUND, the company has been periodically issuing bonds by drawing a leaf from Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin playbook. The announcement led to a quick 12% surge in the stock price during today’s trading session, moving closer to 500 JPY.
Metaplanet Prepares for Massive Bitcoin Purchases
Via its ordinary bonds, Japanese firm Metaplanet announced raising $25 million at 0% earmarked for the acquisition of Bitcoin. Redemption of the bonds will be funded through proceeds generated from the exercise of the 15th to 17th Series of Stock Acquisition Rights, reported the firm.
Furthermore, company CEO Simon Gerovich announced the company’s latest Bitcoin acquisition, revealing the purchase of 555 BTC for approximately $53.4 million at an average price of $96,134 per coin.
This addition brings the firm’s total Bitcoin holdings to 5,555 BTC, acquired at a cumulative cost of around $481.5 million, averaging $86,672 per Bitcoin. Since the beginning of 2025, Metaplanet has been on an aggressive BTC acquisition spree, moving fast and close to its target of having 10,000 BTC in treasury by the end of 2026.
Additionally, the firm is quick in its overseas expansion, opening a Miami office last week. Today’s announcement of Bitcoin purchases has led to a 12% surge in the Metaplanet stock price, which is already up by 33% since the beginning of 2025.
Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko offered a balance evaluation of Donald Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on the strategic Bitcoin reserve. In a recent statement, Yakovenko likened the Bitcoin reserve to a “scalpel,” suggesting that the move marks a significant step towards regulatory clarity.
Notably, the Solana founder’s statement underscores the administration’s targeted and precise regulatory framework for digital assets. Let’s unveil how Anatoly Yakovenko views Trump’s Bitcoin reserve strategy.
Donald Trump’s Bitcoin EO is a Scalpel, Says Solana Co-Founder
Donald Trump’s recent executive order for a strategic crypto reserve has invoked widespread enthusiasm. Despite some disagreements with the inclusion of altcoins like XRP, SOL, and ADA, the crypto community stands strong with the Bitcoin order. In a recent X post, Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko addressed the Bitcoin reserve plan as a scalpel. This suggests that the EO’s regulatory approach is characterized by precision and specificity, rather than overly restrictive measures.
Significantly, the Solana co-founder’s message highlight the nuances of crypto regulatory landscape and the need for clarity. Yakovenko emphasized that the Bitcoin order will pave the way for more regulatory clarity in the US. He added, “We need a stablecoin bill, guidance to let banks deposit and withdraw crypto, clear rules from the sec and cftc for issuance and defi.”
Solana Co-Founder Opposes Crypto Reserve Proposal
Despite his recent endorsement, the Solana co-founder criticized Donald Trump’s crypto reserve proposal. His criticisms were based on the idea that the government control could undermine the notion of decentralization.
Recently, Yakovenko outlined his preferences regarding a US reserve of cryptocurrencies, with his top choice being no reserve at all. His second preference was to allow individual states to oversee their own reserves. This approach, he believes, would provide a safeguard against potential missteps by the Federal Reserve.
In addition to Yakovenko’s opposition, controversy arose when Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson revealed that he had not been invited to the Crypto Summit, where discussions on the reserve were slated to take place.
How Will Donald Trump’s Crypto Reserve Reshape Financial Space?
According to Robert Kiyosaki, the author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” Bitcoin could heal America’s financial woes. With Trump’s decision to adopt a Bitcoin reserve, the cryptocurrency is poised to reach new all-time highs, stated Kiyosaki.
However, Trump’s crypto policies could be a threat to Wall Street. Primarily due to the possible growth of stablecoins, which in turn boosts Silicon Valley’s establishment, the traditional financial ecosystem could collapse. Thus Trump’s pro-crypto stance signals the potential downfall of Wall Street.
