Institutional Interest in BONK Signals Potential for Significant Price Increase Ahead of SHIB
January 14, 2026
Finance

Institutional Interest in BONK Signals Potential for Significant Price Increase Ahead of SHIB

Grayscale Investments’ inclusion of Solana-based BONK on its Assets Under Consideration list sparks speculation on institutional adoption and price trajectory

Summary

Grayscale Investments recently added BONK, a Solana-based meme coin, to its quarterly Assets Under Consideration (AUC) list. This marks the first time the asset manager has publicly evaluated BONK for a possible investment product, placing BONK alongside established cryptocurrencies and signaling growing institutional interest. Market data indicates a potential price reversal pattern in BONK’s price chart, raising discussions on whether BONK could achieve substantial gains before similar assets like Shiba Inu (SHIB).

Key Points

Grayscale Investments has placed BONK on its quarterly Assets Under Consideration list, marking institutional evaluation of the meme coin for the first time.
Inclusion alongside over 40 tokens reflects growing institutional interest in diverse sectors including DeFi, AI, and consumer culture-themed cryptocurrencies.
BONK’s consideration occurs before notable meme coins like Shiba Inu and Pepe, potentially changing dynamics in meme coin investing.
Technical chart patterns for BONK suggest a possible bullish reversal, with price testing key moving averages and consolidating above bearish indicators.

In recent developments within the cryptocurrency market, BONK, a meme coin operating on the Solana blockchain, has drawn considerable institutional attention. Over the last 24 hours, BONK experienced a 6% increase in its market price, coinciding with Grayscale Investments' decision to include BONK on its first quarter Assets Under Consideration (AUC) list.

This inclusion is significant as it represents the inaugural occasion on which a major traditional financial (TradFi) asset manager is publicly investigating BONK as a candidate for an investment product. Grayscale’s AUC list not only comprises BONK but also contains over 40 additional tokens spanning decentralized finance (DeFi), artificial intelligence (AI), and smart contract ecosystems.

Prior to BONK’s consideration, Dogecoin (DOGE) was the sole meme coin featured on Grayscale’s AUC list. Following the launch of Grayscale’s Dogecoin ETF, ticker $GDOG, in late 2024, the product attracted $1.94 million in net inflows on January 9 after a period of relative inactivity, according to SoSoValue data. This example establishes a framework demonstrating how institutional endorsement via Grayscale can catalyze renewed market interest and capital influx into meme coins.

It should be noted that inclusion on Grayscale’s consideration list does not guarantee the eventual creation of an investment product. However, such inclusion does confirm that a process of rigorous institutional due diligence is underway. An investment vehicle based on BONK would create a regulated on-ramp, enabling entities like pension funds, hedge funds, and registered investment advisors (RIAs) to gain exposure to the asset without the complexities and potential risks of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) or self-custody wallets.

The Feasibility of a $1 BONK

Analyses of BONK’s current market price, which is approximately $0.00001149, juxtaposed with a hypothetical target price of $1.00, indicates it would require an approximately 87,000-fold increase in value to reach that level.

While such a move may appear implausible at first glance, historical precedents in the crypto sector suggest that institutional capital inflows combined with amplified retail enthusiasm (often characterized as FOMO) can precipitate extraordinary price surges, especially in micro-cap meme coins.

A noteworthy aspect of BONK’s current institutional status is its consideration by Grayscale ahead of other notable meme coins such as Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Pepe (PEPE). This precedence could materially alter the competitive landscape among meme tokens.

Institutional Appetite and Meme Coin Categorization

Within its classification framework, Grayscale designates BONK under the “Consumer & Culture” sector. This label corresponds to tokens associated with consumption activities and implies that retail investor engagement plays a critical role in driving volume and liquidity for such assets.

The asset manager’s AUC list includes other prominent cryptocurrencies such as Aptos, Arbitrum, Binance Coin (BNB), Aave (AAVE), and Uniswap (UNI). Additionally, the BONK competitor ARIA Protocol has appeared on the list but, as of the last reporting period ending December 31, 2025, has not been incorporated into any existing Grayscale Crypto Sector products.

This timing aligns with legislative progress on the U.S. Digital Asset Market Transparency Act currently under consideration by the Senate. Should the act pass, it would create clearer regulatory frameworks encouraging parity across various tokens, including XRP and Solana, relative to more established assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

Technical Indicators Suggesting Reversal Potential

Trading data illustrates that BONK price rallied from $0.00000600 in December and formed what appears to be a double-bottom pattern. Typically, this pattern is viewed as a bullish reversal indicator and, when confirmed, often precedes significant upward price movements.

Currently, BONK’s price hovers near critical technical resistance levels, specifically the 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) at approximately $0.00001014 and the 100-day EMA near $0.00001192.

The Supertrend indicator, a trend-following metric, remains slightly bearish at $0.00000927 but shows signs of diminishing influence as the trading price consolidates above it.

Relevant Price Levels for Comparison - SHIB

  • Resistance: The 100-day EMA near $0.00001200, the 200-day EMA close to $0.00001480, and prior consolidation zones ranging from $0.00001800 to $0.00002000.
  • Support: Psychological support at $0.00001000, the Supertrend at $0.00000900, and December lows near $0.00000600.

A decisive and sustained break above the $0.00001200 resistance level, particularly if accompanied by increased volume, could shift the intermediate trend to bullish and potentially lead to price appreciation reaching $0.00001800. This would constitute a price increase of approximately 57% from current levels.

Conversely, failure to maintain support above $0.00001000 might reexpose the asset to testing its December lows and invalidate the bullish reversal hypothesis.

These observations highlight a pivotal juncture for BONK where timely institutional decisions and technical price behavior may coalesce to define the asset’s short-to-medium-term trajectory.

Risks
  • Inclusion on Grayscale’s consideration list does not guarantee the launch of an investment product, leaving institutional adoption uncertain.
  • The required price increase for BONK to reach $1 is extraordinarily high (approx. 87,000x), indicating significant volatility and speculative risk.
  • Technical analysis remains subject to reversal; failure to hold support levels could invalidate bullish signals.
  • Regulatory developments such as the Digital Asset Market Transparency Act could alter market conditions and impact token classifications and trading structures.
Disclosure
Education only / not financial advice
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